Room for One More (1952)

Is this a movie or an ad for the Boy Scouts?

Intro.

They say laughter is the best medicine, so last week while I was down with a stomach bug and could finally crash on the couch, I decided to watch a premier film showing on TCM called Room for One More.  I don't think it's a well known film, but it has a good story, a lot of heart and the adorable chemistry of real life husband and wife Cary Grant and Betsy Drake.  Did you know they starred in two films together?  I didn't!

Overview

Anna Rose (Betsy Drake) is a happily married mother of three and a heart the size of Texas - she is the woman in the neighborhood who can't pass a stray dog or cat without taking them home with her.  So when her women's group tours an orphanage, she considers adopting one of the older children, who have a much harder time getting adopted than babies.  She convinces her stressed but tolerant husband George (Cary Grant) to let a troubled girl, Jane (Iris Mann), stay for two weeks.  The family needs a lot of love and understanding (spearheaded by Anna) to help Jane feel secure in her new home and pretty soon she becomes a part of the family.  Alright stretched pretty thin, the Rose family accepts another orphan - a little boy with a very bad attitude named Jimmy (Clifford Tatum Jr.), which may stem from his always being teased for the large braces he wears on his legs.  George is the one to lead the crusade to have Jimmy welcomed in their home.  It takes a great deal of patience, second chances and even a vote by the kids as to who can stay.  The film follows the growing family (even the bunny is pregnant), and especially Jane and Jimmy, as they adjust to their new home.    

Highlights

Okay, I'll start with the obvious.  Cary Grant and Betsy Drake are adorable together.  They make a great couple and have a natural back and forth banter.  I like how you can tell when two people get along and it shows through in the acting - think Tracy and Hepburn or Bogart and Bacall.  I loved how Cary Grant turns from the protesting father frustrated by trying to make ends meet into an accepting, all-around good Dad.  He's the one who makes the decision to let Jane stay and he's also the one who goes out looking for Jimmy when he goes off on a ten mile hike in the middle of winter to get his Eagle Scout award.  He's also pretty entertaining as the put-upon husband who just wants an evening alone with his wife (which, of course, he spends the whole movie trying to get).  And Betsy plays the kind of mom every kid wants to have, full of warmth and wisdom.

Speaking of kids, the children really do steal the show.  Jane's transformation from angry adolescent to glowing and gracious young lady is remarkable, but it isn't overnight and she can't do it alone.  Jimmy's transformation is harder because he's had different kinds of troubles, notably his leg braces.  But his final achievement of becoming an Eagle Scout is really a great moment both for him and for his parents, George and Anna.  As he says at the end, he's had a leg up on the rest of the guys trying to make it to the Eagle Scout award, because he was able to choose his parents.  That's where the heart of the film lies - the choices we make about our lives and our happiness and how much love we have to give.


Review
Room for One More is what they mean by old-fashioned feel good movies.  You can't help but smile while watching the antics and even some of the drama faced by this family.  I also learned that it was based on a memoir.  While I didn't find it as funny as another popular growing-family type of film, Yours, Mine and Ours (the version with Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda), it more than makes up for it with heart.  I'd recommend it to anyone with a bit of a sappy side like me and to any Cary Grant fans who haven't seen it yet - it's maybe not his best or most memorable, but still worth seeing for his role with Betsy Drake!*

*The other film they made together was Every Girl Should Be Married (1948).  Not sure how I feel about the title....     

**Love seeing Cary Grant playing a father?  I have to absolutely recommend Father Goose - it's fabulous!  Definitely one of his funniest (and most un-Cary-Grant-ish of roles).

Topper (1937)

Poor Topper doesn't stand a ghost of a chance when his two friends decide to haunt him.

Intro.

Okay, so I know Topper isn't really in the realm of this month's horror/thriller/Hitchcock themed films, but it does star two mischief making ghosts and I couldn't resist.  I'm also bending one of the rules in the Production Code, as I had seen this movie previously.  It had been many years since I had seen it though, and I didn't remember much of it, so I decided to watch it again the other night.  I'm so glad I did!

Overview

George Kirby (Cary Grant) and his beautiful wife Marion (Constance Bennett) are an extremely wealthy, fun-loving couple.  They are the typical roaring twenties type of couple living in the thirties, leaving a 3 day anniversary party at their penthouse to go into town for the annual bank stockholder meeting.  Their friend Cosmo Topper (Roland Young) is the bank president, and while annoyed at George's adolescent remarks during the meeting, he nevertheless cares deeply for his friends.  Marion decides that she wants to help Topper shake off his stuffy, responsible attitude and enjoy life.  However, Mrs. Topper (Billie Burke) is the exact opposite of Marion, and insists that her husband remain the uptight, respectable businessman.  Everything changes though when an awful car crash kills the Kirbys.  George and Marion's spirits cannot move on then, presumably because they were so busy enjoying themselves in life that they hadn't done any good deeds.  Topper soon becomes their good deed.  Together, George and Marion follow Topper, appearing and disappearing at their whim.  It causes quite a bit of confusion and pretty soon they've not only gotten Topper to drink for the first time in his life, but get him into a fight with the police, resulting in his arrest and name in the paper.  He and Mrs. Topper fight and he leaves.  Marion goes with him to the Seabreeze Hotel, presumably for the first night where he can drink and dance and enjoy himself.  Many comedic moments follow, as the house detective finds something funny about a man talking to a woman who is there in voice, but not visible.  Then a very jealous George appears and has a row with Marion.  However, to help George avoid more trouble with the police, they trash the hotel while invisible, much to the shock and terror of all the guests.  They get an unconscious George safely back home to his wife, and when he awakens, both are relieved that he is alright.  More than that, Mrs. Topper agrees that she has been too rigid and wants to relax and enjoy life again.  Happy at last, Topper and his wife finally rekindle their love and the Kirbys get to pass into the afterlife.    

Highlights

I don't recall ever seeing Constance Bennett before, and after a quick search on IMDb, I realized that I didn't recognize any of the films she had made.  It often amazes me how many Hollywood films were made in the 30s and 40s and how many of them aren't shown anymore.  I'm not saying it's because of quality so much as it is just a staggering number.  TCM is always having first showings of films they'd never aired previously.  I think I could spend my whole life watching every film that came out of each of the studios in Hollywood in the 30's and 40's and never have to watch the same film twice.  Granted, this was also a time when the movies didn't have to compete with television - higher demand and supply.  Still, I would really enjoy watching more of Ms. Bennett, as she is a wonderful, bright and fashionable woman.  She's the perfect match to the comedic, light-hearted side of Cary Grant (whose performance in Topper reminded me of his role in Holiday).   

Overall, the film struck me for its commentary on high society.  True, their foolhardy recklessness gets them killed, but even in the afterlife, the Kirbys are much happier than Topper is in his own life.  It isn't about money so much as it is about enjoying the little things - taking time to spend with your husband/wife or go out dancing.  But more than that, it's about loosening up a bit.  Mrs. Topper is shocked when the wives of the highest members in society ask her for lunch only after they see that Mr. Topper was arrested.  Apparently that made the Toppers "interesting" and worthy of joining that slightly eccentric upper crust.  That seems odd but somewhat typical of the time - most people in America with money during the Great Depression are usually depicted as more than a bit strange.  That may be why the main point of the film is so well done - all the Toppers need to be happy are each other, not all that money.  The Kirbys are proof enough of that, making up after their big fight in the afterlife.

Finally a word about the special effects.  I'm not familiar with the history of special effects or what was cutting edge at the time of a film's release.  However, I was impressed by how well the effects were done in this film.  The fading on and off screen might seem a bit silly, but it works well for the story.  The best parts are when things start to move and float seemingly by themselves - the car almost fixes itself, papers are thrown up into the air at Topper's (and Marion's) passing, and general chaos like that.  A few of the tricks I could figure out, but most of them are just entertaining and believable enough because the perpetrators are two such likable characters.

Review and Recommendation
While not a very well-known film, Topper is a classic example of comedies from the 1930s.  It is warm, silly and entertaining.  I recommend it to fans of Cary Grant and Constance Bennett, and to anyone interested in depictions of the upper class.

P.S. Best line was from Cary Grant.  Marion asks George what he's doing walking along the roof peak like a tightrope.  His response?  "I'm practicing to be an angel!"  It's nice to think that he'd make a great angel too, years later in The Bishop's Wife.  

None But the Lonely Heart (1944)

Intro.

I've gotten into the habit of always keeping a pen and a pad of paper with me when I watch old movies now.  Sometimes after a movie, I'll find a page covered in notes.  Other times, there won't be many, as I've been completely immersed in the story.  Only a very few times do I find a blank page, but such is the case with None But the Lonely Heart.  I'd like to say it was because the film was so engaging, but sadly, it was the opposite for me.  Although there is some wonderful acting, it does little to help the plot or the immensely slow progression.  Still, it deserves a write-up, so here goes. 

Overview
None But the Lonely Heart opens with Ernie Mott (Cary Grant) - a carefree, wandering vagrant.  He doesn't have any plans, doesn't have a real job, doesn't seem to have much going for him at first.  But as he returns to his home in a slum of London, we realize that he has one great talent - he can make friends with anyone.  Everyone, it seems, loves Ernie, and he makes his money doing odd jobs.  Most of all he both loves and hates his mother, Ma Mott (Ethel Barrymore).  Mainly he hates that she wants him to settle down and make something of himself.  Once he discovers she has cancer, he decides to try and make good by helping her run her general store.  It's far from easy though, as you can't sell to people who don't have money.  Both Ernie and Ma are offered roles in some local illegal activities and we see what each one will do to survive.  The film ends with Ma on her deathbed and Ernie realizing he can't run from responsibilities forever.

Highlights and Other Considerations

Ethel Barrymore won an Oscar for her performance in None But the Lonely Heart.  It was her first film in a number of years, and marked her return to Hollywood.  Cary Grant was nominated for his role as Ernie, but did not win.  Both of them turn in great performances - you truly feel that they have become these real, though not always likable, characters.  I read a review on IMDb about Grant's performance - apparently he felt closer to people like Ernie and had more in common with them than he did with the usual debonair men he usually portrayed.

It's films such as None But the Lonely Heart that make me feel like I can never be a movie critic, since I often disagree with them.  I didn't like the film.  It was slow, long and not very focused.  I can appreciate dark dramas with definite plot points or well-done character studies, but this film seems to be somewhere in the middle.  I wanted to see more into the relationships of this film or maybe even something more substantial happen in terms of plot.  Critics love this film, but fans didn't - it was a box-office bomb when it was released.  Some would argue that it was because Grant was cast against type.  I'm not so sure.  There are plenty of instances where actors cast against type did extremely well: when perpetual good-guy John Wayne was cast as the bad guy, he turned in one of his best performances in Red River.  Likewise, Humphrey Bogart broke from his usual roles in gangster films and hard-boiled detective dramas when he was cast as a romantic lead and completely redefined his career and the course of American film.  Surely no one can forget Rick Blaine in Casablanca.  I think Cary Grant did a wonderful job and was a natural in his role, but I wanted more.  I wanted more depth, more story, more substance.  Perhaps I will feel differently after another viewing, but I feel like a fangirl in this case because I can't see what the critics hail.  

Review and Recommendation

I can't recommend this film until I've seen it again.  An important film, it marked the return of legendary actress Ethel Barrymore, and features Cary Grant in an unusual character role that he brings to life effortlessly.  This film will doubtlessly be of interest to Barrymore fans and some die-hard Grant fans, but for now, I'm going to withhold judgment.

Side note: There's also a beautiful, haunting song by Tchaikovsky called "None But the Lonely Heart" that was recorded later with lyrics.  If you get a chance to listen, it's well worth it.  I think it could have even been Ernie Mott's theme song.  Something to consider!

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Intro.

Lately I've been thinking about today's films, specifically comedies, and what makes them appeal to different audiences.  I often don't understand modern comedies that are popular today, and that got me wondering how comedy films have changed over the years.  Screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby were popular back in the 1930s, but haven't been made lately.  It was a different time and laughter, especially aimed at the trials and tribulations of the priviledged upper class, would have relieved a lot of the nation's stress.  Where Public Cowboy #1 helped give voice to the struggle of farmers in the 1930s, screwball comedies could help all Americans laugh. 

Overview

The film opens with zoologist David Huxley (Cary Grant), who is nearing the completion of a brontosaurus skeleton as well as his marriage to fellow museum worker Alice Swallow (Virginia Walker).  His museum is on a list of contenders to receive a $1 million gift from Mrs. Carlton Random.  As David tries to make a good impression on Mrs. Random's lawyer, Mr. Peabody, but he does just the opposite.  That's because he keeps crossing (and criss-crossing) paths with Susan Vance (Katharine Hepburn), the pretty socialite who's not all that bright.  Just when he thinks he's rid of her, the next day David is excited to receive the final bone for his brontosaurus and to get ready for his wedding that afternoon.  However, Susan calls to ask for help because there's a leopard in her apartment.  Much to David's chagrin, there really is a leopard there.  Good-natured David helps Susan get the leopard, named Baby, to Susan's aunt's farm in Connecticut.  Things only get crazier as Susan plots to keep David with her as long as possible - a plan that is only helped when her aunt's dog George steals the brontosaurus bone, Baby escapes, and a local circus loses its leopard that has attacked its trainer.  In all the hilarious hunting, Susan and David continue to bicker and eventually wind up arrested.  I won't ruin how they get out, but their madcap escapades are great!

Highlights

Bringing Up Baby is a classic comedy and one of the best.  It's also Katharine Hepburn's first comedy, and she was unsure of her abilities at first.  Cary Grant coached her and encouraged her to just be herself.  The result is one of her best performances.  Both she and Grant handle themselves well and they have a natural chemistry.  As for the plot, it can't get much screwier!  At a time when class was still more divided in the U.S., I could see the appeal this film would have as it made fun of the antics of the privileged.   

There is a scene in the Connecticut house after David and Susan arrive where David has to take a shower.  While he does, Susan steals his clothes (to paraphrase Susan: "he can't leave because he's the only man I've ever loved!").  David is then forced to wear the only thing he can find, which happens to be a very flimsy woman's bathrobe trimmed in feathers.  As he proceeds to look for Susan, her aunt comes home and is disgusted by his appearance.  After asking him repeatedly why he is dressed like that and where his real clothes are, an exasperated David leaps into the air and announces "because I just went gay all of the sudden!"  They originally had to leave this out to get the film past the censors, but it was put in at the last minute and made film history.  It also furthered rumors that Cary Grant was gay, but that's another post for another time.

Finally, Bringing Up Baby has some great quotes - the writing is outstanding.  At the beginning, Susan mistakenly hits David's golf ball.  He is trying to explain to her that it was his ball.  He's talking about the brand marking: "There, you see, it's a circle."  Susan: "Now of course it is, do you think it would roll if it were square?"  When David sees Baby in Susan's apartment, he says "Susan, you have to get out of this apartment!" Susan replies, "I can't David, I have a lease!"  Some of the scenes in the film have become comedy staples too, including the accidental removal of part of Susan's dress.

Review and Recommendation

Bringing Up Baby is an excellent film that is full of good, clean entertainment.  It's sophisticated and silly all in one package, and features two of Hollywood's greatest talents at their very best.     

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Intro.

You know those days when you think everything's going well and nothing could possibly go wrong, and then you come home and find a dead body in your aunts' windowseat?  Okay, so maybe we don't all have that happen, but it doesn't make it any less funny when it does happen to Mortimer Brewster.  Thus begins one of the all time best dark comedies of all time. 

Overview

Finally taking the plunge into marriage, dramatic critic Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) rushes home to tell his family - his two sweet, grandmotherly, unmarried aunts.  While in the midst of all their happiness, he discovers a dead body in their windowseat.  Not only do his aunts know about the dead man, but they confess to killing him as well as eleven others, all of which are buried in their basement.  Conveniently, they have another nephew who thinks he is Theodore Roosevelt (John Alexander), and is all too happy to dig "locks" in the Panama Canal in their basement and bury the "yellow fever victims."  Mortimer, out of love from his aunt, tries to figure out how to get Teddy committed to a psychiatric hospital (Happy Dale) so that if the deaths are discovered, they can safely be pinned on Teddy (he can't go to jail if he's committed).  Nothing seems to go Mortimer's way as one complication builds onto another - culminating in the arrival of his frightening brother Jonathan (Raymond Massey), who brings his accomplice, Dr. Einstein (the wonderful Peter Lorre), as well as the body of their latest murder victim.  It all comes down to his new bride, Elaine, (Priscilla Lane) finding the bodies in the basement that really brings everything to an hysterical end.

Highlights    

One of the things that make this film such a classic comedic gem is the timing.  Everything is just right, and the pace of the film picks up as Mortimer's madness grows.  Each time I watch Arsenic and Old Lace, I notice something else.  In this case, it was how appropriate the setting felt.  Between Mortimer's house and Elaine's father's house is an ancient graveyard, the story takes place on Halloween, and it also is set in Brooklyn - a strange land according to the opening credits.  It also takes place mostly in the aunts' house, which gave it a sort of Hitchcock feel, and made it creepier for its claustrophobic effect.  What struck me most was how Mortimer, an author of books like Mind Over Matrimony has done the exact opposite of his world view.  It's almost as if that marriage is the start of his own madness, which only gets worse when he discovers his entire family is crazy.

What I also noticed was how different comedies can be from one another.  Arsenic and Old Lace is an example of a dark comedy.  I mean, really we spend the whole time laughing about two women who poison old men and bury them in their basement.  That's pretty grim, and in tone it's a lot like Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.  We understand when Mortimer freaks out.  Who wouldn't freak out?  What's more, we can identify with the basic premise - how when you're in a crisis, nothing seems to go right, even to the point where you doubt your own sanity.

Review and Recommendation

Arsenic and Old Lace is one of those films rightfully called a classic.  It's a great example of writing, directing, acting and all around good movie making.  Cary Grant and Peter Lorre (and in fact, the whole case) give wonderful performances and you're guaranteed at least one laugh.  Definitely a must see!

Trivia: If you look closely when Mortimer is out in the cemetery by himself, he sits on one of the gravestones.  Just past him is another stone bearing the name Archibald Leach - Cary's Grant's real name.       

The Pride and the Passion (1957)

Intro.
As February was going to be focused on leading men we adore, I thought the perfect film would be one starring both Cary Grant and Frank Sinatra.  I mean, two of my favorite guys in one film - how could I go wrong?  Well, it turns out there was a reason I had never heard of The Pride and the Passion until I went hunting for Sinatra films I hadn't seen yet. 

Overview
Cary Grant plays a British officer named Anthony, who is sent to Spain during the Napoleonic Wars to salvage a huge cannon that the French army has discarded.  What he finds is a group of Spanish resistance fighters who have not only found the cannon, but have fixed it and are trying to take it cross country to the town of Avila, which is protected by a fortress now occupied by the French.  Anthony is only interested in getting the gun back to England, but he needs the Spanish group to help him move it (that sucker is heavy!).  So he and the Spanish leader Miguel (Frank Sinatra) make a deal - Anthony will help them take the fortress with the gun (because he knows all about artillery) and they in turn will help him haul the gun to a ship bound for England.  The rest of the story is pretty solid - lots of pushing, lots of hiding from the French, lots of Anthony hooking up with Miguel's girlfriend, Juana (Sophia Loren).  The love triangle affects the whole film and we are finally drawn from Anthony's dilemma to Juana's as she has to choose between the two men (what a choice to have!!).  The ending is pretty spectacular as hundreds upon hundreds of Spaniards rush the fortress in order to save the town of Avila from the French.  I won't ruin it, but let's just say that Juana finally learns that she can't have it all.

Highlights (and some Low Points too)
First of all, there is an undeniable chemistry between Cary Grant and Sophia Loren.  I thought at first I was imagining it, since it was on the set of this movie that Cary supposedly proposed to Sophia.  Those shots where we see Anthony watching Juana, you can't help but wonder how much of that look is love and how much is just darn good acting.  It makes the film much more interesting to watch at that point, particularly for the, how shall I say it, "well censored" love scene between the two.  Oh I love when films subtly hint at sex and just as the couple embraces, the camera cuts to something like trees and then later comes back to the couple after the fact.  Such is the case here. 

This is not one of Frank Sinatra's best roles, though it is still much better than The Kissing Bandit.  His accent comes and goes (which is actually kind of endearing) and that haircut just doesn't look right on him.  But it is pretty neat to see him hold his own with Sophia and Cary.  Sophia Loren didn't seem as polished, but it could be because this was her first English film (although another film, Boy on a Dolphin was released sooner).  And Cary is good, but not his usual scene-stealing self (except when he's charming Sophia, of course!).   

Most importantly, the ending is really well done.  For a film that didn't hold my attention much, I was glued to the screen once they reach the fort and Juana must choose to either stay behind with Anthony and the cannon (where she'd be safe) or to go with Miguel and risk her life for her country.  I also enjoyed the scene before it where they ask for the help of the church in Avila - there is a beautiful mass that is held and the music and color fills up the screen.  That scene, particularly the statue of "The Pieta," is echoed in the film's ending in a delicate way.  It made me wonder if the film I had started to watch was really the same as the one that I was finishing.        

Review
While there are some good moments to this film (aside from those mentioned above, there is a great part where Anthony must explain to a puzzled Miguel why the cannon will "weigh" more going downhill and tries to use the laws of physics to show the math behind it), it feels long and heavy, as if you're pushing the cannon along with that mob of people.  It's a cool piece of Hollywood history because of Sophia Loren's earliest US work and her off-screen relationship with Cary Grant.  I didn't like the film, but I liked the history and really, any chance to watch Sinatra (even in awful roles) is still a chance I'll take.  

Want to read more?  Check out IMDb.  Also, if you are interested in a Cary Grant love triangle film, try The Philadelphia Story or The Grass is Greener.  Both films are fantastic - look for write-ups on those in the weeks to come!

Monkey Business (1952)

Intro.
Here is yet another film that is a must see simply because of the cast.  This film is a perfect way to round out Cary Grant month, as it pairs him with wonderful co-stars and a chance to show off his wonderful sense of humor.  This film, much like most of Hawks's comedies, is rather silly but still provides some depth to the story.  While it is a wild and entertaining romp about what can happen when adults are turned into children, it also touches upon the sadness of losing that innocence. As Cary Grant's character, Barnaby, muses: "I'm beginning to wonder if being young is all it's cracked up to be. We dream of youth. We remember it as a time of nightingales and Valentines. And what are the facts? Mal-adjustment, near idiocy and a series of low comedy disasters, that's what youth is."


Overview
Cary Grant plays Dr. Barnaby Fulton, a chemist who is hoping to discover a formula that will ease the aches and pains of age.  He has a laboratory of chimpanzees and one very funny boss who is more focused on profits (played by Charles Coburn).  Barnaby's wife Edwina (played by Ginger Rogers) supports him wholeheartedly and they have a wonderful marriage.  One day one of the chimps gets loose and concocts a formula, which she then dumps into the water cooler of the lab.  Barnaby tests his latest formula on himself and takes a drink of water to wash it down.  Almost instantly he begins acting like a 20 year old college boy - not only is he free of aches and pains and bad vision, he drives like a maniac and goes roller skating and swimming and such with his boss's beautiful secretary, Lois Laurel (Marilyn Monroe).  After a wild day, he sleeps it off, but as he attempts to try it again, Edwina instead takes the formula followed by a drink of the lab's water.  She begins to act like her 20 year old self, and as she convinces Barnaby to return to the hotel where they honeymooned, she then begins to re-enact all of the drama of their wedding night.  Poor Barnaby gets kicked out of their room and again a crazy night ensues.  Emotions settled the following morning, they make up and go back to the lab.  Edwina uses the lab water to make them some coffee while Barnaby resolves to destroy all his notes.  Meanwhile his boss has heard of the success and demands that Barnaby turn over the formula.  Both Edwina and Barnaby are taken back to their 8 year old selves and the chaos only increases!  At long last and many laughs later, the truth of the water is discovered and the chimp responsible is put to work to replicate it (which echoes the idea of monkeys writing Shakespeare).  

Highlights
The big draw today for this film is Marilyn Monroe's real break out role.  She is delightful as the dim-witted but beautiful Lois, and seems to have a good sense of comedic timing.  She's quite a supporting actress and holds her own with such established and talented co-stars.  You can tell that Hawks is really trying to figure her out, getting her ready for his next picture, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (also wonderful, by the way, as is How to Marry a Millionaire).

Not only is Marilyn wonderful, but so is Ginger Rogers!  It's easy to forget that Ginger appeared in films without Fred Astaire, but without his big shadow you can really see her shine.  She's just as funny as Cary Grant (even funnier at times) with impeccable timing.  It reminded me of her amazing comedic role in Stage Door (which, if you haven't seen, you should add to your list!!).  She's pure dynamite. 

I wondered in this film if any other two actors could carry a film about reverting to childhood so well.  Both Grant and Rogers make the effects of the formula apparent and believeable.  Together they make an endearing, fun-loving couple who discover that love only gets better with time and youth is not all it's cracked up to be.

Review and Recommendation
Instead of sounding like a broken record and saying that you should see this film because of the great cast, I'm only going to say that it is one of the best Hawks comedies I've seen.  And really, how can you resist Cary Grant playing with a chimpanzee named Ester?

Also, keep your eyes peeled for a great cameo by Harry Carey Jr!!  And as always, you can read more at IMDb.

Suspicion (1941)

Intro.
I didn't plan to watch a lot of Hitchcock films, but the more I've watched Cary Grant in Hitch's films, the more I love them.  Suspicion was definitely my favorite so far.  I had read a lot about it previously in a few film classes, mainly because it is a prime example of everything Hitchcock did - the camera work is phenomenal, the story is filled with complexity and the characters are deep and well developed.  The special effects are wonderful too, especially the "glowing" glass of milk. 

Overview
Shy intellectual Lina (Joan Fontaine) mingles with the elite crowds of England, going on fox hunts and to balls, but she is afraid of turning into an old maid, a fear her parents have accepted as fact.  So when the charming, gorgeous Johnnie swoops into her life, she falls for him.  In less than two weeks they are married and off to an elaborate honeymoon all over Europe.  When they return to their new mansion, Lina is shocked to find that Johnnie hasn't a cent to his name and abhors the idea of working for a living.  He would rather gamble and take his chances.  The rest of the film focuses on the strain this financial trouble takes on their relationship.  Johnnie, who is obsessed with murder mysteries, starts to become fascinated by poison.  After Johnnie's close friend (and financial business partner) dies, Lina begins to fear that she too will become a victim.  Every move Johnnie then makes she suspects as a possible move to murder her.  It all ends with an incredibly terrifying drive along a cliff and well, let's just say the ending will leave you shocked.

Highlights
As I wrote above, the cinematography is incredible.  The interior of Johnnie and Lina's mansion is shot with lights flooding in through "windows" - we can see the outlines of windowpanes.  In the main foyer, the round window above makes Lina look as though she's trapped in a web, very appropriate for her growing suspicion.  And that famous glass of warm milk that Johnnie brings her (which may be poisoned) glows.  I saw on a documentary once that they had to light the milk from beneath in order to get it just the right glow.  Hitchcock has it beautifully framed too, as Cary Grant switches off the hall light and all you see is that glass of milk.  Even if it was harmless, we as an audience are just as freaked out as Lina. 

Joan Fontaine won an Oscar for this role, and she definitely deserved it.  Her character remains shy throughout the film, but where we initially saw her as completely given over to Johnnie, she quickly grows wary of his gambling and then his interest in murder.  Most impressively, we see just how hard it is for her to put on good face when interacting with the other townspeople.  She must pretend to be the gracious, grateful wife no matter what.  Hitchcock also does a great deal to really build the suspense so that as Lina's suspicion grows, ours does too - the entire film is from her point of view, so we see and hear what she does. 

Cary Grant needs recognition too.  Even though he wasn't nominated, he should have been.  I had my doubts going into this film that anyone could ever believe he could commit murder.  But boy did I believe it!  The traits Lina (and we as the audience) initially found charming grow into annoying and then almost mean.  His tone becomes more sharp and his actions more mysterious.  There's one shot where he stands in Lina's doorway as she's in bed and he looks like, well, he looks like a murderer.  A lot can be contributed to Hitchcock, but I know that any other actor would've had a harder time (trying to picture Jimmy Stewart in this role is ridiculous).  He pulls it off.  Best of all, when the ending is explained (and we realize the truth along with Lina) you can't help but feel your heart wrench.  I got so into the film that I said, "I can't believe I didn't see that!"  Of course I didn't see it, because I was watching from Lina's view point and she didn't see it either.  I won't say any more because I don't want to ruin it, but the end is truly amazing.

Recommendation
I could write a 20 page paper on why this movie deserves the title of "classic."  It's a rich experience and I highly recommend it.  It's one of the best mystery/suspense films I've seen, and definitely one of the best of Hitchcock.  It's a very close second to my favorite Hitch film, Rear Window.  I even want to watch it again, something I rarely think about when I see murder mysteries.  There's so much to see and consider that it has to be on your must-see list (if it isn't already!)

   

People Will Talk (1951)

Intro.
I watched this film as part of my whole January is Cary Grant Month theme.  I was hoping that by watching Grant films I haven't previously seen, I would discover some real gems (as I did with Holiday, my earlier post).  This film, however, was a bit unusual.  First I should explain that it came after many of Grant's screwball comedies of the thirties and forties, but before North by Northwest and An Affair to Remember, so maybe that's why he was cast in such an unusal role.  It's also interesting to note the "witch-hunts" and high suspicions that play a large part in this film.  At the time of its release, America was in the middle of the McCarthy trials and Red Scare.  I would have loved to have gone to this film's release in 1951 just to watch people's reactions - that historical situation is enough to warrant a second viewing.

Overview
Dr. Noah Praetorius (Cary Grant) is a well-known and somewhat mysterious doctor.  Rumors surround him regarding his methods, his unusal treatments, and most of all the very close friendship of an aloof man named Sunderson.  As his University begins an investigation (which culminates in a formal review/inquest) on him, Praetorius begins to treat a woman, Deborah (Jeanne Crain) who has gotten pregnant out of wedlock.  When he gives her the news, she tries to kill herself.  In an attempt to calm her, he tells her there was a mistake and that she is not pregnant.  He then goes out to meet her father, to supposedly explain the situation to him, but instead realizes the girl's in a bad situation.  Naturally, he falls in love with her and they marry.  The rumors about him continue until the final inquest with the faculty board, where Sunderson's true identity and relationship with Praetorius is revealed.

Ponderables
1) There are many parts of this movie that left me scratching my head.  First is the way the relationship of Sunderson and Praetorius is presented.  They go from being good friends in a Holmes and Watson sort of way to hints of being more than that.  What struck me most was one of Praetorius's lines - while he and Deborah plan their wedding, she remarks that he's talking like a woman who has to get married.  He replies that he's about as close to needing it as any man can be.  While it could be that he's trying to hide the fact that he has knowingly committed malpractice (I won't even go into that), it comes off sounding like he has to get married in order to prove that he is not gay.  It adds to the way Sunderson is portrayed almost like a good wife - he cooks and cleans and does anything that can be helpful in any way.  Even if I'm way off base, it's still strange.

2) Dr. Praetorius is very counter-culture and against all conservative, traditional forms of medicine.  That's all well and good and it's nice to see a doctor who cares so much about the well-being of his patients.  However, I couldn't quite overlook the fact that he lied to Deborah about the baby.  Okay, I understand initially it was because she was suicidal; however, he didn't tell her the truth until after they're married and she realizes that she's probably pregnant.  How did she not notice before then?  And then once he tells her, she's upset but then it's all okay again because he's Cary Grant?  I feel like it didn't have a firm resolution - Deborah doesn't get enough time.  Instead the faculty of the university step in for a hearing.  I wanted her story line to be more complex, more resisting - she falls for Cary Grant at first sight.  For a film that pushes stereotypes and conservative views, her character is every bit the helpless fallen woman. 

Recommendation
Given the time of the film's release and the strikingly unusual role for Cary Grant, I would consider seeing this film again.  If you are a fan of American history (particulary the 40's and 50's) you will enjoy it.  The revelation of Sunderson's identity is a bit far fetched (in my opinion), but the rest of the film will leave you puzzling over topics of health care and what makes a good doctor.

Want to read more?  Check out the film's page at IMDb and read up on McCarthy here.

Notorious (1946)

Intro.
I have to admit, I've never been one for suspense films.  I've liked some Hitchcock films, but also fallen asleep on some.  But as January is Cary Grant month, I was determined to watch a few of the pictures considered his best - Notorious being one of them.  Immediately, I was drawn into the story and stayed fixated until the end.  It aired on Turner Classic Movies as one of "The Essentials" and I have to agree, as far as a stellar entry in Hitchcock's filmography, it is also one of the greatest performances of both Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant.  It also marked Hitchcock's first film as both director and producer.

Overview
Notorious refers to both of the Hubermans.  First the father, who at the film's opening, has been convicted of treason and sentenced to 20 years.  Second is his daughter Alicia (Ingrid Bergman), who is a notorious party and good-time girl with society friends and a penchant for cocktails.  After her father's trial, she is approached by Devlin, (Cary Grant), a quiet and mysterious guest at her party.  The two have instant chemistry, but when she wakes the next morning, her hang-over isn't her only source of pain - Devlin is also an FBI agent who was sent to recruit her for a special assignment.  Reluctantly she agrees to go with him to Rio, where they will get further instructions.  While they wait in Brazil, the two fall in love.  This is where the sub-plot begins: Devlin suspects that he cannot fully trust Alicia, and refuses to let go of his principle job - to protect her.  He also refuses to make her decisions, a theme that recurs several times in the course of the film.  Alicia's assignment, which she carries out well, is to reunite with Alexander Sebastian, a scientist who was friends with her father and still very much in love with Alicia.  She encourages him and they wed.  We learn, and then Alicia and Devlin learn, that Sebastian is part of a group of German scientists who are up to "suspicious" activity.  While we never hear their entire plan, we do learn that they are working with uranium, and we see them plot to kill off a member who has said too much to strangers.  When Sebastian begins to suspect his wife of espionage, both plots (the FBI vs. the Germans and Alicia & Devlin's rocky relationship) twist, turn and lead to a great ending.

Highlights
There are so many topics to bring up, but I can't cover them all, so I'll pick two.  First is the unique, beautifully coordinated cinematography.  The unusual shots and angles add to the film's feeling.  There is a scene early on when Alicia wakes up with a hangover and the camera takes on her point of view, tilting up and sideways to watch Cary Grant cross the room.  The second is when she realizes she's been poisoned and fears that she will be killed - the room tightens, characters talk but only their shadows are seen.  In effect, we become as disoriented and terrified as Alicia.  Second of all, there is the way that Hitchcock ties all the elements together like a great novel.  What I especially liked was the champagne.  When Devlin and Alicia are in Rio together and in love, Devlin goes out and buys a bottle of champagne.  On his way back to their romantic night, he is called to the office and given the news of Alicia's assignment.  In order for her to work on Sebastian, Devlin has to give her up.  He forgets the champagne at the office and returns to her to bear the bad news, and you can almost hear the passion fizz out (clearly the party is over, if you pardon the pun).  Later, the champagne plays a key role during Sebastian's party.  Alicia steals the key to the wine cellar in order to allow Devlin to snoop around and find the uranium.  She fears that Sebastian will discover this when the champagne begins to run out and he is called upon to get more.  We start to see the bottles disappearing, we see Alicia begin counting glasses of champagne the waiters present on trays.  It uses a seemingly innocent item like champagne to represent something much larger and remind us of the double layer of plot.

Not to be Missed
1) Claude Rains is wonderful in this role!  He has created a character that is detestable and evil as well as empathetic.  At times you hate him, at times you feel sorry for him.  It's a wide range, but he plays it all with a cool charm that reminds you what good acting is about.

2) Edith Head (who I love!!!) designed the gowns for Ingrid Bergman and they are all lovely!  I'm not at all a fashionista or know anything about it, but I love watching the dresses Edith Head makes.  Check out her list of films here (yes, she did Grace Kelly's amazing dresses in Rear Window and all those dozens of gowns for Shirley MacLaine in What a Way to Go!).

3) The woman who plays Madame Sebastian (Leopoldine Konstantin) is truly terrifying without trying.  I think Alec Baldwin (who introduced the film with Robert Osborne on TCM) hit it when he said the reason she's so terrifying is that she never blinks.  He's absolutely right - during all of her scenes, I think I saw her blink twice.  It's just as unnerving as the off-center camera angles.

4) Finally, the kiss.  In order to subvert the Hayes code of the day that limited on-screen kiss time to four seconds, Hitchcock had Grant and Bergman kiss for several minutes, breaking every four seconds for a quick line of dialogue.  It's one of the best and most memorable of all love scenes.

Review and Recommendation
I loved this film even though I was not expecting to do so.  It has renewed my interest in the suspense/thriller drama because it has so much complexity and such great, powerful characters.  If you've decided you're not really a Hitchcock fan, consider watching this film - it may change your mind!

Holiday (1938)

Intro.
I will be the first to confess, I initially wanted to watch this movie because I thought it would be very similar to Cary Grant's other screwball comedies, like Bringing Up Baby.  At first I was puzzled and then pleasantly surprised to find that it was more of a comedic drama. It is more light in spirit than the later film, The Philadelphia Story (which also paired Hepburn and Grant) and the humor a bit less cutting. In any respect, I felt it was along the lines of a happier sort of Eugene O'Neill play.

Overview
The plot seems a lot like many romatic comedies - boy meets girl, they fall in love, she doesn't tell him she's rich, her family objects, complications ensue. In this case it's Grant as the clueless, independent free spirit who has fallen for Julia Seton (played by Doris Nolan), heiress to one of the largest fortunes - and snobbiest families - in all of New York. Grant's character, Johnny Case, comes home elated that he has found "the one" - a girl who wants what he wants: the same house, the same life, the same dreams. He agrees to meet her at Christmas to tell her father, but upon arriving at her mansion and learning of her fortunes, he immediately feels out of place. As Julia's father, sister and brother soon learn, Johnny Case is a working boy who has worked his way to a promising job at a financial house. His future looks bright and his charm soon wins them over. On New Year's Eve the engagement is to be announced, but there is a hitch - Johnny reveals that he wants to take the money he's earned and live a rich, full life - take a holiday and learn who he is and what he wants out of life. You can almost hear the air sizzle out of he and Julia's relationship. His audacity to consider such a reckless life instead of a secure one working at her father's bank is more than Julia can take. While this is happening, Johnny finds that he has more in common with Julia's sister Linda, the black sheep of the family who shares Johnny's sense of fun and adventure. I won't give away the ending, but it does have a few twists and turns to try and keep you guessing. One thing you can't miss though, is the undeniable chemistry between Cary and Katharine. It turns what would normally be an average film into a superb one.

Highlights
With such strong personalities in the two lead roles, it is hard to believe that the supporting cast could shine, but shine they do. Most notably is Lew Ayers, who plays Julia's brother Ned. Ned has landed in the role of the reluctantly dutiful son who must forgo his own dreams to learn the family business.  To compensate, he drinks to excess each night.  While humorous, there is a deep pathos to his alcohol-induced talks with his sister Linda, and he soon becomes a scene-stealer.  Neither he nor Linda accept the cold, social-climbing life they have, and find relief in their mother's old playroom - the only room of the house decorated in a cozy, homey way.  There is a fireplace and flowery sofas instead of marble and pillars.  While Julia and her father find this way of life childish, there is a sense of joy and hope that doesn't exist in the rest of the house.  It creates an interesting dynamic for the film - where different scenes take place says as much about what's happening as the dialogue does.

Also worthy of note are Johnny's friends Nick and Susan Potter (Edward Everett Horton and Jean Dixon), who come to the engagement party, but feel completely out of place.  They even tease Johnny that they can't recognize him in his tux and slicked back hair.  They too take refuge with Linda in the playroom and bring a sense of life back into the house.

Finally, Cary Grant's performance should be mentioned.  I love watching him when he's alone in the mansion at the film's opening - he's curious and uneasy and trying to entertain himself.  He even gets seperated from the butler and hollers that he's lost.  It's very similar in appearance to Jimmy Stewart's character in The Philadelphia Story.  On top of that, Cary brings his real-life acrobatics into the picture, doing tumbles and flips throughout, which not only makes him more endearing and child-like, but also highlights his refusal to conform.

My personal favorite highlight is that Johnny Case is supposed to be a Baltimore boy, born and bred.  I've lived in and around Baltimore my whole life, and no one born and bred here has an English accent like Grant's.  However, I do have to give him credit, unlike Julia's father, he actually pronounces the name of the town with the local drawl instead of emphasizing the 'i'.  It's not "Ball-TEE-More", it's "Balw-mer" or "Bal-da-more", hon.

Review & Recommendation
All in all, I highly recommend this movie.  You may laugh at Cary Grant doing somersaults and cartwheels, but the film has a serious, deeply moving heart to it.  It is a picture about childhood dreams - those we sacrifice and those we need to fight for.  It is a grim picture of our economic culture as well, and reminds us that there is much more to life than money.

If you'd like to read more, check it out at IMdB.  There's a great write-up about the film by a reviewer with the screenname 'Glenn Miller'.  His piece is far more eloquent than I am and it's definitely worth reading.  Also, just because it's Baltimore, I still think the two best Baltimore accents I've heard in films by non-Baltimore natives are John Travolta in Hairspray and Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear.  Although Mitchum does have a general Southern drawl in that film which could be from anywhere, when he says Baltimore, you believe him!