Flickers in Time

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

Mysterious Castles of Clay
Directed by Alan Root
Produced by Joan and Alan Root
1978/US
IMDb page
First viewing/YouTube

The temple of truth has never suffered so much from woodpeckers on the outside as from termites within. — Vance Havner

Orson Welles narrated this documentary about termite colonies and their mounds in Africa. Turns out that termite hive mind is just about as fascinating as bee hive mind. I enjoyed it. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Scared Straight
Written and directed by Arnold Shapiro
1978/USA
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/YouTube

Convict: When one of your so-called friends says to you, “Come on, let’s go steal something! Let’s go mug someone! Let’s go rip somebody off!” All they’re saying to you is, “Let’s go to prison!

1978’s Best Feature Documentary Oscar winner presents a program developed to put teens on the straight and narrow by showing prison life in all its horror.

A group of budding juvenile delinquents is given a dose of reality by inmates that are serving 30 years to life in a maximum security prison. The prisoners do not mince words and give graphic descriptions of sexual violence.

This photo is B&W but the film is in color

The film won the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary as well as two Emmys for informational T V programing.  It was presented uncensored on TV, and represents the first time the “f”-word was allowed by many stations.   The film was the granddaddy of many reality TV shows here in the US with this theme. The version I watched on YouTube had a segment showing what had happened to the participants 20 years later. Most of the prisoners and the young people seem to have benefited from the program.

I, Jane Doe
Directed by John H. Auer
Written by Lawrence Kimball
1948/US
Republic Pictures
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental

Bigamy, n. A mistake in taste for which the wisdom of the future will adjudge a punishment called trigamy. — Ambrose Bierce.

Kind of fun to see a courtroom drama with an all female defense team.

Jane Doe (Vera Ralson) shot and killed Eve Meredith Curtis’s (Ruth Hussey) husband Stephen (John Carroll). She has refused to reveal her name or talk about the crime in any way. She is swiftly convicted and given the death sentence. She gets a brief reprieve to give birth to a baby.

Eve, a successful attorney, takes an interest in her and gets the full story. Stephen met Annette Du Bois in France during WWII after his plane crashed. She sheltered him and he married her even though he was already married to Eve.  We learn that he is a serial philanderer.

Eve manages to get her a new trial and the story continues to play out through the testimony and flashbacks. With Gene Lockhart as the bombastic prosecutor.

I don’t know that I have seen Vera Ralston before. She is an appealing actress with a delicate beauty. Ruth Hussey was also quite good. John Carroll is the weak link.  It’s an entertaining movie but nothing I would go out of my way to see again.

The Gay Deception
Directed by William Wyler
Written by Stephen Morehouse Avery and Don Hartman
1935/US
Fox Film Corporation
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental

Sandro: All right, I’ll tell you what we’ll do. I promise to change everything about myself, if you’ll promise to stay exactly as you are.

William Wyler directs a frothy romantic comedy.  He really could do anything.

Mirabel (Frances Dee), a humble clerk, wins $5,000 in the lottery. Instead of taking the sound financial advice cautioning her to make her money last, Mirabel decides to splurge on a luxurious month in New York City. Sandro (Francis Lederer) is a bellboy at the fancy hotel where she is staying. He keeps hanging around making suggestions on improving her taste in hats and food. She resents this mightily.

Mirabe; rapidly finds out that her wealth does not impress the snobs in the society crowd she aspires to join. She buys tickets to a grand charity ball and then is roundly snubbed by the organizers. It is Sandro to the rescue. He steals the proper clothes and poses as a prince. I won’t go farther. With Alan Mowbray and Benita Hume as snobs and Akim Tamiroff as a kind of shady government official.

This is a well-made romcom. It’s leads are charming. Oh, how, I envy Francis Dee. She is beautiful, funny, and had the good fortune to be married to my heartthrob Joel McCrea for 57 years.

Toni
Directed by Jean Renoir
Written by Jean Renoir from material compiled by Jacques Levert
1935/France
Les Films Marcel Pagnol
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel

Narrator: (First lines)The action takes place in the south of France, a Latin region where, destroying the spirit of Babel, nature knows full well how to achieve the fusion of the races.

This is a well-made and acted film but I expected something more from Renoir.

As the film begins we see immigrants from many European nations arriving in France to seek work. Our hero is Antonio “Toni” Canova an Italian. He seeks lodging at a boarding house and soon is having an affair with its French proprietress Marie. He gets work in the local rock quarry. Time passes and Toni tires of the extremely jealous and possessive Marie. He has fallen in love with Josefa who lives with her Spanish peasant father and her scheming cousin. Finally, Toni decides to ask Josefa to marry him. Her father approves. But Toni’s horrible foreman gets in first. The father thinks a marriage with Albert will be financially advantageous. But as time passes it becomes clear that the only advantage will be to Albert. None of this is going to end well. As the film ends, another large group of foreigners enters France looking for work.

Wow, I had not expected anything so tragic! Everything about the film making and cinematography is great. I thought it would be another exploration of the brotherhood of workers. Given the number of truly evil people in this I came out only with the message that life sucks. It was one Renoir that I had never seen before and for that alone it was worth watching.

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

Clip – Spoiler

Romance in Manhattan
Directed by Stephen Roberts
Written by Jane Murfin and Edward Kaufman from a story by Norman Krasna and Don Hartman
1935/US
RKO Radio Pictures
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental

Karel Novak: Everybody looks so happy here. They all smile and look so rich and busy.
Sylvia Dennis: We all try look rich and busy whether we are or not.

I enjoyed this cute, if slight, romantic comedy.

Karel Novak (Francis Lederer) has saved for years in his native Czechlosavakia for the steamship fare and $50 in cash necessary to immigrate to the United States. When he arrives he finds out that the ready cash requirement has increased to $200 and he is deported. He jumps ship as it is leaving port and goes out to find work. Eventually he becomes a taxi driver. He meets and falls in love with Ginger Rogers, a chorus girl who is taking care of her younger brother.

Can their love withstand a taxi strike, Ginger’s unemployment, threats to take the brother to an orphanage, and threats to deport Francis? You only get one guess.

I have nothing more to say than that this an entertaining comedy with very appealing leads.