Day 5 - Jane Russell

Lately I've been approaching life with the attitude of What Would Jane Russell Do? or more precisely, What Would Dorothy Shaw Do?, referring to one of my favorite characters in film - her role in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  Dorothy, and in many ways, Jane Russell too, was confident, sexy, smart, a good friend and knew how to handle herself.  She has a good line for any situation and could outwit any guy in the room.  

I've been feeling less than confident lately, and that led to me to think more about this tough-talking leading lady.  Her role as Dorothy might not have fit with the title of the film, but she's more grounded than Loralei (Marilyn Monroe) and winds up with the better guy in the end.  I wish I could just have a thimble-full of her confidence.  Or her glamor.  Or her beauty.  Or her unabashed talent.     

Jane asks "Anyone Here for Love?" in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ( Twentieth Century Fox, 1953)

Jane Russell was originally known more for her status as a pin-up girl.  Her film Double Dynamite (1951) (which is hilarious, by the way!) wasn't named after the combination of her two male stars, Sinatra and Groucho Marx, but by her well-known, ahem, assets.  What I love about her though is her gumption - she could hold her own on screen in comedies with Bob Hope, film noirs with Robert Mitchum, and in musicals with Marilyn Monroe.  I've seen her in five films: The Paleface, Macao, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, His Kind of Woman and Double Dynamite, and while Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is my favorite, all of them have been very entertaining.  It's nice to see a woman with that kind of simmering coolness; she could probably out-leer Mitchum, since they both hold the market on that "don't give a damn" attitude.  Recently I've been reading up on her life off-screen and it turns out she was just as much of a fireball as her character Calamity Jane.  She spent her life as a pro-life advocate after a traumatic and dangerous abortion as a teenager.  An independent, strong-willed and opinionated woman, even if you don't agree with her politics, you can still admire her grit. 

When I mentioned to Catherine that Jane Russell would be my Friday post (oops!), she nodded and asked if I'd also be writing about big stars too.  I'm not sure why Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas don't count as "big" but I asked her what she meant.  "Someone like Judy Garland" she said.  While I like Judy Garland as much as the next person, I don't really have much I want to write about her right now.  The point of movies and of blogging about film stars is to write about which films and which actors/actresses inspire you.  Maybe Jane Russell isn't as big as Judy, but it doesn't dim her legacy or her influence.  Like I said, stars depend on the people that never leave them, and as long as there are fans, there will always be fame.  Maybe we could all look to Ms. Russell for some of her conviction and character which seems to be sadly lacking in stars today. As for me, the next time I meet a guy, I'm going to pretend I'm Jane Russell and see if I can channel some of her wit and self-possession.

Macao (1952)

Intro.

In films, a "meet-cute" is the point in a story where two characters meet for the first time.  It's usually applied to romantic comedies.  Eli Wallach in the film The Holiday gives an example.  To paraphrase: suppose a man and a woman are both in need of pajamas, so they both go to the same men's department store.  The woman says she just needs a top; the man says he only needs bottoms.  They look at each other and that's it.  I have to say, even though the 1952 film Macao isn't a standout classic, it definitely has one of the funniest meet-cutes.  Onboard a ship heading for Macao, Jane Russell is in her cabin with a man she's trying to fend off.  She throws her shoe at him, but he ducks and the shoe goes right through the porthole and hits Robert Mitchum in the head as he's walking by.  He goes into the cabin with the shoe, sees Jane Russell, and that's it - a great meet-cute!

Overview

Cinderella jokes aside, Macao is really a film noir.  It opens on a ship bound for Macao, a place notorious for being 3 miles outside of police jurisdiction.  Headed there is nightclub singer Julie Benson (Jane Russell) and ex-GI Nick Cochran (Robert Mitchum).  Benson is short on money, so not only does she land a job at a local bar, but she picks Cochran's wallet.  He in turn gets stopped by the police, but she returns the money before he's arrested.  Meanwhile, Cochran teams up with another passenger, who gets him a job as an undercover special agent investigating a crime ring that just so happens to be run by Julie's new boss.  What follows is a web of crime, deceit and a blossoming romance between Nick and Julie.  Nick sets out to get Julie's boss, Lawrence Trumble, to take him on as a hired hand.  The idea is to get Lawrence to leave the safety of Macao and go to Hong Kong for some missing jewels so that the authorities can arrest him.  But the best laid plans often go awry, and after a shooting and a thrilling fight on Trumble's ship just shy of the 3 mile mark, the film comes to an end that's typical noir, though a bit happier.

Highlights

Both Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell give good, solid performances.  While not a standout film, it is nonetheless enjoyable and much of that is due to their chemistry.  This was their second film together, the first being His Kind of Woman, which is more of a noir parody.  As many reviewers on IMDb have said (and you should read those write-ups - they are much better than mine!), Macao is kind of a lighter film noir.  It is still "good triumphs over evil" rather than in some of Bogart's films or Mitchum's Out of the Past, where morality is an issue and the good and bad characters are hard to tell apart.   

Aside from that, the story was easier to follow than some noirs, partly because the script was so confusing, Robert Mitchum helped rewrite it as they filmed.  Also worth mentioning is Jane Russell's fabulous singing.  She does "One for My Baby" and the ironically named "You Kill Me."  She is quickly becoming one of my new favorite actresses.  Gloria Grahame is also featured in the film, though not in a leading role.  She nevertheless turns in a great performance as Margie, a woman you both love and hate.  You'll probably recognize Grahame from some of her other work, but for me she'll always be Violet from It's a Wonderful Life.  Overall, a good cast.

Review and Recommendation
Macao is an enjoyable film - it's easy to follow with enough suspense and romance to make for a good lighter film noir.  I recommend it to fans of Russell and/or Mitchum, and would say that it's a good film.  Not great, not horrible, but always entertaining.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Intro.

As March was supposed to be Musicals Month, I went in search of musicals tonight and stumbled across Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which I had always assumed was a comedy.  In fact it was cross-listed online as romantic comedy, classic comedy, and classic musical.  Watching the film, I thought back to a film class I once took where we talked about what defines a movie's genre - I mean really, what makes a musical a Musical?  Certainly the genre conjures memories of Singin' in the Rain, Oklahoma!, Cabaret, West Side Story and a long list of similar titles.  But what about films like the melodramatic Young at Heart or even something more lighthearted like Robin and the 7 Hoods or Road to Morocco?  Is it the story line?  The number of songs?  What?  I think we finally formed a blurry definition that a musical earns its genre title when it contains three songs performed by characters in the film as a part of the story.  Of course there will always be gray areas, like the super traditional Western Rio Grande (imagine telling the Duke he was in a Musical!), but all in all, I think it's a pretty good rule, and as such Gentlemen Prefer Blondes would be more in the sophisticated, buddy-film type of classic musical.      

Overview

Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw (Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell) are American entertainers with their own successful show.  Their beauty and their talent gets them plenty of attention, most notably of which is Gus Esmond, a shy ordinary guy with a lot of family money.  He is engaged to Lorelei despite his father's wishes.  Instead of them sailing to Europe to marry, he sends Dorothy as a chaperon with the promise that he will meet them in Paris.  While Lorelei is more concerned with money as the basis of a secure marriage, Dorothy is more in line with the idea that love alone is all that a good marriage needs.  On that point they differ, but they are clearly best friends, making the most of their voyage.  Unfortunately, the guy Dorothy meets and falls for, Ernie Malone (played by Elliott Reid), is actually a private detective hired by Gus's father to trail the ever-flirtatious Lorelei.  When he catches her with an older man (who happens to own a diamond mine), he takes pictures.  Dorothy catches him though, and the girls then have to figure out a way to steal the photos back.  Once they do, in gratitude for their work, the mine owner (Charles Coburn) gives Lorelei his wife's diamond tiara.  By the time the girls land in France, they find that not only have their letters of credit and hotel lodgings been canceled by a jealous Gus, but the police are after them for a "stolen" tiara.  The results are hilarious and well choreographed in more than one sense!

Highlights

Most musicals are well remembered because of their unforgettable songs.  In this case, I only have 6 little words for you: "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."  In that number alone, Marilyn Monroe makes the entire picture, not to mention her legend.  However, Jane Russell is just as amazing and a great scene stealer earlier in the film with "Bye Bye Baby" and "Ain't There Anyone Here for Love?"  And the girls are also great together with their signature song, "Two Little Girls from Little Rock" and "When Love Goes Wrong" (the latter of which is my favorite from the show).

Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell are phenomenal in this film, and would be even without the music.  I think they make a great team and give an interesting picture of two very confident, independent women who stick together no matter what.  But as free and fun-loving as they are, you have to remember that it's a 1950's romantic comedy, so there's only one way it can really end (I won't say more, I promise!).  Even with the obvious sexual stereotypes, it's nice to see women have the upper hand, and no one handles it better than these two actresses.  And you can't help but laugh at the line: "If we can't empty his pockets between the two of us, we don't deserve the name 'woman'."

Review

Whatever you want to call it - a comedy, a musical, or a buddy film - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is definitely worth watching.  The humor, the music, and the great relationship between two such dynamite actresses all make for a great time!