Marty (1955)

I had no idea Ernest Borgnine could be so lovable!

Intro.

I never really liked Ernest Borgnine before, probably because I had always seen him cast as bad guys, most notably as "Fatso" in From Here to Eternity.  But the write-up of Marty in the television listings sounded simple but charming, so I gave it a shot.  The write up said: Love comes to a shy, heavyset Bronx butcher.  Oscars for Screenplay, Director, Lead Actor and Best Picture.

Overview
Marty Piletti is a heavyset 34-year old butcher living at home with his mother.  He's constantly reminded by his customers (mainly Italian-American wives and mothers) and family that all five of his siblings, both older and younger, are married.  "You should be ashamed of yourself," most of the women say.  But it's not like Marty can help it; "I've been looking for a girl every Saturday night of my life."  And this Saturday is no different; he and his friend Angie (Joe Mantell) heed his mother's recommendation and go to a dance club called the Stardust Room.  Marty gets the brush off from girls, as usual, and he gets a bit disheartened.  Then something incredible happens - this fellow approaches him, explains that he's on a blind date with a girl who's a dog and he's met up with some girl and wants to ditch his date.  He offers Marty $5 to take his place on the date, but Marty being a very kind hearted gentleman calls the guy out for being a huge jerk.  The guy goes off and Marty sees the girl alone.  She looks so fragile and sad and when she goes out onto the fire escape to cry, Marty follows her.  She's not a dog at all, though she's not as attractive as some of the other women at the club.  Her name is Clara (Betsy Blair) and pretty soon she and Marty are inseparable.  They dance, they confide in each other, they go out for coffee and wind up talking for three hours.  What they have in common is that they've both nearly given up on ever finding love.  Yet here they are, a perfect match.  That is, until Clara meets Mrs. Piletti and disagrees with the family situation - Mrs. Piletti's sister Catherine is being kicked out of her son and daughter-in-law's house because the two women can't get along.  So Mrs. Piletti, who's been after Marty to get married, refuses to like the girl he's finally found.  Marty's friends aren't any help either, saying that Clara's a dog.  Angie even gets jealous because Marty won't be spending time with him anymore.  Will Marty take a chance on Clara or will he let what might be his only chance for true love pass him by?

Highlights 
As I said in the tagline, I had no idea that Ernest Borgnine could be so lovable.  This is one of the few (and possibly the first) times he was cast against his bad-guy type.  And he's wonderful!  Right from the opening lines we can see how kind and patient he is, even against the constant barrage of "when are you gonna get married?"  We can see his close relationship with his family, which makes his decision much harder.  Borgnine does a great job and it's easy to see why he won Best Actor (though I would've been torn on the Committee because he was up against Frank Sinatra in The Man with the Golden Arm).

What works so well is the simplicity of this story.  A reviewer on IMDb wrote that this was the time when we didn't need special effects or action scenes to make a great and unforgettable story.  And we don't just have the story of Marty and Clara.  Just as impressive is the story of Aunt Catherine (Augusta Ciolli) and her fight with her daughter-in-law.  Two women trying to rule the same house is difficult and it's a real shame that they can't get along.  The fight that results between the daughter-in-law, Virginia, and her husband Tommy is realistic and an interesting perspective on married life.  The scene where that fight unfolds is after they move Aunt Catherine into her sister Mrs. Piletti's house.  They're on the porch and Marty's trying to ask Tommy about a business idea - he wants to buy the butcher's shop.  He asks a question, but Tommy replies instead to Virginia about the situation with his mother.  They finally leave, telling Marty that he's stupid to want to get married.  Meanwhile we also get this lovely exchange between sisters Catherine and Teresa (Mrs. Piletti).  They talk about growing old and feeling unloved and unwanted by their children.  For these women, their children were their whole lives and although they are happy to see them married, they are also facing  loneliness.  The heart of the film lies in this loneliness, both for the women and for Marty and Clara, and how it can be overcome.       

Clara is also really well played by Betsy Blair (who is anything but ugly, but made up to look less attractive).  She has a college education, a loving home with her parents and a job offer waiting for her, but the one thing she wants most is the one thing she can't have.  Her confession to Marty that she'd been to the Stardust Room before and sat alone for an hour and a half without a single dance request (guys even came to her table then changed their minds) is really important and truly heartbreaking.

I don't want to get too personal here, but watching this film made me feel better about myself.  If Marty and Clara can find love, then so can anyone.  That's what really made this film stand out to me - hope.  There really is someone for everyone.  It's what makes us human, this desire to love and be loved.  No wonder it won best picture.  Everyone can cheer for Marty and Clara.     

Two stories to end with: First, although television was a huge threat to the film industry in the fifties, this film crossed the line between the media.  Marty was originally a television drama featuring Rod Steiger.  But Burt Lancaster's production company bought the rights and made it into a feature film.  When it won Best Picture, the news left a big impact on the industry.  Television wasn't just the low-class enemy anymore.  And a funny story: I was on the phone with my friend Catherine trying to explain this story.  She asked, well, how ugly is the guy who plays Marty?  Is he really ugly?  I said, "well, it's Ernest Borgnine, so...."  I don't know that I'd call him the ugliest actor in Hollywood, but he's a very far cry from say, Cary Grant.  However, Betsy Blair I think was too pretty to play a "dog".  It also made me smile when she said no one would dance with her because her real life husband was Gene Kelly.

Review and Recommendation

I love this movie.  I know I've already said that, but I want to say it again.  I can always tell when I really liked a movie when I get really upset that it ends too soon.  In this case, I wanted to see the rest of it - Marty and Clara dating more, getting married, having a family.  But it was cut short!  Still, the way it ends is probably Borgnine's finest moment on film.  I definitely recommend Marty to everyone, especially to shy, single folks like me who have just reached the age when our group of single friends shrinks rapidly and we starting to get invitations to weddings.  If Marty and Clara can find love, so can we!  

The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)

Pick your poison - alcohol, money, drugs, or an insane amount of guilt.

Intro.

I'm finding the 1950's to be a very fascinating era to study.  Right now I've been watching a lot of films that pushed the limits and broke the rules of the strict Hollywood codes put in place by the Breen office (see The Moon is Blue), thanks to TCM's recent film series.  Otto Preminger is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors, mainly because of his sheer determination to break as many of the constricting codes as possible.  In The Man with the Golden Arm he goes after the rule that drugs, drug paraphernalia, usage and all things associated with drugs are forbidden.  You couldn't show someone taking drugs and it could never be said out loud.  So this film, which centers on a man struggling to kick his heroin addiction, exploded out of the box.  And what an explosion!

Overview
Right from the get-go we know that Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) is coming back home from some time in drug rehab.  He first stops at the local bar, where he is greeted by all of his colorful neighbors, including his good friend, petty thief Sparrow (Arnold Stang).  His old boss is there too, Zero Schwiefka (Robert Strauss), who runs high-stakes, back room poker games.  Frankie's heroin dealer Louie (Darren McGavin), is also there, and offers him a free "fix".  Frankie refuses and keeps refusing as he tries to get away from that kind of life.  He returns home to his wife Zosch (Eleanor Parker), who is in a wheelchair and tells her he has learned to play the drums in rehab and wants to go into the music business.  She begs him to go back to being a dealer for Schwiefka because she doesn't want anything to change (she doesn't want him to ever leave again).  It seems like Frankie can't get a break though, as he waits to hear back about auditions and has to constantly turn down offers from Louie and demands from his wife to go back to the shady poker games.  He gives in to both though, and from there he begins a downward spiral.  The only people on his side are Sparrow and Frankie's neighbor Molly (Kim Novak).  Molly and Frankie are in love, but Frankie won't leave Zosch until the doctors can cure her.  What he doesn't know is that Zosch has already been cured and is only pretending to be disabled to keep Frankie from leaving her.  Frankie hits bottom when he first flubs his one real chance at getting a job as a drummer in a big band (his one dream) and then gets caught cheating as he deals at poker (losing his valuable "golden arm" reputation).  He had cheated in an exchange with Louie so he could get another fix.  Pushed to the edge, he decides to do his own withdrawal.  He has Molly lock him up in a room of her apartment and begins the long, painful process of recovery.  But an angry Louie shows up and catches Zosch up and walking.  From there the tensions keep rising until, much like the Breen codes, the film's ending shatters the lives of all the characters.
 
Highlights
Frank Sinatra may have won his Oscar for From Here to Eternity but man, he should have gotten an Oscar for this film.  TCM host Robert Osborne said that Sinatra had researched and prepared for this role for weeks and never worked harder to get such a realistic performance.  Sinatra always has a bit of that manic side showing through, and he puts it to good use here.  The withdrawal sequence especially showcased just how hard he worked - it's painful and heartbreaking to watch, even when you tell yourself he's only acting.  He's also joined by some equally talented co-stars like Kim Novak and Eleanor Parker (who I finally found out looked familiar because years later she played the Baroness in The Sound of Music). 

The relationship between Frankie and Zosch needs to be discussed.  It's such a tragic situation - we learn that Zosch was injured in a car crash where an intoxicated Frankie was driving.  Once in the hospital, doctors said she'd never walk again and not long thereafter she and Frankie married (out of guilt, you think?).  They've been together three years and her passive-aggressive nature just turns on the guilt whenever Frankie wants to do something different that may take him away from her.  The worst part is that she really can walk!  You go from feeling kind of sorry for her to despising her.  She's just as dependent on Frankie as he is on heroin.  She needles him constantly (no pun intended) to give up his hopes of joining a band and instead do exactly what she wants him to do.  Their whole relationship runs on guilt.  That's probably why Frankie and Molly get along so well - she's the exact opposite of Zosch and willing to do whatever it takes to help Frankie kick his habit for good, even at the risk of jail time.  Her own crutch is an alcoholic boyfriend, whom she finally banishes from her apartment. 
 

Finally, the storytelling in the film is really well done.  I liked the intertwining stories of Frankie being a dealer (at poker) and his need for a dealer (in drugs).  It took me awhile in the beginning to realize the difference, as everyone kept calling Frankie a dealer - I thought he had been a heroin dealer who had gotten addicted.  Then there's the name of the film.  Frankie's called "the man with the golden arm" because of his prowess as a card dealer, but he's also got a golden arm for playing the drums and of course those are the same arms that he's destroying with his shots of heroin.  It all creates a tight, compelling tale of addiction that anyone can relate to - like Frankie says, "everybody's a habitual something".  

Review and Recommendations

One of the reasons directors like Preminger wanted to break the codes in the fifties was to create films with more adult themes and lure consumers away from the new fad called television and back into the movie theaters.  And you can't break out of the code any more than The Man with the Golden Arm does.  Not only is it an engrossing story, but one of Sinatra's best performances.  Definitely worth watching! 

Picnic (1955)

Intro.

Very few people I know today who are in their twenties recognize the name William Holden.  I don't have an exact number, but in conversations with my friends, I've realized most of them know Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, but not Bill Holden.  In the mid-1950s, he was the leading male star in Hollywood, and known as America's Golden Boy.  I recommend most of his films (of the ones I've seen), starting with the epic The Bridge on the River Kwai.  But now I have to add Picnic to that list - what a great film!  And a perfect film to watch on Labor Day!

Overview

Picnic opens with a train slowing down in a small Kansas town and the engineer waking a passenger.  The passenger is a wandering vagrant (Bill Holden), who has an easy, friendly manner.  He goes to the first house he can find and asks for work.  The old woman, Mrs. Potts, tells him no one works on Labor Day and invites him to breakfast.  He soon is working in her yard anyway and without a shirt, which attracts the attention of next door neighbors: mother Flo (Betty Field), daughters Madge (Kim Novak) and Millie (Susan Strasberg), and their boarder, an aging, single schoolteacher named Rosemary Sidney (Rosalind Russell).  The man gets cleaned up and goes off to meet up with his old college buddy, Alan Benson (Cliff Robertson in his film debut).  Alan, son of the wealthiest man around, relives some good old times with Holden's character, who we learn is Hal Carter, the former college football hero.  Alan is taking his girl, Madge, to the Labor Day picnic and encourages Hal to take Millie.  The whole group, including Rosemary's date Howard, goes to the picnic and has a great time.  Madge is crowned Neewollah queen (a big honor in the town), uptight Rosemary relaxes as she enjoys a bottle of liquor smuggled in by Howard, and Millie starts crushing on Hal.  Things heat up after sundown, as Madge and Hal give in to a growing attraction and dance together.  It's a pretty intense performance that gets out of hand when a jealous Rosemary (who's already having problems dealing with the loss of her youth) breaks them up, tearing Hal's shirt.  Then teenaged Millie grows ill, having stolen the liquor to deal with her own jealousy.  After getting chewed out by almost everyone, Hal takes off, but Madge follows him.  They spend the night together, but come morning Alan has reported his car stolen (he had lent it to Hal).  Hal has to get out of town and Madge has to finally choose what she really wants out of life.

Highlights   
This was only Kim Novak's fourth credited film, but she is wonderful in it.  It's very easy to see why she rose to be such a big star.  She and William Holden make a good, believable couple, despite Holden being a few years too old for this role.  There was a 15 year difference in their ages, but I think Holden's charm and box-office appeal helped make the film a success.  Of course, I think the number of shirtless scenes probably didn't hurt either.  When I started watching the film, all I could think of was that the whole plot really revolved around his half-naked shots.  It makes sense then that the studio wanted the top male actor of 1955 in the role after it was turned down by the actor who had made it a hit on Broadway.  They wanted a built-in audience and they got it.      

I really liked how this film was shot.  There are so many elements that go into a frame, and in Picnic each one seems to fit together like a well-woven quilt.  Everything that is mentioned or seen once comes back later in the film - no loose ends.  The scene where Rosemary tears Hal's shirt is reminiscent of his arrival that morning when he took his shirt off to be cleaned (I told you the whole plot revolved on him being shirtless).  In the opening sequence, Hal cleans up at the river by a small waterfall - he returns to this same spot with Madge and then later when he is running away from the police.  It's a key point in the film, because it's at those falls where we learn the most about his character.  The shots themselves are also really well-constructed, particularly during the dance sequence, which features many shots at waist level.  All we see of Hal and Madge is from their elbows to their knees.  Framing alone can tell a great story.

Characters are great in this film.  You can't say the film is solely about Hal.  We learn just as much about Madge and Rosemary, and even quite a bit about Millie and Flo.  None of them are all good or all bad, but completely and entirely human.  They could be your next door neighbors.  Well, neighbors in 1955 maybe.  There's a side story about Madge and Flo too.  Flo is still hurt by her husband walking out on her some ten or twelve years earlier, and wants Madge to marry the "right kind of man" like Alan.  She keeps stressing that Madge should convince Alan to propose soon, before her beauty starts to fade.  At one point, Madge says "I'm only 19!" To which Flo responds, "Then next summer you'll be 20.  Then 21.  Then 40."  As if in answer to this warning, we see Rosemary, almost or already 40 and angry at still being an old maid.  Through the course of the picnic (and steady intake of alcohol), she goes from sarcastic to jealous to downright crazy.  Her resentment is aimed at the young lovers Hal and Madge, which is why she so viciously goes after Hal.  Howard, as boastful and unattractive as he first appears, becomes a sympathetic character by first helping Hal and then by marrying Rosemary.  Finally, Millie really makes an impact as the kid sister growing up.  During the course of one day she goes from being a stubborn tomboy to a lovely young lady.  She and Hal get along so well because in many ways he's still a fourteen year old boy.  Millie might still be a child, but she's also the one who has insight enough to tell her sister what to do in the end.

Picnic turns out to be no picnic for any of the characters, if you'll pardon the awful pun there.  It's a great film that encompasses not just one day in the life of these people or a holiday celebration in a small 1950s town, but also the hard choices we have to make about love and our own destinies.  I think Mrs. Potts says it best.  At the end, she admits that she liked Hal because he was so different and shook everyone out of their routine, everyday lives.  It's ironic since Hal only wanted to reinvent himself and have a shot at a normal life.  Whether he gets that or not is left up to us.      

Review and Recommendation
I loved this movie.  And not because William Holden was shirtless (although, I have to admit, he's really handsome).  It's masterfully done, with great cinematography, acting and story-lines.  It's one of the strongest character-driven films I've seen, and one of Holden's best performances.  It's also great to see Rosalind Russell and Kim Novak together, as two such talented actresses share the same screen!  I am definitely adding this to my Top Films list and recommend it to anyone interested in the real classics of Hollywood's golden age.

P.S. Thanks to TCM for all the movie backstory!  Also on their website, I saw that Picnic was remade in 2000 with James Brolin and Gretchen Mol.  I wonder if it can even come close to being as good as this version.

P.P.S. I was talking about this film at work the other day, and a woman in the breakroom told me that she had done the play of Picnic in high school and had hated it.  She said it was the worst play.  I think it could have been great if only Bill Holden had been there to take his shirt off.  It's always good to hear other people's responses to works - be it the film itself or the original play or book, the medium can often affect the story itself.      

The Court Jester (1955)

Intro.
I am lucky enough to work with some awesome people.  Sometimes we borrow each other's DVDs - TV shows, movies, you name it.  I just found out that our art director loves old movies too, and brought in The Court Jester for me to watch.  I have to admit (a bit shamefully) that I hadn't seen any Danny Kaye movies.  Honestly, now I have no idea what took me so long!

Overview
The plot in this story is pretty interesting - an evil ruler has just overthrown the palace and killed the royal family.  The only survivor is an infant who bears the royal birthmark and who has been rescued by a group of "outlaws" - think Robin Hood and his merry men.  Two members of the team, Hubert (Danny Kaye) and Maid Jean (Glynis Johns) take the baby in disguise and try to get him to a convent for safety.  On the way they meet Giacomo the court jester, and decide to send Hubert in his place.  By gaining access to the palace, Hubert can then open the secret passageway and let the rest of the gang in for an attack.  Hubert makes it in okay as Giacomo, but once there he is hypnotized by one of the ladies of the court, who is determined to make him fall in love with the Princess (Angela Lansbury).  While in this spell, he believes he truly is Giacomo the great lover, scoundrel and assassin hired by someone in the court to kill the king!  The only thing that will bring him back to sweet, good-natured Hubert is the snap of someone's fingers.  As you can imagine, all three storylines carry onward with lots of snapping!  Hubert finds himself knighted, dueling for the hand of the Princess, trying to avoid the cup of poison and finally calling on his acrobat friends to save the day. 

Highlights
Danny Kaye is outstanding in this film.  I wasn't sure how I felt about a comedy with some singing and lots of clowning.  But if anyone could do this role, it's him.  His timing is the most remarkable part.  I've never, ever seen someone so sharp and so fast on their lines.  I read up a little on him online, and he was famous for his ability to recite tongue-twisters like the now-famous one in this film - the "pellet with the poison" bit.  Not only that, but this role required him to switch very quickly between two "characters," often in the middle of a sword fight.  While this is a film driven very much by Danny Kaye, his costars are also wonderful.  Angela Lansbury is both enchanting and powerful as the Princess, and Glynis Johns becomes a great foil for Danny.  Not to mention a beautiful love interest too! 

Review
I believe that in some films, there is one moment that just captivates you.  From that point on you are sucked in, completely immersed.  For me it was the point where Danny Kaye sings a lullaby to the infant prince.  There is something so gentle, wholesome and pure about that scene that made me fall in love with this movie even when I wasn't sure if I'd like it.  It's innocent and kid-friendly, so if you're looking for a lot of drama and intrigue, you won't find it.  You also won't find a whole lot of stale slap-stick.  Another great family comedy, The Court Jester is a delightful film that will introduce you (if you haven't already seen him) to the incredibly talented Danny Kaye.     

As always, check it out on IMDb!  There's a much better write-up there posted by jhclues in December of 01.