A Fine Bromance - Part III (Last one!)

At long, long last - the final installment!

Recently I took up salsa dancing.  It’s a lot of fun, but also a lot to remember, especially for someone like me who is far from being graceful on her feet.  After a particularly long night of dancing, on a new pair of high heels too, I complained to my friend that I felt a lot more sympathy towards Debbie Reynolds.  Having a dance teacher like Gene Kelly, who literally made you dance till your feet bled, couldn’t have been easy.  Now my feet weren’t bleeding, but I couldn’t help thinking of the comparison – simply put, some films are a part of our lives because they are timeless.  Some movies age better than others, but there are a few rare gems that still maintain their initial charm and beauty that transcends the ages.  Now the first two Sinatra-Kelly films don’t quite make this level (although Gene’s dance with Jerry the mouse is a timeless cinema treasure), but I think their third and final film, On the Town, easily earns the title of “true classic.”

On the Town (1949)– Gabey and Chip

It truly is the dancing that makes On the Town a stand-out.  The film starts with three sailors on a 24-hour leave in New York City.  Gabey (Gene Kelly) spots a poster of the monthly Miss Turnstiles and decides that she’s the girl he’s after.  He meets her for a moment by chance in the subway, but loses her and recruits his two buddies Chip (Frank Sinatra) and Ozzie (Jules Munshin) to help him find her.  They’re aided by Hilde, a lady cab driver (Betty Garrett) and Claire, a woman studying anthropology to avoid chasing men (Ann Miller).  But Hilde is clearly more interested in Chip than in finding Miss Turnstiles, just as Claire is far more interested in Ozzie than her studies.  The group splits up to look for the mystery woman, Ivy Smith (Vera-Ellen).  Gabey finds her, and thinks that as Miss Turnstiles, she must be very important.  She’s really just a nobody, working hard to study dancing and music, but she lets him think she’s a somebody.  She agrees to go out with him that night, and all six friends reunite at the top of the Empire State Building (where else?) for the classic title song and dance number.  The three couples start painting the town, but Gabey’s good spirits sink when Ivy must leave him at midnight (she has to go to work as a cooch dancer in Coney Island and doesn’t want him to know).  The others try to cheer him up, even getting Hilde’s obnoxiously-voiced roommate Lucy (Alice Pearce) to stand in as a replacement date.  With a stroke of luck, they run into Ivy’s dance teacher, who tells them the truth about her and where she is working.  The gang race to Coney Island, determined to reunite Gabey and Ivy before his 24 hour pass expires.  A lot of reckless driving and cross-dressing later, they find Ivy, who breaks down and tells Gabey the truth – that’s she’s not the celebrity he’s made her out to be, but just a girl from the same small hometown as him.  But before a final kiss is allowed, the boys are dragged away by the shore patrol for all the fuss they’ve made.  So it’s up to an impassioned speech from Hilde and the good folks of Brooklyn to reunite the guys and the gals for a goodbye kiss.

As I said before, dancing is the highlight of the film.  Sinatra’s learned a lot since his first appearance with Kelly, and the trio of sailors makes some great music together.  Their opening number is still considered a classic in its own right – “New York, New York, It’s a Wonderful Town” is catchy enough, but it also follows the guys through some of the best sites in the city.  I mean, they even get a carriage ride around Central Park.  Funny story: apparently the song was originally worded “New York, New York, it’s a helluva town,” but code regulations (and probably someone who wanted to draw in a younger audience) had it changed to Wonderful.  One of the strengths of the film comes from the talents of the women too.  Ann Miller is an amazing dancer, and delivers with her solo routine in “Modern Man”.  Vera-Ellen is also a knock-out because she’s such a great match for Kelly.  Their duet and dance routine in “Main Street” is endearing and earned the song an Oscar nomination.  But perhaps the most mesmerizing dance is during Gabey’s dream sequence.  In the dream he’s dancing with Ivy on a set of parallel ballet bars.  Everything is dark with just a white hot, tightly closed spotlight on them.  The light hits the backdrop to the right, which is a deep, sensuous pick.  And because of the lighting and the amazing dance, you barely watch the two dancers – you watch instead their shadows, which blend and move into one another.  If you ever thought dancing in musicals didn’t code for sex, this may very well change your mind.  The whole sequence is hypnotizing and very dream-like.  In fact, in years later, Gene Kelly’s daughter said that at a time in Hollywood when it was considered in good taste to go to psychoanalysts and such, her father never did – he dealt with his own psyche through dance.  And it shows. 

The dancing emphasizes the relationships between the characters, and that is truly what carries the film.  It’s a straightforward plot, so the characters especially have to be engaging enough to hold your interest.  While Ivy and Gabey are central to the story, and Ozzie and Claire add to the comic relief, I think the third couple, Chip and Hilde, are my absolute favorite (and one of my all time favorite film couples).  Hilde, as a character, is a lot stronger than most women in musicals – she’s not only witty and charming, but independent and not afraid of declaring (and going after!) exactly what she wants.  She’s Barbara Stanwyck in tap shoes.  She and Chip have some great songs together, like “Come Up to My Place” (ahem, that’s Hilde doing the inviting!) and one of the best in the film, “You’re Awful”.      

Not only do the romantic relationships develop and give the film depth, but we also see a great relationship between the guys, particularly Chip and Gabey.  Perhaps the most touching scene is when Gabey leaves the group, distraught that Ivy left him.  He’s outside coming out of a daydream when Chip comes to get him. 

            Chip: I know you’re taking it hard, Gabe.

            Gabe: I know you know.  That’s why I love you.

There’s something very poignant about that simple exchange.  It not only speaks to their characters (enhancing the male-buddy theme), but to some extent their off screen friendship, which would continue the rest of their lives.  Why did they make such a good team?  Because they were so alike in personality and both geniuses in their respective musical fields, I think they had a mutual respect for one another as well as a fierce dedication to the work.  They were supposed to team up again in 1955 for It’s Always Fair Weather, a film about three soldiers who reunite 10 years after coming home only to find that they no longer have anything in common.  It would have been a great follow up for the Gabey-Ozzie-Chip set, but it wasn’t meant to be.  Instead, Sinatra and Kelly would reunite on the small screen, appearing in numerous television specials and shows.  In 1977, on one such program, Kelly was toasting Sinatra and closed by talking about a song they had done called “Nice and Easy,” to which Frank had sung while Gene had danced.  “As I try to sum up our relationship over the years,” Kelly said that night to Frank, “that seems to say it.  Nice and Easy.  And for that, this battered old Irish hoofer says thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

It’s hard not to love the Kelly-Sinatra films if only to watch them work together.  On the Town represents not only their greatest collaboration, but a true classic in the world of musicals.  It’s aged the best of their three films and should be a required film on everyone’s list.  I mentioned earlier how timelessness sets apart the great films and allows audiences of any generation to love them.  A few years ago, I watched the film Sleepy Hollow with some of my friends.  At the end, Johnny Depp is walking down a street in turn-of-the-century New York City.  He says to his companion, “You'll soon find your bearings, young Masbeth. The Bronx is up, the Battery is down, and home is this way.”  I’m not sure if it was the phrasing or the delivery, but something made me want to stand up and cheer.  I was half expecting him to say “it’s a helluva town,” but even though he didn’t, I know that Gene and Frank would have approved.     

Holiday Affair (1949)

All I want for Christmas is you, Robert Mitchum!

Intro.
I have a long list of favorite holiday movies, as I'm sure most people do.  But near the top of my list is one that I've never confessed to liking - Holiday Affair.  I was talking in my last post about the corny nature of some Christmas films, and this one is no exception.  I've never told anyone it's one of my absolute favorites mainly because I like to think of it as a sort of Christmas secret, maybe even a guilty pleasure.  Sure it's corny and a bit silly, but still delightful.  And really, how could I say no to a Mitchum romantic Christmas comedy?

Overview
Connie Ennis (Janet Leigh) is a war widow and mother who works as a comparison shopper.  She purchases a train for her job from amiable sales clerk Steve Mason (Robert Mitchum) and takes it home overnight instead of straight to her office.  Her six year old son Timmy (Gordon Gebert) peeks at it and is overjoyed, but his hope is shattered the next day when the package is returned.  Unfortunately, Steve has figured out Connie's job, but lets her go without contacting the store detective.  He then loses his job, but manages to take Connie to lunch.  Steve is the most unusual person Connie's met; he's a generous, kind, free spirit who wants to build sailboats in California.  He helps her finish her shopping and carries some of her packages home, but they get separated.  Back home, Connie trims the Christmas tree with Timmy and her boyfriend Carl (Wendell Corey) but is interrupted when Steve finally finds her apartment and turns up with her packages.  She has a lot of explaining to do, especially when Timmy takes a real shining to Steve that he hasn't taken to Carl in the two years Carl's been around.  It doesn't help any that come Christmas morning, Steve sends an electric train to Timmy.  What it comes down to is that the two men both propose to Connie and she must choose if she wants to take a chance on real love or take shelter in a life with a man she just likes a lot.  But can Timmy adjust to the changes in his life and can Connie let go of the memory of her late husband and let herself be loved again? 

Highlights
Another TCM back story: So Robert Mitchum hit a bit of a low point in 1948 when he was arrested and served a prison term for marijuana charges.  When he got out, studios didn't really know what to do with him, leading to several unconventional roles for him.  Howard Hughes saw to put him in this romantic comedy as it would help clean up Mitchum's image and establish him as a good guy.  That's why Robert Osborne's line was so funny - he said the film stars the "last person you'd expect in a warm fuzzy Christmas movie."  So true, but also so wonderful.  Mitchum is cool and self-assured and definitely comes off as a "warm and fuzzy" sort of leading man.

What I really enjoyed about the film after viewing it again this year was the complexity of the relationships.  I think I missed some of it in previous years, but Mitchum sums it up in one line.  "It's not just two guys fighting over you.  It's two guys, a woman and her husband."  The film does focus on all the details of Connie's relationship with her son and how she sees her husband in Timmy.  But even more interesting is how Connie's mother-in-law also takes that same line, remarking just how much Timmy still looks like his father.  I think that aspect is what makes the film different from most feel-good romcoms: it isn't so much about two men fighting for a woman, but a woman having to decide whether or not she wants to make herself vulnerable again by giving in to love.  I understand how she feels; she doesn't want to risk that massive heartache of losing someone again.  It's touching and very human.  I admire Janet Leigh a lot more each time I see this movie for just that reason.

Speaking of touching moments, you have to love Timmy in this movie.  He is a scene-stealer for sure.  His talk with Steve about how miracles don't happen (Steve convinces him that they do) is memorable, though not as good as what Timmy does later.  On Christmas Day, Steve is arrested (it's a long and pretty funny story, but basically he gave his necktie to a homeless man who then used the tie to attack, gag and rob some other guy).  Everyone comes to the courthouse to bail him out, and Timmy hears Steve admit that he's broke (he spent his last few dollars on Timmy's train).  It doesn't seem to bother Steve, but it does bother Timmy.  Timmy sets out the next day to take his train back to the department store for a refund.  He walks all the way there and has a heck of a time trying to get the money back.  He manages to get up to the President's office and as he is undeniably adorable (I mean, he's 6 years old and carrying a train set almost as big as he is), he is allowed to speak to Mr. Crowley.  He gets his refund and a ride home to his worried-sick mother.  It's a very selfless and grown-up thing to do, but more than that, it's the true spirit of Christmas.  (I'm going to stop here before I get too mushy!)

Review and Recommendation
Holiday Affair may seem a bit silly and old-fashioned, but it has enough warmth and heart to make anyone's season bright.  I recommend it as a good holiday romance film.  So break out the popcorn and hot cocoa and enjoy!

Adam's Rib (1949)

Intro.

I used to work at a customer service call center, where I answered around 80 phone calls a day.  Sometimes I thought I had heard it all, from the most colorful of obscenities to sweet, happy people who would sing to me.  From time to time my caller would make some old film reference which I would get (much to their delight).  I even got a few film recommendations, like Adam's Rib.  Now a couple thousand calls and a new job later, I came across a copy of the film and remembered the callers who told me to watch it.  As it starred Katharine Hepburn, I couldn't very well say no, and soon found myself a new favorite romantic comedy.

Overview (with a few spoilers - sorry!)
Young housewife Doris Attinger (Judy Holliday) suspects her husband Warren (Tom Ewell) of infidelity.  She tracks him down, catches him with his mistress and nervously pulls a gun on them.  Shaking all over, she fires off several rounds, one of which hits Warren in the shoulder.  Doris is brought up on charges of attempted murder, but manages to get the best defense lawyer on her side - Amanda Bonner (Katharine Hepburn).  The only problem is that Amanda's husband Adam (Spencer Tracy) gets assigned to the prosecution.  The resulting court trial challenges not only the definitions and prejudices of the law, but the marriage of Amanda and Adam.  Amanda argues that Doris was only defending herself and her family, and if a man had done what she did, no one would judge or blame him.  Adam argues that no one, not even Doris, can twist the law to forgive something that was clearly attempted murder.  As the case grows more intense, the drama at home between the Bonners worsens, no thanks to their neighbor Kip (David Wayne) who is in love with Amanda.  While Amanda does win the trial, Adam isn't quite finished as he figures out a way to make her realize that he was right all along in their domestic argument.  What results is a dramatic and hilarious conclusion about the one difference between men and women.

Highlights

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn have amazing chemistry in all of their films, but this one is especially good.  Few couples I think could have really conveyed the love and respect the Bonners have for each other while still expressing their very stubborn opinions.  I liked how the strain on the marriage comes through gradually and erupts both in the courtroom and in their home.  Both Adam and Amanda have strong arguments and it's great to see them battle it out as they are both so well matched.

I love Judy Holliday.  One of my favorite musicals is Bells Are Ringing but that's mainly because it also stars Dean Martin and really they just make a great couple.  But in Adam's Rib, Judy gives a great performance as the slightly neurotic Doris.  Her interview with Amanda at the beginning is great:
                                    Amanda: "And how did you feel after you shot him?"
                                    Doris: "Hungry."
Doris with all her sweetness becomes the lightning rod for the whole trial.  The jury selection is even geared towards the defense.  Amanda asks each possible juror, "do you believe in equal rights for women?" and surprisingly some of them say of course not.  While hers is a cause for women and aimed to prove that Doris was only defending her home and her life, Amanda fails to realize that Adam's point is exactly that.  If Doris is to be treated equally, then the law should apply to her the same as to a man in that situation.  Their clash in the courtroom carries to the bedroom where Adam tells Amanda that he doesn't like what she's doing.  "Marriage is a law, a contract," he says.  "Are you going to outsmart that the way you've outsmarted all the others?"  Now that's good writing!

I was talking to some of my coworkers about this film and they brought up something called the Bechdel test.  Basically it's a standard test applied to films, books, etc.  The three rules are 1) it has to have at least 2 women in it, 2) they have to talk about 3) something other than men.  It all started with a comic strip, but the idea has really taken off, spawning lots of study and some interesting online debates like the ones here.  It's an interesting concept, especially as the commentors have mentioned that the test itself is like the letter of the law, but the film itself is the spirit - a film that passes the Bechdel test does not mean it is feminist-friendly.  It could even be anti-feminist.  Anyway, at first I got very upset because I think Adam's Rib is a great film for the feminist cause, but it didn't meet the requirements, as Doris and Amanda's conversation is all about Doris trying to kill her husband.  However, Amanda calls a few women to the stand to prove that women are the equals, if not superiors, of men.  We meet a prominent female chemist with more degrees than anyone could remember, a foreman with 383 workers under her (including her husband), and a vaudeville performer.  At least the conversation with the chemist does not involve men.  Katharine Hepburn embodied the feminist cause as early as the thirties; she was even banned because she insisted on wearing pants.  Her performance here is classic.  And just as we can argue over the Bechdel test, Amanda Bonner concludes for us all - "just as man is body and soul, law is letter and spirit."          
 

Review and Recommendation

Okay, this post is getting much too long, so I want to open it up for thoughts and comments.  I highly recommend Adam's Rib to everyone.  It's a great example of the legendary Hepburn-Tracy team as well as a film with such a strong leading lady. 

P.S. Special thanks to my coworkers Catherine and Rachel.  You guys rock!

It's a Great Feeling (1949)

Intro.

I caught It's a Great Feeling just after it began last night and as it was already pretty late, I recorded it and watched it this morning.  It was a nice, delightful way to begin a perfect summer day.  The film was made back in 1949 because Warner Brothers had promised a film with Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson that would feature vendors within the Warner studios.  The original film had been canceled, but as the vendors began to complain, the studio decided to make this one.  They hired a writer and as everything was filmed on the actual lots and buildings owned by the studio, no sets had to be made.  The entire film was done in 6 weeks!  Although it does feel a bit short, the film is nonetheless entertaining and filled with enough cameos to make every film buff happy. 

Overview

Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson play themselves in the film - two actors who have been around the block in Hollywood.  They find themselves set to work on a film (Jack directing and Dennis as the lead) and try to find their leading lady.  As it so happens, a waitress in the studio commissary, Judy (played by Doris Day), convinces Jack that she can act and agrees to help him prank Dennis in order to get a part in the film.  Well, Jack doesn't keep his word, so Judy decides to go back home to Wisconsin.  The two men realize that they need a leading lady or their film will be canceled, and convince Judy to stay.  However, there's one problem - they need to convince their producer Arthur Trent (Bill Goodwin) that he discovered Judy, or he won't okay the use of an unknown leading lady.  A lot of gags and problems follow and they end with Judy again on a train bound for Wisconsin.  I won't give away the ending, but it is wonderful and a bit disappointing.  All in all, it is a funny commentary on the inner workings of Hollywood.

Highlights

Doris Day shines as Judy in this film.  She outsings, outacts and outshines her co-stars.  She has some wonderful songs including "Big Fat Lie."  Throughout the madcap antics, she holds her own and keeps the film together.  And the antics are great, including an attempt to pass her off as a famous French movie star.  But perhaps the best part of the film is the feeling that you are really behind the scenes at Warner Brothers.  That's because you are - the filming is all done in the studio, from the wardrobe department to the commissary to the sound stage.  And they have the cameos to prove it.  Here are the ones I wrote down: Ronald Regan, Gary Cooper, Danny Kaye, Joan Crawford, Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman and Patricia O'Neal.  I'm sure there were others I missed, but boy, what a cast!

Review and Recommendation

I liked this film a lot more than I did Thousands Cheer, despite the fact that both had many famous stars make brief appearances.  While this film had a somewhat shaky plot and even though I really wanted it to go on longer, I think it perfectly captured a side of Hollywood at which we can laugh.  Definitely a fun film to watch, especially to do some star-spotting! 

P.S. The film background is from Robert Osborne's intro that was featured on TCM.  To read more about It's a Great Feeling or more films, check it out here.

The Red Pony (1949)

Intro.

At long last, the mail has been going out regularly, so my new Netflix DVD arrived.  The film was added a long time ago, but in light of my "leading men we adore" theme, I had to include a film with Robert Mitchum.  About a year ago I had seen only a clip of this film (of course it was the incredibly sad part) and knew I'd need to see the whole thing eventually.  I'm glad I did too.  The film is based on the Steinbeck novel, which was published in 1945.  Steinbeck himself wrote the screenplay for the film, and his writing style shows in the rich but minimal-dialogue scenes.

Overview

This is not an epic or a sweeping tale of the West.  It does not have a cast of thousands.  It is a brilliant, small film simply about a boy and his first pony.  Tom Tiflin is the little boy in this film, played by the adorable Peter Miles.  Tom gets his first pony, a beautiful red colt.  He is determined to care for it and train it with the help of his grandfather (played by Louis Calhern) and his family's only hired hand, Billy Buck (Robert Mitchum).  He can talk to these two men more than he can to his father Fred (Shepperd Strudwick), who only wants to sell the ranch and go back to the city.  Myrna Loy plays Tom's mother, who loves her father and his ranch and wants to stay.  As much as the family seems to be falling apart, they have to come together when the colt breaks loose during a rainstorm and winds up with a deathly cold.  Despite all attempts to save him, the colt dies, leaving Tom brokenhearted with only Billy Buck to take it out on.  In the end, Billy's prize mare births a colt, which he gives to Tom, and the family begins to put their pieces back together.

Highlights & History
I couldn't get enough of these characters.  Each one is so well written and well acted, that I felt as though it should have been a series, not a single stand-alone film.  I wanted to see Tom grow up and watch his parents get back together.  The simplest stories are often the most touching, and such is the case here.  It's about a lot more than a boy and his horse - it's about the loss of youth and the discovery that death is real.  It's about the end of part of an American dream.  Tom's grandfather talks about the end of "Westering" and how once men hit the ocean, that dream died.  I'm going to detour here a bit for some background.  In 1890, the Census Bureau said that the American frontier was closed - no more expansion was left.  For the years that followed, right up through the 1930s, there was a certain anxiety about our national identity.  We were a country of pioneers, but there was nowhere left to explore.  The nostalgia of the West grew from that period, giving rise to great writers and later to great films.  It's interesting that the same themes would reappear after WWII when the book was written, but that same nostalgia and sadness is very present in the picture.

Now, as for the rest of the film, fine performances by the whole cast.  Robert Mitchum is good in this role.  In 1949 he was still taking less-risky roles.  He had just done some jail time in 1948, so afterward he avoided those gritty, bad guy roles.  It was the same year he made Holiday Affair as well (and the same reason).  His career didn't suffer too much from his record though, and even gave him more of a tough-guy image that led him to roles like Cady in Cape Fear.  Still, as the good-guy cowhand Billy, he does a fine job and is wonderful to watch with Peter Miles.  I should also mention the outstanding performance by Louis Calhern.  He's so much fun to watch and more fun to listen to - his voice and the way he delivers his lines is in the great tradition of storytellers.  I could almost picture him as Mark Twain.  And I knew he looked familiar - turns out he's been in quite a few great films, including High Society (1956).

Review

An understated classic - that's the label I would give The Red Pony.  It's told simply and honestly, with great attention to character.  It also boasts some nice cinematography and an incredible score by Aaron Copland.  A must see for many reasons, this film is one of the great American stories.

As always, check it out on IMDb.  I also found a book review about the end of the American frontier - I really want to read it now.