Where the Lilies Bloom (1974)
“If anybody ever finds out he passed away, they’ll take us to the county home for sure.”
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Review: Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Beach Party (1963)
“Bring me my pendulum, kiddies — I feel like swinging!”
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Response to Peary’s Review:
With that caveat out of the way, he quickly concedes that “the picture goes downhill when nostalgia gives way to annoyance at the stupidity of the characters Avalon and Funicello play”, not to mention the fact that “all the teens in the film have IQs lower than their ages”. He argues that at least the “campy film… pokes fun at itself” — though this is small solace for the drivel one has to sit through in the meantime. Having now viewed all three of the “Beach Party” flicks recommended in Peary’s book — this one, Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) — I can safely say that seeing one will suffice to give film fanatics a sense of the genre; it might as well be this inaugural entry, and then ffs can consider themselves done unless otherwise compelled. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Just Tell Me What You Want (1980)
“Belonging to Max Herschel had a lot of advantages: it was fun and first class all the way.”
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To that end, Allen seems to get many of the details of this particular universe “right” — most notably in the way everything happens at a faster-than-expected pace, with King autocratically dictating orders left and right, pausing only to break down in temporary tantrums over minor details he can’t control. Indeed, King’s performance is spot-on throughout, indicating unexpected star power. Much more problematic is the key casting of Ali MacGraw as his lover, “Bones” Burton; though she tries hard, MacGraw simply isn’t up to the task of inhabiting this undeniably complex character — a powerful female television executive who is nonetheless content to live as King’s mistress for years on end.
As events get more and more complicated and treacherous in their relationship, she begins to exhibit the same forlorn expression far too often (and is shown digging for solace in a pan of homemade fudge at least one too many times). Where’s her bite? It comes in fits and starts (most notably during the infamous Bergdorff-Goodman’s brawl), but is never fully present or believable. Meanwhile, though the poster’s tagline proclaims, “They’re rich. They’re in love. They’re negotiating”, this isn’t quite accurate, given that it’s clearly King who holds the purse strings in the relationship, from beginning to end. In sum, we just don’t learn enough about “Bones” to really “get” her, other than on the most surface level — which makes it twice the shame that her character’s voiceover was chosen to bookend the film, rather than Loy’s (who would have been a MUCH more logical option). Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Room for One More (1952)
“There’s nothing wrong with him that being three days old wouldn’t fix.”
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Little Colonel, The (1935)
“Papa Jack is sick — and those two men might hurt him!”
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Response to Peary’s Review: Note: Listen for a sly exchange between Temple and Hattie McDaniel (as “Mom Beck”), when McDaniel comments on Temple’s penchant for wanting “blue stories”. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Littlest Rebel, The (1935)
“Uncle Billy can do anything! He can sing and dance and climb trees, and do everything in the world — I know he can bring Daddy back!”
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Libeled Lady (1936)
“The things I do for that newspaper…”
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Review: Peary accurately notes that the film “is a particularly strong showcase for Harlow, whose character is sometimes tough, sometimes sentimental, sometimes infuriated, sometimes a good sport, always sexy, always funny”. He writes that he loves “her angry pout and how she huffs and puffs through a room with shoulders and legs working in unison”. In his Alternate Oscars, Peary votes Harlow Best Actress of the Year for her role here as Gladys, noting that Harlow “has never gotten enough praise” as “one of the great movie discoveries of the thirties”, and further pointing out how ably she “exchang[es] wisecracks with Powell and Tracy”. I agree, but also find the lead performances by Powell and Loy to be spot-on, with Loy a particular treat to watch as she demonstrates unexpected layers of complexity to her seemingly ice-cold heiress; her initial rebuffs towards overly-confident “ladies man” Powell are especially humorous. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Freaky Friday (1976)
“I wish I could switch places with her, for just one day.”
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Better known for her work on Broadway than in films, this may actually be Harris’s best leading role onscreen: her no-holds-barred portrayal of an adolescent trapped in an adult body is a sheer pleasure to watch, from beginning to end. In early scenes, we see her luxuriating over the fact that she’s not only liberated from attendance at school but suddenly has a sexy, braces-free demeanor — only to quickly demonstrate how inadequately prepared she is to handle everything associated with the ’70s vision of womanhood/motherhood, from putting on false eyelashes (a great scene!):
… to preparing an impromptu meal for 30 to managing a household full of domestic assistants.
Fortunately, the film as a whole is mostly deserving of her stand-out performance, with the switched-identities element particularly well handled throughout. While we only see each character in her original body for the first 12 minutes of the film (and during the tail-end of the hectic finale), we nonetheless continue to believe in and understand exactly what’s happened to them, thanks to clever use of voice-over (plus, of course, the spot-on performances by the female leads). If there’s one slight downside, it’s that Harris’s travails as teenage “Annabel” are so much more intrinsically interesting and hilarious than Foster’s as the adult “Ellen”. Foster is primarily shown being humiliated time and again at school — either from her lack of knowledge about “modern” equipment (she has no idea how electric typewriters work):
… or her overabundance of knowledge in history class (where she’s viewed as a know-it-all), or her utter clumsiness on the hockey field (where she’s literally pummeled by members of the opposing team).
In sum, “Ellen”/”Mrs. Andrews” simply isn’t as interesting a character as “Annabel”. Regardless, the fast-paced screenplay (written by Rodgers herself) keeps us on our toes throughout, right up until the surprisingly enjoyable slapstick finale (involving a cop chase and an elaborate water-skiing revue). It’s also fun to see how cleverly Rodgers incorporates sly sexual innuendos without ever bordering on poor taste — i.e., the titillated reaction by Astin when Harris accidentally calls him “Daddy” a few times.
Meanwhile, both Harris and Foster learn important lessons in how to empathize with each other (naturally), but this thankfully isn’t hammered over our heads. Somewhat surprisingly, Freaky Friday remains worth a one-time look by all film fanatics — primarily for Harris’s performance, but also as a pleasantly enjoyable situation comedy. Watch for the inspired final shot/scene. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Poor Little Rich Girl (1936)
“That kid in there’s a novelty — just what we need for our act!”
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… aiding the fortunes of a talented young couple in desperate need of a break (Haley and Faye):
… and avoiding capture by a nebulously lecherous stalker (John Wray).
Highlights include Temple singing to her dolls (who eventually get up and dance):
… and her truly impressive tap finale with Haley and Faye, which apparently took countless attempts to get just right. However, this one ultimately isn’t must-see viewing; Peary lists other Temple titles in his GFTFF, and film fanatics need only see one or two at most to get a representative sense of what Temple’s phenomenal fame was all about. Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
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Barkleys of Broadway, The (1949)
“You’re wasted in musical comedy. You could be a great tragic actress!”
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