Flickers in Time

Reap the Wild Wind
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
Written by Allen LeMay, Thelma Strabel, Charles Bennett, and Jesse Laskey Jr.
1942/USA
Paramount Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Tagline: CECIL B. DEMILLE’S MIGHTY SPECTACLE! Men Against Giant Sea Monster 50 Fathoms Down (1955 Re-release poster)[/box]

Who could pass up the chance to see John Wayne fight with a giant octopus? Unfortunately, the rest of this DeMille epic dragged for me.

The setting is Key West, Florida sometime before the American Civil War.  The main occupation of the town is the rescue and salvage of ships that founder on the coast.  King Cutler (Raymond Massey) is widely suspected of giving the ships a little push toward disaster.

Loxi Claiborne (Paulette Goddard) is a fiery tomboy who relishes dressing in man’s clothes and assisting in salvage operations.  Her cousin Druscilla (Susan Hayward) is secretly in love with King Cutler’s brother Dan (Robert Preston).

Captain Jack Stewart (John Wayne) commands a ship that founders with the assistance of the evil Cutler.  He is blamed by his employer for the wreck.  Loxi falls for Captain Jack and determines to assist him when he meets the boss in South Carolina.

Captain Jack also longs to be put in charge of a new-fangled steam ship.  But the supposedly effete Steven Tolliver (Ray Milland), a relative of the boss, has an inside track on the job.  When Loxi meets Steven, it is love at first sight for him and Loxi starts using her feminine wiles on him to help Captain Jack.

The plot of this thing is too complicated to go on with.  Suffice it to say that the love triangle is resolved dramatically and John Wayne does indeed defeat a giant octopus.

This kind of DeMille epic just isn’t for me.  The performances are OK but the 2+ hour movie could have been trimmed by more than half an hour.  The action sequences, while way too far apart, look good.

Reap the Wild Wind won an Oscar for Best Effects, Special Effects.  It was nominated in the categories of Best Cinematography, Color and Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Color.

Clip — The battle with the octopus!

Der Fuehrer’s Face
Walt Disney Studio
Available on YouTube

This might just be the rudest cartoon Disney ever put out and very, very funny.  Donald Duck is subjected to short rations and forced labor in Nazi Germany, all the while heiling Hitler like mad.  Very deserving of its Oscar win for Best Short Subject, Cartoon.  You really should give it a try but don’t blame me if you can’t get the music out of your head for days.

All Out for ‘V’
Terrytunes/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Available on YouTube

When their forest home is bombed and war declared, the animals all do their bit for victory. They produce munitions, food, and wool, donate money, enforce the blackout, and even launch an attack on Japanese Beetles.  Moderately amusing, if a bit heavy-handed.

Blitz Wolf
Directed by Tex Avery
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Available on YouTube but only with non-English dubbing

The Big Bad Wolf (AKA “Der Fewer”) doesn’t stand a chance against the heavily armed and fortified Three Little Pigs.  Almost equal to the Disney cartoon in rudeness and hilarity.

Juke Box Jamboree
Walter Lantz Productions

I’ve been unable to find this cartoon online anywhere that does not require downloading something or other. Would love to hear from those who have seen it!

Pigs in a Polka
Directed by Friz Frelang
Warner Bros.

Tulips Shall Grow
George Pal

The following Disney cartoons were nominated in the category of Best Documentary.

The New Spirit
Walt Disney Studios

This was the best I could do in terms of quality

The Grain That Built a Hemisphere
Walt Disney Studios

Moontide
Directed by Archie Mayo
Written by John O’Hara from the novel by Willard Robertson
1942/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Fox Film Noir DVD

[box] My agent had told me that he was going to make me the Janet Gaynor of England – I was going to play all the sweet roles. Whereupon, at the tender age of thirteen, I set upon the path of playing nothing but hookers. — Ida Lupino[/box]

It was a little hard getting used to Jean Gabin speaking English!  This early film noir is recommendable for its beautiful cinematography.

Bobo (Gabin) is a hard-drinking dockworker with a violent temper and prone to blackouts. His “friend” Tiny (Thomas Mitchell) is Bobo’s self-appointed babysitter.  As the story opens, Tiny is urging Bobo to go to San Diego for work but Bobo drinks on.  Once again Bobo is completely blotto.  When he comes to, he is sleeping in a waterside bait shop owned by some friendly Chinese who offer him work.  He learns that one of his drinking companions from the night before has been strangled.

While walking on the beach with night watchman and homespun philosopher Nutsy (Claude Rains), Bobo spots a girl walking into the sea fully clothed.  This is Anna, a “hash-house dame”.  Bobo rescues her then lies to the police to prevent them taking her in for attempted suicide. Marie’s domestic care begins to ground Bobo’s life and he asks her to marry him.  But Tiny is not about to lose his meal ticket, and takes drastic action.

This movie had real potential and perhaps if Fritz Lang had stayed on the project until completion it would have realized it.  As it was, he was replaced by Mayo with three weeks left due to disagreements with Darryl F. Zanuck.  According to the commentary, Gabin was none too pleased with Zanuck’s approach to the material either.

None of this discord was fatal and Moontide, if not great, is very watchable.  The cinematography is innovative and stunning.

Hollywood wasn’t really for Gabin and by 1943 he had returned to Europe to fight with the Free French.

Charles G. Clarke was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White for his work on Moontide.

Clip – Bobo’s bender – Sorry for the Russian overdubbing but you can see the crazy camera work

George Washington Slept Here
Directed by William Keighley
Written by Everett Freeman from the play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
1942/USA
Warner Bros.
First viewing/Warner Archive DVD

[box] Moving Man: You know what that dame told me? “George Washington slept here.”

Moving Man: Yeah? I guess that’s what drove them to Valley Forge.[/box]

This is another one of those wacky non-stop stage comedies adapted for the screen. It is over the top, but pretty funny.

Bill Fuller (Jack Benny) and his wife Connie (Ann Sheridan) are evicted for the umpteenth time from their city apartment because of their untrained little dog.  Connie is quite the antiques collector and longs for a home of her own.  Although Bill hates the country, she can’t resist the impulse to buy a dilapidated old house where George Washington once allegedly slept.

Connie’s real estate smarts are not of the best and the couple immediately discovers that the well on the property has gone dry.  The local they put in charge of renovations (Percy Kilbride) is a bottomless pit of supply needs.  Their access road goes through a neighbor’s property and he refuses to let them use it.  Then Connie cannot say no to visits by her bratty nephew and rich uncle (Charles Coburn).  With Hattie McDaniel as the Fuller’s sassy maid.

It’s a stretch to suspend disbelief for this one but once this is accomplished, it’s an enjoyable romp.

The only thing I knew about Ann Sheridan before I started this blog was that she was known as the “Sweater Girl”.  She is really so much more.  She’s very adept at comedy and always lends a down-to-earth presence to her characters.

Though this was not his first film, Jack Benny started Percy Kilbride (“Pa Kettle”) on his Hollywood career by insisting that he reprise his role in the stage play.  His deadpan delivery is priceless.

George Washington Slept Here was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White.

Trailer

My Sister Eileen 
Directed by Alexander Hall
Written by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov from their play based on stories by Ruth McKenny
1942/USA
Columbia Pictures Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] [last lines] Subway Builder: Hey Moe, I think we made da wrong toin![/box]

This is a madcap “laugh a minute” comedy filled with kooky characters that chronicles the adventures of two poverty stricken would-be career girls in New York.  It is based on autobiographical pieces published in the New Yorker magazine.

Ruth (Rosalind Russell) and Eileen (Janet Blair) Sherwood are sisters from Columbus, Ohio who arrive in New York City with $100 between them.  Ruth hopes to find work as a writer and Eileen has her sights set on the stage.  They move into the basement apartment from hell as they set out to find their fortune.  Their window puts them in ear and eye range of the sidewalk, blasting for a new subway line rocks the apartment from early morning until midnight, and a faulty door lock has a series of odd balls dropping in day and night.

Both of the women are getting nowhere in their chosen professions but Eileen, a man magnet, at least does not have to subsist on pasta and bread like older sister Ruth.  Ruth starts having success first, however, when she meets a man (Brian Ahern) who is trying to bring the “Manhattaner” magazine up-to-date with some human interest stories.  With George Tobias as the sisters’ Greek painter-landlord, Allyn Joslyn as a womanizing reporter, and June Havoc as the former tenant.

This is funny, if hectic, and Rosalind Russell handles the comedy expertly.  It is all a little too much but does get the flavor of small town girls starting out in the big city with dreams and some talent.

My Sister Eileen was remade in 1955 with Betty Garrett and Janet Leigh. Rosalind Russell reprised her role as Ruth in 1953 in the Leonard Bernstein Broadway musical Wonderful Town; Edie Adams played Eileen.

Rosalind Russell was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in My Sister Eileen.

Clip – Three Stooges Cameo (the best I could do)

I Married a Witch
Directed by René Clair

Written by Robert Pirosh and Marc Connelly from a story by Thorne Smith
1942/USA

René Clair Productions/Cinema Guild Productions/Paramount Pictures

First viewing/Hulu Plus

[box] J.B. Masterson: Will you try to be a little more pleasant, at least until after the wedding?[/box]

Veronica Lake is more animated than usual in this Hollywood fantasy-romance from French emigree René Clair.

In the 17th Century, Puritan Jonathan Wooley (played by Fredric March in all his incarnations) denounces a girl and her father as a witch and sorcerer.  Before being burned at the stake, the daughter Jennifer curses Jonathan and his descendants to suffer from bad marriages.  The bodies are buried under an oak tree where the roots hold their spirits fast for 270 years.  The curse is effective though and we see succeeding generations of Wooleys plagued by marriages to shrews.

Finally, the spirits escape and are incarnated into the bodies of Cecil Kellaway and Veronica Lake.  The father, Daniel, is a thoroughly malevolent character who delights on setting buildings on fire etc.  Jennifer is still fixated on getting revenge on the latest iteration of Wooley, Wallace.  She begins the attack at a pre-wedding party for Wallace, now running for governor, and his horrible fiance Estelle (Susan Hayward).

After thoroughly mucking up the celebration, Dad suggests that Jennifer torture Wallace by making him fall in love with her.  She concocts a portion for the purpose but accidently winds up drinking it herself.  The rest of the story consists of her comical attempts to “help” Wallace and Dad’s efforts to foil her plans.  With Robert Benchley as Wallace’s friend.

I enjoyed this one for what it was after having looked forward to seeing it for years.  My reaction may have been tempered by my expectations.  Not bad, though and Kellaway is absolutely delightful.

Legend has it that Lake was so mean to March on set that he took to referring to the film as “I Married a Bitch.”  None of this discord appears on the screen.  Producer Preston Sturges had wanted to reprise Lake’s pairing with Joel McCrea in this film but McCrea refused to work with her again.  Poor Veronica, what a career she might have had if modern psych meds had been available!

Roy Webb was nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.

Joe Dante on I Married a Witch – Trailers from Hell

For Me and My Gal
Directed by Busby Berkeley
Written by Richard Sherman, Fred F. Finklehoff, and Sid Silvers; Story by Howard Emmett Rogers
1942/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Harry Palmer: You think anything’s going to stand in the way of us playing the Palace this time? Oh no, not even a war.[/box]

I don’t know how I missed this enjoyable musical until now.

The action starts in 1916.  Jo Harding (Judy Garland) is in Jimmy Metcalfe’s (George Murphy) vaudeville act.  Jimmy is clearly in love with her.  Self-absorbed headliner Harry Palmer (Gene Kelly) recognizes her talent and sets about stealing her and more from Jimmy.  She can’t stand him at first but Harry also has the gift of the gab and Jimmy sees the writing on the wall and lets her go.  Jo falls deeply in love with Harry, whose main interest is not romance but opening at the Palace Theater in New York, the mecca of all vaudeville performers.

Jo and Harry are relegated to playing the sticks for far longer than Harry had anticipated. He briefly flirts with a chanteuse (Martha Eggerth) who could be his ticket to the big time. But when she offers him a solo break he decides to be loyal to Jo.  Then a draft notice conflicts with their golden opportunity to finally play the Palace.  Harry makes the wrong choice and could lose Jo for good.

The first half of this picture is crammed with delightful musical numbers.  Gene Kelly is absolutely stellar in his film debut and Garland looks lovely in her first “adult” role at the ripe old age of 19.  My favorite of the many great numbers is Gene Kelly’s dance as a hobo/clown in his solo act at the very beginning.  The movie slows down in the second half as the plot concentrates on the love story and some pretty forced patriotic material that was apparently tacked on after Pearl Harbor.  Still, anybody who likes musicals of this era should love this one.

Roger Edens and George Stoll were Oscar-nominated for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.

Judy Garland and Gene Kelly sing and dance to “Ballin’ the Jack”

The Black Swan
Directed by Henry King
Written by Ben Hecht and Seton I. Miller from the novel by Raphael Sabatini
1942/USA
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Jamie: In Tortuga when a woman slaps a man’s face, it means she wants him to grab her, over-power her, and smother her with kisses. I understand in Jamaica a gentleman must refuse such overtures.[/box]

The pictures I am posting do not do justice to the Technicolor glory that is this swashbuckler.

When pirate chief Henry Morgan (Laird Cregar) is named Governor of Jamaica his crew splits up.  Jamie Waring (Tyrone Power) and Tommy Blue (Thomas Mitchell) remain loyal and go with Morgan to run Jamaica.  Rapscallion Capt. Billy Leech (George Sanders with curly red hair and a bushy beard) continues to plunder the Caribbean.  When Morgan arrives in Jamaica, the former Governor Lord Darby (George Zucco) sabotages his rule (and enriches himself) by providing inside information on British treasure ships to the pirates. Jamie falls in love with Lord Darby’s fiery daughter Lady Margaret (Maureen O’Hara) who won’t give him the time of day.

 Margaret is about to be married to one of Lord Darby’s shady henchmen and Jamie abducts her when he sets out to bring Capt. Billy to justice.  Plenty of sea battles and sword fights ensue with a generous dollop of Hollywood romance thrown in for good measure.  With Anthony Quinn as Capt. Billy’s right-hand man.

This is a classic pirate movie with all the trimmings and it looks simply stunning.  Laird Cregar is super-flamboyant and enjoyable as the heavily bewigged Henry Morgan. If it weren’t for his voice, Sanders would be unrecognizable.  As it is, he does well with a red-blooded part, so uncharacteristic of his many effete roles.  The score is really stirring.  If you like this kind of thing, I recommend it.

The DVD I rented had a wonderful commentary by Rudy Behlmer with Maureen O’Hara. At age 83, she was a trove of information and seemed like a really fun person to know.

Leon Shamroy won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Color for The Black Swan.  The film was also nominated for Oscars for Best Effects, Special Effects and for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture (Alfred Newman).

Trailer