Kiss Me Kate (1953)

Kiss Me Kate (1953)

Comments 1 comment

“You’d make a perfect shrew!”

Synopsis:
A divorced actor (Howard Keel) tries to convince his ex-wife (Kathryn Grayson), who is about to marry a cattle baron (Willard Parker), that she should co-star with him and his girlfriend (Ann Miller) in an upcoming musical production of Taming of the Shrew, with songs by Cole Porter (Ron Randell). Meanwhile, Miller’s lover (Tommy Rall) signs Keel’s name on an IOU to a mobster, leading two thugs (James Whitmore and Keenan Wynn) to come after Keel.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Actors and Actresses
  • Ann Miller Films
  • Battle-of-the-Sexes
  • George Sidney Films
  • Hostages
  • Howard Keel Films
  • James Whitmore Films
  • Kathryn Grayson Films
  • Keenan Wynn
  • Let’s Put On a Show!
  • Musicals
  • Play Adaptation
  • Shakespeare
  • Strong Females

Review:
George Sidney’s vibrant adaptation of Cole Porter’s 1948 Broadway musical remains a delightfully zingy back-stage drama, filled with colorful characters, stunning choreography by Hermes Pan (as well as a song by and with Bob Fosse), fun tunes, and a remarkable ability to make us forget the misogynistic valences of its source material. Most noteworthy of all is Ann Miller, whose dance numbers are uniformly dazzling — starting with “Too Darn Hot” and continuing through “Why Can’t You Behave?” with Rall (if not the keenest of actors, he’s a highly effective dance partner), “Tom, Dick or Harry”, “Always True to You In My Fashion”, and “From This Moment On”. Keel has great fun playing both Fred and ‘Petruchio’, while Grayson is appropriately fiery — though, to her credit, not unlikable — as Lilli and ‘Kate’, and Wynn and Whitmore balance a fine line between brutish and comedic. Meanwhile, the vibrant Technicolor cinematography, sets, and costumes nicely bring both the primary storyline and the “play within a movie” to life.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Howard Keel as Fred/Petruchio
  • Kathryn Grayson as Lilli/Kate
  • Ann Miller’s marvelous dancing


  • Vibrant cinematography, sets, and costumes

  • Fine choreography
  • Cole Porter’s score

Must See?
Yes, as a most enjoyable musical.

Categories

  • Good Show

Links:

Call Northside 777 (1948)

Call Northside 777 (1948)

Comments 1 comment

“That’s the trouble with being innocent: you don’t know what really happened.”

Synopsis:
With support from his editor (Lee J. Cobb), a determined reporter (James Stewart) investigates an ad posted by a washer-woman (Kasia Orzazewski) offering $5000 for information that will help free her wrongfully convicted son (Richard Conte), who was falsely accused by a speakeasy owner (Bette Garde) of shooting a cop during Prohibition.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Falsely Accused
  • Henry Hathaway Films
  • Jimmy Stewart Films
  • John McIntire Films
  • Journalists
  • Lee J. Cobb Films
  • Murder Mystery
  • Richard Conte Films

Review:
Based on a real-life story that won Chicago Times reporter James McGuire a Pulitzer Prize, this semi-documentary film remains a powerful investigative tale of two men (only one, Joseph Majczek, is focused on here) wrongfully convicted of murder, and the journalist who gradually comes to believe in their innocence. It’s filled with plenty of realistic details — including filming on site in Chicago at actual locations whenever possible, and demonstration of how a lie detector machine works (by its co-creator!) — and features appropriately atmospheric cinematography by Joe MacDonald. Stewart and Conte are both convincing in their respective roles, and there are several notable supporting performances as well. This one remains worth a look.

Note: Watch and listen carefully for Thelma Ritter in an uncredited role as a secretary; you should be able to recognize her distinctive voice.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Fine performances by the cast

  • Joe MacDonald’s atmospheric cinematography

  • Effective location shooting

  • Many tense moments

Must See?
Yes, as an overall powerful film.

Categories

  • Good Show

Links:

Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953)

Indiscretion of an American Wife (1953)

Comments 1 comment

“This lady’s here to catch a train.”

Synopsis:
A married American (Jennifer Jones) resists saying goodbye to her Italian lover (Montgomery Clift) at the train station while her nephew (Richard Beymer) looks on in puzzlement, and the clock continues to tick.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Infidelity
  • Jennifer Jones Films
  • Living Nightmare
  • Montgomery Clift Films
  • Star-Crossed Lovers
  • Trains and Subways
  • Vittorio De Sica Films

Review:
As discussed in both DVD Savant and TCM’s articles, this “attempt to mix two distinct and incompatible styles” — those of producer David O. Selznick and Italian director Vittorio De Sica — makes for a “fascinating failure”. Indeed, it’s not surprising the entire affair — originally entitled Terminal Station — plays like an extended living nightmare, presenting Jones as trapped within in a real-life set (a Roman train station) where she literally can’t escape her past or move forward. Jones was apparently traumatized by Selznick’s interference throughout filming, which shows in her performance, adding an appropriate air of despair to the surreal proceedings. At just about an hour+ long, this claustrophobic film feels longer than it is, yet simultaneously truncated — which makes sense, given that Selznick cut out about 20 minutes of sub-plots (!).

Note: Check out Criterion’s DVD for a comparison of both the American (72 minutes) and Italian (89 minutes) version; with that said, the version I found online was only 63 minutes (?).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Atmospheric cinematography
  • Effective use of a single realistic set

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one time look.

Links:

Genevieve (1953)

Genevieve (1953)

Comments 1 comment

“I simply don’t see what’s so wonderful about getting into a fifty year old car and driving to Brighton and back.”

Synopsis:
A London couple (John Gregson and Dinah Sheridan) driving their 1904 car “Genevieve” in an annual trip to Brighton Beach quickly find themselves in an increasingly tension-filled race with their friend (Kenneth More) and his guest Rosalind (Kay Kendall).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Car Racing
  • Comedy
  • Marital Problems
  • Road Trip

Review:
Referred to by TCM as “one of the most beloved British comedies of all time”, this surprisingly enjoyable road-trip adventure is filled with humor, tension, joy, and plenty of exciting plot twists. Indeed, the entire script leaves us wondering what will happen next to our protagonists — not just in terms of their romantic relationships, but the lengths to which Gregson and More will go in their increasingly driven competitive frenzy. Sheridan is highly sympathetic, and the cinematography and location shooting are gorgeous, making this a pleasant vicarious trip to take despite the many hair-raising automotive challenges faced along the way.

Note: A highly memorable moment — featured in the film’s poster and the still below — demonstrates Kendall’s surprising trumpet skills, in a scene which is now “an icon of British comedy.”

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Fine performances by the leads

  • Excellent use of outdoor shooting locales

  • Sparkling Technicolor cinematography
  • William Rose’s script
  • Larry Adler’s harmonica-driven score

Must See?
Yes, as an enjoyable “good show”. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

  • Good Show

Links:

Sniper, The (1952)

Sniper, The (1952)

Comments 2 comments

“There’s a maniac on the loose, and the police seem helpless!”

Synopsis:
A mentally disturbed laundry delivery man (Arthur Franz) fantasizes about — and then carries out — repeated sniper-murders of women, including a sympathetic pianist (Marie Windsor). Can a pair of detectives (Adolphe Menjou and Gerald Mohr) solve the mystery of the sniper before even more victims are lost?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Adolphe Menjou Films
  • Detectives and Private Eyes
  • Edward Dmytryk Films
  • Marie Windsor Films
  • Serial Killers

Review:
It’s a shame this atmospherically filmed psycho-noir thriller — directed by Edward Dmytryk — takes such a heavy-handed and didactic approach to its material, given the inherently dramatic nature of the storyline and protagonist. Franz is presented as a starkly ill young veteran who’s aware enough of his own psychological problems to burn his hand in an attempt to seek help, yet is dismissed without support, and thus left to his brutal rampage.

This early plea mitigates his guilt, making it especially hard for us to watch his sociopathic actions as he brutally tracks down one woman after the other. The men in charge of searching out “the sniper” are frustratingly incompetent as well — a police line-up scene is especially poorly written — leading us to simply watch the proceedings with increasing dread. With that said, Burnett Guffey’s cinematography is stellar and the location-shooting is highly effective, making this a visual treat but a narrative disappointment.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Burnett Guffey’s cinematography


  • Excellent location shooting


  • George Antheil’s score

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look for its better qualities.

Links:

Sun Shines Bright, The (1953)

Sun Shines Bright, The (1953)

Comments 1 comment

“I must know what’s going on: who am I?”

Synopsis:
With help from his loyal servant (Stepin Fetchit), a Southern judge (Charles Winninger) defends the rights and dignities of the downtrodden in his town, including a young black man (Elzie Emanuel) falsely accused of rape and a newly repatriated sickly prostitute (Dorothy Jordan). Meanwhile, a beautiful southern belle (Arleen Whelan) is courted by a handsome young man (John Russell) who is unaware of her true parentage, and who battles on her behalf against a local bully (Grant Withers).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Deep South
  • John Ford Films
  • Judges
  • Mistaken or Hidden Identities
  • Morality Police
  • Prostitutes and Gigolos

Review:
John Ford’s follow-up to his 1934 film Judge Priest — based on characters in several short stories by Irvin S. Cobb — was, along with Wagon Master (1950), purportedly one of Ford’s personal favorites. It tells a meandering if ultimately coherent tale of numerous small-town events, all centering around morality and the need to stand up for the innocent and unfairly maligned. Unfortunately, the film’s morals come across as decidedly problematic, given that Fetchit is reduced yet again to playing a typically servile, lazy, incomprehensible, and fumbling Black companion, while Winninger’s defense of Emanuel posits him unambiguously as the town’s necessary White Savior. This is especially ironic given an extended sequence early in the film — one seemingly included as character enhancement rather than to further the plot — in which Winninger celebrates his former role in the Confederacy. While the final funeral procession does arouse one’s emotions, it seems to come at the cost of a misremembered sense of chivalry, nobility, and racial justice — ideals that have yet to manifest in our nation.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Atmospheric cinematography

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re a Ford completist.

Links:

My Son John (1952)

My Son John (1952)

Comments 1 comment

“What’s happened to my boy?”

Synopsis:
A devoutly Catholic couple (Dean Jagger and Helen Hayes) are happy to visit with their two Korea-bound sons (Richard Jaeckel and James Young), but distressed when their third son, John (Robert Walker), shows up late and appears to reject his family’s morals. Could a stranger (Van Heflin) Jagger and Hayes meet during a fender-bender actually be investigating Walker for subversive activities?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Cold War
  • Dean Jagger Films
  • Helen Hayes Films
  • Leo McCarey Films
  • Play Adaptation
  • Richard Jaeckel Films
  • Robert Walker Films
  • Small Town America
  • Spies
  • Suffering Mothers
  • Van Heflin Films

Review:
Leo McCarey — best known for helming a variety of audience favorites, including Duck Soup (1933), The Awful Truth (1937), Love Affair (1939) [as well as its remake An Affair to Remember (1957)], and Going My Way (1944) — also directed this Cold War-era curiosity, notorious for being Robert Walker’s last film before his premature death at just 32 years old. It’s too bad things went awry for this flick, given it starts off with a surprisingly powerful punch, nicely highlighting the tensions that can arise between parents and their grown children when their political and/or religious views have diverged:

— a phenomenon that’s never gone away, and is perhaps at a current zenith. Hayes’ performance (her first on-screen in nearly two decades) is heartwarming and natural; indeed, all the actors were apparently asked to improvise, with a resulting authenticity that feels rare in a film of this kind (though apparently it drove Walker crazy; see TCM’s detailed article for more information on this and other aspects of the film’s production).

Unfortunately, the storyline about the Red Scare as an omnipresent force in the hearts and minds of small-town America suffers from lack of clarity and/or credibility in a couple of key areas — primarily the “coincidence” between Heflin’s “accidental” meeting with Hayes and Jagger and his true identity, as well as Walker’s critical involvement with an unseen female character shown only in a newspaper article. Meanwhile, the kludging in of footage of Walker from Strangers on a Train (1951) is decidedly jarring, as are (laughably so) the final moments taking place in a university hall. Again, this is too bad, since the film otherwise possesses some enduring power as a tale of generational divides, parental suffering, and Communist hysteria.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Helen Hayes as Lucille Jefferson
  • Harry Stradling’s cinematography

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look for Hayes’ performance and for its historical noteworthiness. Listed as a Camp Classic (!) in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

Revenge of the Creature (1955)

Revenge of the Creature (1955)

Comments 1 comment

“Here at Ocean City it will live — if it lives at all — and become the object of scientific study.”

Synopsis:
After being captured and put into a Floridian marine park, the Gill-Man (Tom Hennesy and Ricou Browning) is observed by a psychologist (John Agar) and an ichtyology student (Lori Nelson) who meanwhile are falling in love; but when the Gill-Man escapes from his chains, Nelson’s life is in immediate danger.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Jack Arnold Films
  • John Agar Films
  • Mutant Monsters
  • Science Fiction
  • Scientists

Review:
This sequel to The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) — the second in a trilogy — primarily succeeds in showing off some nifty underwater photography as well as the new-ish spectacle of marine parks (key portions of the film were shot at Florida’s Marineland). Poor “Gill-Man” — happily existing on his own in the Black Lagoon before his capture — is treated terribly, poked and prodded and put on display as a tourist attraction while being studied like the specimen he’s become (echoes of King Kong are once again strongly present); it’s no wonder he gets pissed off and wants more for himself. Meanwhile, the dialogue between Agar and Nelson (repeatedly objectified as that “pretty young student”) is enjoyably laughable at times:

Nelson: “You’re not at all like I expected.”
Agar (smiling): “I’m glad I disappointed you.”

Nelson: (to Agar) “You know, sometimes I wonder how I got started in all this. Science, fish, icthyology… Where will it all lead me?”

With that said, the entire affair is once again solidly directed by Jack Arnold, who knows how to build tension, especially during the final kidnap and chase sequences.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Effective cinematography (both on-land and in-water)

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re especially enamored by this series.

Links:

Sun Also Rises, The (1957)

Sun Also Rises, The (1957)

Comments 2 comments

“Everyone behaves badly, given the proper chance.”

Synopsis:
A disillusioned and disabled WWI veteran (Tyrone Power), joined by his American buddy (Eddie Albert), works as a journalist in Europe, drinking at night while pining for his one true yet unattainable love (Ava Gardner) and watching her navigate romantic entanglements with an alcoholic British nobleman (Errol Flynn), a jealous boxer (Mel Ferrer), and a studly young bullfighter (Robert Evans).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Ava Gardner Films
  • Bullfighting
  • Eddie Albert Films
  • Errol Flynn Films
  • Henry King Films
  • Love Triangle
  • Mel Ferrer Films
  • Star-Crossed Lovers
  • Tyrone Power Films
  • Veterans
  • Writers

Review:
Ernest Hemingway’s classic 1926 novel was finally turned into a film several decades later by director Henry King and screenwriter Peter Viertel. Unfortunately, the storyline about a “lost generation” of Americans and Brits drinking away their lives in Europe isn’t well suited for the screen, other than the inclusion of countless colorful scenes of bullfighting and the annual Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. The most memorable character (coming across in an unintentionally humorous fashion) is Flynn’s besotted, penniless nobleman, who somehow manages to survive on the fumes of generosity. The central dilemma of Power having become impotent from war wounds — and thus unable to legitimate a relationship with his One True Love (Gardner) — is simply not enough to sustain the narrative; as DVD Savant writes in his review, “I have a feeling that if the pair really cared for each other, a short discussion of biological workarounds would suffice to give them some kind of intimate satisfaction.” Meanwhile, Savant is also spot on in his derision of a terribly miscast figure in the story, writing:

“The kiss of death is Robert Evans, who as the supposedly magnetic matador Pedro Romero projects no charm whatsoever. In most of his close-ups, Evans looks cross-eyed or mentally challenged, and his line deliveries make Ferrer look like Brando. When Gardner’s Brett tosses everything to the wind to follow Evans’ Pedro, the movie goes out the side door and doesn’t come back.”

In other words, feel free to skip this one, unless you’re a Gardner completist or in the mood for lots of drinking and bull(s).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Fine location shooting with vibrant CinemaScope cinematography by Leo Tover
  • An interesting sociological glimpse at bullfighting (though numerous other films also provide this) and the Running of the Bulls

Must See?
Nope; this one isn’t must-see.

Links:

Moon is Blue, The (1953)

Moon is Blue, The (1953)

Comments 1 comment

“I really thought you were a nice girl — I really did.”

Synopsis:
A virginal aspiring actress (Maggie McNamara) accompanies an architect (William Holden) to his apartment, where she soon meets his embittered would-be girlfriend (Dawn Addams) and Addams’ playboy father (David Niven) — who, naturally, becomes interested in McNamara.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • David Niven Films
  • Love Triangle
  • Morality Police
  • Otto Preminger Films
  • Play Adaptations
  • Romantic Comedy
  • Strong Females
  • William Holden Films

Review:
Otto Preminger’s cinematic adaptation of F. Hugh Herbert’s 1951 Broadway play was notorious for its open discussion of topics such as virginity, pregnancy, mistresses, and seduction; indeed, the entire storyline focuses on a refreshingly candid young woman (McNamara) who refuses to play romantic games, and isn’t afraid to voice exactly what she wants. While the film is very much of its era in terms of gender politics, it also plays with such notions openly — for instance, McNamara hopes to marry an older man and doesn’t mind if he already has kids, yet she’s more interested in cooking meals than living a pampered life. McNamara (who looks distractingly like Jean Simmons, though others have noted her resemblance to Debbie Reynolds) is well-cast in the lead role — and though her cadence-filled voice takes some getting used to, it’s at least distinctive. While the script is certainly no longer scandalous, the film remains an interesting historical glimpse into what once passed as controversial.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Ernest Laszlo’s cinematography

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look.

Links: