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Synopsis:
When a vindictive young girl (Karen Balkin) attending a boarding school run by friends Karen (Audrey Hepburn) and Martha (Shirley MacLaine) tells a lie to her grandmother (Fay Bainter) that Karen and Martha are lovers, the entire community erupts in scandal.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Audrey Hepburn Films
• Boarding Schools
• Fay Bainter Films
• James Garner Films
• Lesbianism
• Love Triangle
• Miriam Hopkins Films
• Morality Police
• Play Adaptations
• Shirley MacLaine Films
• William Wyler Films

Review:
William Wyler directed two versions of Lillian Hellman’s 1934 play about two women whose lives are ruined by a child’s lie: a 1936 version co-starring Miriam Hopkins and Merle Oberon entitled These Three (in which all themes of lesbianism were removed), and this more faithful adaptation (keeping the original play’s name), with Hopkins returning as her original character’s meddling Aunt Lily:

… and James Garner cast as Karen’s loyal fiance, Dr. Joe Cardin (originally performed by Joel McCrea).

Unfortunately, this updated version was made at a time when homosexuality was still largely considered as “awful” as the characters all proclaim it to be. As MacLaine stated in an interview she gave for the documentary The Celluloid Closet (1995):

“None of us were really aware [of the ramifications of the play’s central topic]. We might have been forerunners, but we weren’t really, because we didn’t do the picture right. We were in the mindset of not understanding what we were basically doing.”

Indeed, one waits… and waits… to hear any of the characters questioning the fact that an implied lesbian relationship would merit such shock and scandal — but this never emerges; instead, we’re asked to simply believe that an entire school would be shut down within a few days given rumors about its owners’ sexual preferences. While this may be realistic, it’s jarring to see it accepted without question: the only consideration is whether Balkin’s rumor — substantiated by her bullied classmate (Veronica Cartwright) — is true, not whether it merits a response of any kind. Speaking of Balkin, she’s much less “enjoyable” as a Bad Seed than Bonita Granville was in the original:

Bainter, on the other hand — giving her final screen performance — is nuanced and note-perfect in a villainous role that she manages to imbue with humanity:

… and Franz Planer’s cinematography is gorgeous throughout.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Audrey Hepburn as Karen
  
• Shirley MacLaine as Martha
  
• Fay Bainter as Amelia Tilford
  
• Franz Planer’s cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look simply for its importance in the history of LGBTQ-themed cinema.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
While travelling to New York so he can interview for an important job the next day, a sales executive (Jack Lemmon) and his wife (Sandy Dennis) find their trip from Ohio ruined by various delays, and soon are sleeping overnight in Central Park.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Black Comedy
• Jack Lemmon Films
• Living Nightmare
• Neil Simon Films
• New York City
• Sandy Dennis Films

Review:
Neil Simon wrote the original screenplay for this darkly absurdist comedy set in New York City, where anything that can go wrong will. Anybody who’s experienced travel challenges will surely relate to the travails of this naive midwestern couple, who quickly descend into a living nightmare that is nonetheless all too plausible.

Most of the supporting characters they meet aren’t monstrous caricatures or criminals, but simply travel and hospitality employees trying to do the right thing; however, they’re each met with rude indignation from Lemmon, who shows his self-righteous nature from the very beginning. He harasses a stewardess (Ann Prentiss) for not being willing to make him coffee once they’ve started their landing pattern:

… chews out a baggage handler who can’t find their luggage:

… mistreats a customer service agent at the airport:

… and insists on exact change from a taxi driver who doesn’t have any.

After the couple land in Boston and finally make their way by train to NYC, they learn their room has been given to someone else — but rather than accept a reasonable offer to wait safely at the hotel until a different room is available, Lemmon subjects himself and his wife to increasingly risky maneuvers across the city.

The events they endure are meant to be farcical, of course, and it’s easy enough to get caught up in the Kafka-esque narrative — but we also keep wishing entitled Lemmon would calm down already, take a breath, and recognize how foolhardy he sounds when he proclaims, “I can’t let everyone push me around forever; it’s gotta stop sometime!” Meanwhile, Dennis is a perfect foil for neurotic Lemmon:

… showing exactly how to stay calm, get resourceful, and roll with the punches as needed; it’s too bad the final sequence doesn’t afford her some much-deserved comfort.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Sandy Dennis as Gwen Kellerman
  
• Jack Lemmon as George Kellerman
  
• Excellent use of authentic NYC locales
  

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
An unschooled prostitute (Barbra Streisand) and an uptight aspiring novelist (George Segal) fight and fall in love in New York City.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Allen Garfield Films
• Barbra Streisand Films
• George Segal Films
• Herbert Ross Films
• Play Adaptation
• Prostitutes and Gigolos
• Romantic Comedy
• Writers

Review:
After making her cinematic breakthrough in Herbert Ross’s Funny Girl (1968), Barbra Streisand re-teamed with Ross for her non-singing debut in this adaptation of Bill Manhoff’s 1964 play, originally starring an interracial couple (Alan Alda and Diana Sands). To his credit, screenwriter Buck Henry manages to keep us invested in this most fractious couple, who at first seem like an impossible match:

… but eventually, of course, find their way into each others’ arms. Surprisingly enough, we’re able to believe in their attraction, given that both are aspiring artists with deep insecurities, hoping for a little bit of what the other has to offer: Streisand’s Doris wants to sound (and feel) better educated, while Segal wants to let loose and love a little.

Both lead actors acquit themselves nicely, with Streisand demonstrating impeccable comedic timing, and Segal — who starred in Carl Reiner’s Where’s Poppa? (1970) that same year — once again effectively portraying a befuddled fellow who (at least at first) can’t seem to catch a break.

Note: Watch for 17-year-old Marilyn Chambers in her film debut as the girlfriend of Segal’s understanding friend Barney (Robert Klein):

… and Allen Garfield in a bit role as a clothing store owner trying to woo Streisand into bed:

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Barbra Streisand as Doris
  
• George Segal as Felix
  

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
Bumbling secret agent Max Smart (Don Adams) and his beautiful new partner (Andrea Howard) are sent to stop a mad fashion designer (Vittorio Gassman) from blowing up the world’s clothing with “nude bombs”.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Satires and Spoofs
• Spies

Review:
This big-screen adaptation of the cult T.V. series “Get Smart” is a clunker on every count. While Stuart Galbraith IV of DVD Talk notes it’s “fascinating in the same way YouTube dashcam videos of Russian car accidents can sometimes be,” I would argue that only applies to diehard fans of the original show, who may appreciate (?) getting to analyze each element that’s been changed. Meanwhile, the rest of us are forced to sit through an endless array of painfully unfunny gags, such as Smart firing a gun into his own groin:

… Smart chasing bad guys through Universal Studios:

… Smart “out-skiing” a red-clad sexy agent (Sylvia Kristel):

… Smart driving his desk through city streets during a high-speed chase:

… and (unfortunately) much more. The final shoot-out sequence attempts to be clever by incorporating a cloning machine:

… but it’s too little, too late. Consider yourself forewarned.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:
Not much.

Must See?
Nope; stay far away from this one unless you happen to be morbidly curious.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review
• DVD Talk Review

Synopsis:
In a sly bid to secure plumbing for their castle, the prime minister (Ron Moody) of tiny Ruritania — ruled by Grand Duchess Gloriana XIII (Margaret Rutherford) — requests and receives financial support from the United States to enter into the international space race; but when the USSR offers the nation a used rocket, and a local scientist (David Kosoff) collaborates with a would-be astronaut (Bernard Cribbins) hoping to impress his girlfriend (June Ritchie) by landing on the moon, the space race suddenly heats up in unexpected ways.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Cold War
• Comedy
• Margaret Rutherford Films
• Richard Lester Films
• Space Exploration
• Spies

Review:
Richard Lester’s breakthrough directorial effort was this sequel to The Mouse That Roared (1959), which starred Peter Sellers in three different roles. Sellers didn’t return for this sequel, and the movie suffers from an overall sense of simply trying to bank on the original film’s concept and success; to its credit, however, the storyline — scripted by Michael Pertwee from Leonard Wibberley’s novel — effectively satirizes the (justified) paranoia felt by all players during the Cold War. Moody — best known for his role as Fagin in Oliver! (1969) — desperately wants indoor plumbing installed so he can enjoy his baths (and, of course, promote tourist trade on the side):

… but he knows that requesting direct support for this would go nowhere. Therefore, he devises a plan to flatter the U.S. into thinking they are making a key ally while knowing Ruritania can’t possibly craft an actual working rocket:

“The Americans will not give us one penny if we had the remotest chance of sending a rocket anywhere, but they are always talking about international coöperation in space, and this offers them the opportunity without risk.”

The U.S. understands this as well, of course. As a confident delegate (John Phillips) argues:

“Without risk, the U.S. can encourage international space research. This will hit the uncommitted nations right between the eyes. They’ll love us, and it’ll only cost one million lousy dollars.”

And so on. Naturally, nothing goes as planned — especially with Kosoff’s brilliance and Cribbins’ persistence both underestimated.

Meanwhile, the Grand Duchess (Rutherford) is simply out-of-it and confused, adding to the overall chaos of the diplomatic situation:

… and a bumbling spy (Terry-Thomas) sent to suss things out doesn’t get very far:

Unfortunately, Cribbins is an annoying protagonist, and the special effects are laughably primitive throughout — but this film does deserve some props for its timely skewering of international relations at a particular time in history.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Effectively comedic direction by Lester
  

Must See?
No, unless you’re curious. Listed as a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• Moria Review
• TCM Article
• NY Times Original Review
• TV Guide Review (spoiler alert)

Synopsis:
In 17th century France, priest Vincent de Paul (Pierre Fresnay) becomes increasingly committed to providing sustainable, widespread charity for all those in need across society.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Biopics
• Do-Gooders
• French Films
• Historical Drama
• Priests and Ministers

Review:
French filmmaker Maurice Cloche directed this beautifully shot (by DP Claude Renoir), Academy Award-winning biopic about St. Vincent de Paul, who may be familiar to non-Catholics for the chain of thrift stores named after him. Cloche’s moving film provides a rare portrait of a spiritual man who, over the course of the movie, grows deeper in his faith while positioning himself ever-closer to the people he’s serving:

The screenplay opens with Vincent arriving in a town (supposedly) riddled with plague:

… where he rescues an orphaned girl from the wrath of the masses. While we think the storyline will continue telling us about de Paul’s influence with the village, instead it shifts gears to show us how de Paul previously worked for the aristocracy:

… and is able to leverage their deep respect for him into sustained support for an ever-increasing swath of charitable organizations. Interestingly, de Paul’s most controversial move — i.e., the one which apparently pushed his donors and volunteers to the brink of their shared humanity — was caring for abandoned foundlings:

This is in diametrical opposition to the attitude held by most do-gooders today, with our strong belief that we must save all young lives — even unborn lives — at any cost. Perhaps most impressive about Cloche’s film is how authentically he shows us the manifestation of de Paul’s faith and humility in action: de Paul can’t not strive to make an even deeper impact on those most in need, ultimately at a cost to his own well-being. While little seems to have been written or discussed about Monsieur Vincent in recent years (and I’m unfamiliar more broadly with Cloche’s work), this film remains well worth a look.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Pierre Fresnay as Vincent de Paul
  
• Claude Renoir’s cinematography
  
  
• Many memorably poignant moments
  
  

Must See?
Yes, as an underseen foreign classic. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Categories

• Foreign Gem

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• Drama of Holiness Video Podcast Discussion

Synopsis:
In 19th century New York, an ambitious journalist (Gene Evans) partners with a printer-owning friend (Forrest Taylor) to start his own newspaper, much to the chagrin of a rival owner (Mary Welch) who does everything she can to take him down.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Historical Drama
• Journalists
• Rivalry
• Sam Fuller Films

Review:
Former journalist Samuel Fuller self-financed this homage to the early days of New York’s bustling newspaper scene, titled after the street once nicknamed “Newspaper Row”. While Fuller’s directorial vision and flair are in full view:

… the disappointing storyline is (perhaps intentionally) as melodramatic as can be, with Welch’s black-clad villainness a caricature rather than a reasonably nuanced antagonist.

To his credit, Fuller makes excellent use of a small budget as he demonstrates his love of this fast-paced world, showcasing the emergence of relevant technologies that shifted the landscape from laborious hand-set type to Mergenthaler’s linotype machine:

However, this isn’t quite enough to keep us fully invested, especially with Welch hissing her way onto the screen far too often. While Fuller fans won’t want to miss this self-proclaimed personal favorite, it’s not must-see viewing for all film fanatics.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Fine cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No, though I think most film fanatics will be curious to check it out at least once. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• DVD Talk Review
• NY Times Original Review
• TCM Article
• TV Guide Capsule Review

Synopsis:
A crime boss (Brian Donlevy) in love with the daughter (Veronica Lake) of an aspiring politician (Moroni Olsen) asks his right-hand man (Alan Ladd) to help smooth over a sticky situation involving Lake’s brother (Richard Denning) owing money to a gambler (Joseph Calleia) whose henchman (William Bendix) takes perverse pleasure in beating people up; meanwhile, Denning’s girlfriend (Bonita Granville) — also Donlevy’s sister — tries desperately to help her boyfriend stay out of trouble.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Alan Ladd Films
• Bonita Granville Films
• Brian Donlevy Films
• Murder Mystery
• Political Corruption
• Veronica Lake Films
• William Bendix Films

Review:
This second cinematic adaptation of Dashiell Hammett’s 1931 novel — following a 1935 version co-starring George Raft and Edward Arnold — was directed by Stuart Heisler and is generally considered the better of the two. Made the same year Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake co-starred in This Gun For Hire (1942), audiences were eager to see the petite couple reunited on screen:

Unfortunately, their performances get off to a rocky start, with too many repetitive shots simply showing them giving each other a knowing glance when they first meet:

Donlevy is more effective as the gullible mobster taken in by everyone around him:

… though it’s supporting players Bonita Granville:

… and thuggish William Bendix:

… who really stand out as authentically engaged in their roles. Indeed, Bendix’s gleeful sadism is perhaps the film’s most memorable aspect, with most of his lines revealing a single-minded focus on harming people:

“Hey, Rusty, Little Rubber Ball is back. I told you he liked the way we bounced him around.”

“Wait a minute, you mean I don’t get to smack Baby?”

“Hey, Gang! Meet the swellest guy I ever skinned a knuckle on.”

“I got just the place for me and you – a little room upstairs that’s too small for you to fall down in. I can bounce you around off the walls. That way we won’t be wasting a lot of time while you get up off the floor.”

“Go on, sit in any chair you want to sit in. If you don’t like that one, take another one. I want you to consider yourself my guest. We’ll have a couple of drinks, and then I’m gonna knock your teeth out.”

Storywise, the narrative is as complex as one would expect in such a twisted tale of criminality, politics, and love triangles; it’s too bad it all ends like a light-hearted rom-com.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Bonita Granville as Opal
  
• William Bendix as Jeff
  
• Noirish cinematography
  
  

Must See?
No, though fans of Lake will likely want to check it out.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Article

Synopsis:
In post-apocalyptic England, survivors of a nuclear blast — including a pregnant young woman (Rita Tushingham) and her boyfriend (Richard Warwick), Tushingham’s parents (Mona Washbourne and Arthur Lowe), a police sergeant (Dudley Moore) and inspector (Peter Cook), a captain (Michael Hordern), a dress-wearing male nurse (Marty Feldman), an eccentric man living in a shelter (Roy Kinnear), a wandering fireguard (Spike Milligan), and a lord (Ralph Richardson) slowly turning into a bed-sitting room — interact and wander the desolate landscape.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Black Comedy
• Dudley Moore Films
• Nuclear Holocaust
• Play Adaptation
• Ralph Richardson Films
• Richard Lester Films
• Rita Tushingham Films

Review:
Described by TCM as director Richard “Lester’s most challenging film,” this bizarrely fantastical black comedy — based on a play by Spike Milligan, who also has a participating role — imagines what life might look and feel like for survivors of a nuclear blast. Given that the characters here are Britons, we see a rigid adherence to ritual and routine, with many seemingly unfazed by the drastic change around them and simply willing to adapt. When Washbourne is handed a death certificate, for instance, she’s sad but accepts it.

Richardson’s stuffy Lord Fortnum tries to protest the changes he feels happening to him:

… but is ultimately powerless, and turns into a lower-class “bedsit” room (he’s shown below in his new form, being given a “wellness check” by Hordern):

Other absurdities abound, including Tushingham being pregnant for 18 months with a monstrous creature, and being coerced into marrying lecherous Hordern in a cobbled ceremony:

… (though she simply continues her relationship with Warwick anyway). There are many more peripheral characters floating around the set (filmed “on location at a refuse dump in West Drayton, England”), but since none of them do anything particularly sensical, it’s challenging to provide a meaningful analysis of the storyline they exist in. Yes, a nuclear holocaust will surely wreak unimaginable havoc on our psyches, and many individuals may try to simply “carry on” as a way of coping — but I’m hard-pressed to see what other point there is to this rambling tale of post-apocalyptic absurdity.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• David Watkin’s innovative cinematography
  
• Some truly surreal imagery
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re curious. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Spinning Image Review
• TV Guide Review

Synopsis:
When her boyfriend suddenly leaves one night and sublets their apartment, a woman (Marsha Mason) and her ten-year-old daughter (Quinn Cummings) find themselves living with an aspiring actor (Richard Dreyfuss) who grates on Mason’s nerves — but can the trio eventually learn to get along?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Actors and Actresses
• Herbert Ross Films
• Marsha Mason Films
• Neil Simon Films
• Richard Dreyfuss Films
• Romantic Comedy
• Single Mothers

Review:
Richard Dreyfuss became the youngest actor (at age 30) to win a Leading Role Oscar for his performance in this adaptation (directed by Herbert Ross) of an original screenplay by Neil Simon. The central idea originated between Simon and his then-wife Mason as a funny love story between smart people, hearkening back to the days of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. It was originally entitled Bogart Slept Here, and set to be directed by Mike Nichols, star Robert De Niro, and take place in Los Angeles — but due to a variety of circumstances, it shifted gears entirely to become a NYC-based romantic comedy with a different director and lead actor. Overall, the storyline works: giving ongoing (neverending?) housing crunches in New York, the exorbitant cost of living in that city, and the narcissism of actors (yes, it’s entirely believable that Mason’s self-absorbed boyfriend would just up-and-leave the way he did), we can imagine people stuck in a situation exactly like this one.

The real-life individuals wouldn’t sound quite so polished and acerbic in their dialogue and come-backs, of course — but the overall tension feels real. (Who hasn’t been forced at some point to live with less-than-ideal roommates, and make some compromises?) Less convincing to me is that a single mom like Mason would allow herself to rely entirely on a (married) boyfriend for financial support in New York; we see humorous vignettes of her trying to get back in shape to perform as a dancer, but what has she been doing in the meantime?

Eventually, of course, Mason and Dreyfuss fall for one another — and whether you buy the authenticity of their trajectory (and care for them at all) will determine your appreciation for this film. Thankfully, the young actress playing Mason’s daughter (Cummings) Lucy is natural (i.e., not-annoying):

… and while both Dreyfuss and Mason are somewhat manic, we’re willing to excuse this given that they’re both performers in a high-stress city. I found myself rooting for them by the end, and pleased by how things turned out.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• Richard Dreyfuss as Elliot
  
• Marsha Mason as Paula
  
• Quinn Cummings as Lucy
  
• Good use of authentic NYC locales
  

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TV Guide Review
• Spinning Image Review
• TCM Articles