FilmFanatic.org

Synopsis:
A crusty millionaire (Charles Coburn) goes undercover as a shoe clerk at his own department store, intending to ferret out the leaders behind a nascent labor movement. However, as he gets to know a kind colleague (Jean Arthur) and her agitator-boyfriend (Robert Cummings), and falls in love with a sweet middle-aged co-worker (Spring Byington), he experiences a change of heart and perspective.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Character Arc
• Charles Coburn Films
• Class Relations
• Edmund Gwenn Films
• Jean Arthur Films
• Millionaires
• Mistaken or Hidden Identities
• Robert Cummings Films
• Romantic Comedy
• Sam Wood Films

Review:
DVD Savant is a huge fan of this screwball comedy by director Sam Wood and production designer William Cameron Menzies, who previously collaborated on The Pride of the Yankees (1942) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). Savant notes:

The disarming, entertaining The Devil and Miss Jones is one of the best social comedies ever, a film that creates a nice feeling for people while saying fairly pertinent things about the need for decent conditions in the workplace… The movie abounds in terrific character touches, inspired comedy gags, and two or three moments of finely tuned slapstick… So many things click in The Devil and Miss Jones that one cannot over-praise Norman Krasna’s screenplay, one of the best ever from the classic Hollywood years. [Krasna also wrote Hitchcock’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941).]

While I appreciate The Devil and Miss Jones on nearly every level outlined above, it’s less of a personal favorite — perhaps because I wasn’t entirely sold on the fantasy element. Clearly, one has to buy into the premise that Coburn simply needs to visit his own employees in order to have a huge change of heart — wouldn’t life be wonderful if that were the case? I suppose that was (and remains) the allure for many.

My favorite aspects of the film are its seemingly “pre-planned” camera angles and highly crafted look; it’s visually evocative from beginning to finish (even during scenes that strain credulity — such as the beach picnic at Coney Island). I’m also a fan of Byington’s adorable performance, and Jean Arthur is never not a pleasure to watch in action. (She and Coburn would reteam for The More the Merrier [1943].)

Note: It’s interesting to read about director Sam Wood’s own conversative, anti-Communist political leanings, which became truly extreme by the end of his short life; see Wikipedia’s entry for more information.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Jean Arthur as Mary Jones
  
• Spring Byington as Elizabeth
  
• Distinctive framing and cinematography
  
  
  
• William Cameron Menzies’ set designs
  
  
• A fun look at historic Coney Island
  

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
Bandleader Glenn Miller (Jimmy Stewart) romances his sweetheart (June Allyson) and — with her ongoing support — slowly achieves worldwide success as a unique musical talent.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Anthony Mann Films
• Biopics
• Composers
• Jimmy Stewart Films
• June Allyson Films
• Musicians

Review:
Anthony Mann’s biopic of bandleader Glenn Miller’s slow but substantial rise to success — culminating in his tragic disappearance during World War II, while entertaining troops abroad — is colorfully staged, well-directed, and features likable performances by the leads (Stewart looks eerily like Miller with glasses on).

There’s quite a bit of focus on Miller’s romance with his would-be and then loyal wife (Allyson): his dogged confidence that she’s the right partner for him — despite not staying in touch for two years after college — nicely parallels his pursuit of the elusive sound he was striving for in his music (which he apparently stumbled upon after years of study, hard work, and experimentation). Unfortunately, there isn’t much natural tension in the storyline, given that we know Miller will ultimately succeed, and his marriage is portrayed as nothing but peachy-keen in the midst of life’s challenges (including a miscarriage). The best part of the movie by far is the soundtrack: his famous tunes are instantly engaging, and well performed. It’s easy to see why audiences of the day loved this movie and made it a box office hit.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Fun cameos by real-life musical legends
  
• An effective portrayal of Miller’s creative process
  
• A stand-out musical score (naturally!)
  

Must See?
No, though it’s certainly recommended for one-time viewing.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• Spinning Image Review
• NY Times Original Review
• TV Guide Review

Synopsis:
A high school English teacher (Glenn Ford) with a pregnant wife (Anne Francis) is determined to survive his new job at a school with challenging discipline problems, including those led by a sullen and violent teen (Vic Morrow). Can Mr. Dadier (Ford) rely on a student leader (Sidney Poitier) to help him positively influence his classroom?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Anne Francis Films
• Glenn Ford Films
• Juvenile Delinquents
• Louis Calhern Films
• Richard Brooks Films
• Sidney Poitier Films
• Teachers

Review:
Richard Brooks directed and wrote the Oscar-nominated script for this adaptation of Evan Hunter‘s “social commentary” novel about a rookie teacher navigating the treacherous waters of an inner city vocational high school.

The film is notable for its influential rock ‘n roll soundtrack (including Bill Haley and the Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” as its theme song), for its alleged source as inspiration for youth violence, and for Sidney Poitier’s early performance as one of the only black students at the school.

While dated and cliched in some ways (“It’s gonna have your looks and my brains” Ford reassures his pregnant wife about their future child):

… the film continues to pack a surprising punch. Ford’s character is both sympathetic and realistic, and it’s enjoyable to watch his genuine respect for the students yielding gradual positive effects. The dialogue is often punchy (“They don’t even know their multiplication tables.” “Of course not; all they can multiply is themselves.”), and Russell Harlan’s cinematography is top-notch.

Note: The Blackboard Jungle was selected in 2016 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Glenn Ford as Mr. Dadier
  
• Russell Harlan’s cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, as a still-compelling drama. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book, and nominated as one of the Best Movies of the Year in his Alternate Oscars.

Categories

• Good Show

Links:

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

Synopsis:
After their parents die in a tragic accident at sea, two boys — one rambunctious (Mickey Rooney), the other studious (Jimmy Butler) — become lifelong friends while taking radically different career paths. Blackie (Clark Gable) becomes a notorious racketeer with a loyal moll (Myrna Loy), while Jim (William Powell) becomes a lawyer with aspirations towards governorship. Will their friendship withstand Loy’s realization that she wants more out of life than a gangster’s existence?

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Clark Gable Films
• Friendship
• Love Triangle
• Mickey Rooney Films
• Myrna Loy Films
• Orphans
• William Powell Films
• W.S. Van Dyke Films

Review:
Friendship and loyalty trump all else in this melodramatic tale of boys united forever through tragedy, turned into men who consistently “do the right thing” even when it goes against what society or their heart might tell them to do. DVD Savant writes cynically that “Manhattan Fairy Tale would be a better title for this fantasy with its scrupulously honest politico, gloriously noble racketeer and the glamorous but virtuous sweetheart who loves them both.” To that end, all three characters are surprisingly sympathethic, if unrealistic: one could only hope for such forthright and noble acquaintances, lovers, and allies. James Wong Howe’s cinematography is typically atmospheric, and the story moves along at a reasonable clip. This one is not quite must-see viewing but worth a look.

Note: This film is infamous for being the movie John Dillinger was watching before being gunned down by police outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• James Wong Howe’s cinematography
  
  
• Fine lead performances (Peary nominates Loy as one of the Best Actresses of the Year in his Alternate Oscars)
  

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a one-time look as Oscar-winner for Best Original Story. Listed as a film with Historical Importance and a Personal Recommendation in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Savant Review
• TCM Article
• Cinematic Threads Review
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
An Argentinian (Henry Stephenson) instructs his son (Don Ameche) to travel to New York and sell his prize horses to anyone except family members of socialite Binnie Crawford (Charlotte Greenwood), whose brother cheated him years ago. Naturally, Ameche falls in love with Greenwood’s niece (Betty Grable) — who is interested in buying one of his horses — and makes an excuse for being unable to sell one to her. Grable travels to Argentina to learn more about Ameche’s odd behavior, and soon the couple are hiding their romance from Stephenson.

Genres:

• Betty Grable Films
• Carmen Miranda Films
• Don Ameche Films
• Horses
• Musicals
• Romance
• South and Central America

Review:
This fluffy musical — the first in a series of “Good Neighbor Policy” films designed to curry friendship with Latin America during an era of increasing Nazi presence — is notable both for featuring Betty Grable in her breakthrough role, and for the screen debut of flamboyant nightclub singer Carmen Miranda. A box office hit, the film was clearly popular with audiences of the day but doesn’t leave much for modern viewers to appreciate — other than the vibrant Technicolor cinematography and some delightful performances by Miranda (who sings “Mamãe Eu Quero”) and the tap dancing Nicholas Brothers. Grable is at least cheery and pleasant; as noted by Stephanie Zacharek in her article for TCM:

There’s something eager-to-please about [Grable’s] singing and dancing — she doesn’t have the laid-back, smart-alecky cool of, say, Ginger Rogers… Grable’s appeal in Down Argentine Way — even beyond those stunning legs, which would later be insured by Lloyd’s of London for $1 million — radiates from a place that has nothing to do with strict acting chops. She’s a persistently warm, accessible presence; there’s something kind and forthright about her.

This is true enough, but wasn’t sufficient to hold my interest; and the final scenes revolving around race track shenanigans are pure filler. Skip this one unless you’re a diehard Grable or Miranda fan.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Carmen Miranda and the Nicholas Brothers’ show-stopping tunes
  
  

Must See?
No; feel free to skip this one. Listed as a film with Historical Importance in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• TCM Article
• At-a-Glance Capsule Review
• NY Times Original Review

Synopsis:
An archaeologist (George Zucco) who has discovered the existence of the ancient winged god Quatzelcoatl tries to prevent anyone — including his daughter (Hope Kramer) — from knowing about its presence, given that it watches over enormous hoards of treasure.

Genres:

• Fantasy
• Mad Doctors and Scientists

Review:
This Poverty Row cheapie is perhaps best known as the film that likely inspired Larry Cohen’s Q: The Winged Serpent (1982). Zucco was a reliable B-grade screen villain — playing Moriarty in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) and another mad doctor in The Mad Ghoul (1940) — and he’s appropriately maniacal here.

However, the acting overall is tepid:

… the dialogue laughable:

“He’s a scientist — ALL scientist!”

… the tiny winged serpent clearly a stringed puppet:

… and the narrative — involving Zucco’s attempts to knock off various interlopers by strategically leaving one of Quetzalcoatl’s feathers to be discovered, knowing she’ll go insane and kill the holder — is, in a word, silly.

The existence of an intrepid radio show host (Ralph Lewis) determined to solve the mystery is novel but unconvincing.

At least the whole thing clocks in at under an hour.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:
Not much — though some of the dialogue does elicit a few chuckles.

Must See?
Nope; skip this clunker, by all means. Listed as a Camp Classic in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• SciFilm Review
• B Movie Central Review
• Spinning Image Review

Synopsis:
An embittered detective (Kirk Douglas) finds his values shaken when he learns his beloved wife (Eleanor Parker) has a connection with a noted abortionist (George Macready) he’s been trying to prosecute for a year. Meanwhile, Douglas and his colleagues — including his supervisor (Horace McMahon) and a fellow detective (William Bendix) — manage a variety of other cases, including a shoplifter (Lee Grant) who seems curiously content to hang out and people-watch; a young man (Craig Hill) who has stolen from his boss to impress a model whose sweet sister (Cathy O’Donnell) has nursed a lifelong crush on him; and a psychopathic convict (Joseph Wiseman) whose every action and reaction is unpredictable.

Genres:

• Detectives and Private Eyes
• Eleanor Parker Films
• George Macready Films
• Kirk Douglas Films
• Marital Problems
• Play Adaptations
• William Bendix Films
• William Wyler Films

Review:
William Wyler directed this adaptation of a play by Sidney Kingsley which takes place within a single day at the 21st precinct in New York. Critical responses seem mixed about the authenticity of both Douglas’s character and the narrative pivot, with DVD Savant arguing that “the enjoyable Kirk Douglas gives one of his first over-modulated ‘star’ performances, throwing the film off balance”, and Bosley Crowther pointing out we need “not search too hopefully for plausibility in this case” given how far-fetched the connection is between Parker and Macready. I’m not disturbed by either of these factors, and find both Douglas’s performance and the central scenario quite believable. While this is very much a filmed play — with revelatory action “unnaturally” concentrated into one time stretch — Wyler nicely highlights the claustrophobia of the high-tension setting, and Douglas’s crisis seems almost inevitable given the stress he puts himself under each day (compounded by his personal history); it’s unusual to watch such a train wreck happening to a major movie star in a film of this era. The supporting performances are all noteworthy, with Parker and Bendix especially sympathetic, and Wiseman effectively playing, as DVD Savant puts it, “a mass of ethnic gestures distorted through a lowlife’s self-awareness”.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Kirk Douglas as Detective McLeod
  
• Eleanor Parker as Mary McLeod
  
• A fine supporting cast
  
  
• Lee Garmes’ cinematography
  

Must See?
Yes, as a strong outing by a master director.

Categories

• Good Show

Links:

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

Synopsis:
Against the wishes of his prison warden (Karl Malden), a convicted killer (Burt Lancaster) at Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary — whose domineering mother (Thelma Ritter) has negotiated a life sentence for him rather than hanging — begins raising canaries in his cell and becomes a renowned expert in ornithology. Eventually he marries a woman (Betty Field) he meets through his bird research, and life seems to be looking up — until resentful Malden has him transferred to Alcatraz, without his birds.

Genres:

• Betty Field Films
• Biopics
• Burt Lancaster Films
• Character Arc
• Hugh Marlowe Films
• John Frankenheimer Films
• Karl Malden Films
• Neville Brand Films
• Prisoners
• Telly Savalas Films
• Thelma Ritter Films

Review:
This highly fictionalized biopic about sociopathic but industrial prisoner Robert Stroud (whose life story was memorialized in a 1955 book by Thomas Gaddis) remains an absorbing, well-acted film about a man who — cinematically, at least — recovered his sense of humanity within the most abject of conditions by connecting with birds. Thankfully, Lancaster’s initial crimes and temperament aren’t sugar-coated: the rationale behind Malden’s determination to keep him isolated for the rest of his life makes logical sense. While Malden is ultimately posited as an inflexible and grudge-holding baddie, Lancaster is no saint either; rather, he’s a weary and pragmatic man who comes to understand the inevitability of his situation. A surprisingly hard-hitting narrative moment occurs midway through the film, when details of Ritter’s character are revealed and Lancaster’s history (posited here as stemming at least in part from his “momma issues”) is brought to light; he’s forced to make a challenging choice, and “does the right thing”. Watch for Telly Savalas in a small but notable role as Lancaster’s next-door cellmate; Neville Brand playing against type in a wonderfully modulated turn as Lancaster’s long-time guard; and Field’s honorable performance as the woman who unknowingly threaten’s Ritter’s dominance over Lancaster.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Burt Lancaster as Robert Stroud
  
• Fine supporting performances across the board
  
  
  
  
• Burnett Guffey’s cinematography
  
  
• Elmer Bernstein’s score

Must See?
Yes, as an engaging and well-made drama.

Categories

• Oscar Winner or Nominee

Links:

• IMDb entry
• DVD Talk Review
• NY Times Original Review
• Spinning Image Review
• TCM Article
• DVD Savant Review

Synopsis:
In post-WWII Japan, a bumbling American captain (Glenn Ford) is sent to Okinawa to set up a school and bring democracy to the village. Once there, his wily interpreter (Marlon Brando) helps him understand that the villagers have different goals in mind — including gifting him a geisha girl (Machiko Kyo) and convincing him to use American funds to build a teahouse instead of a school. A visiting military doctor (Eddie Albert) is soon lured into helping with agriculture, and he and Ford assist the village in selling homemade brandy; it’s up to Ford’s promotion-seeking superior (Paul Ford) to set everything straight.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Eddie Albert Films
• Glenn Ford Films
• Marlon Brando Films
• Military
• Play Adaptation
• Satires and Spoofs

Review:
Based on the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony-winning 1953 play by John Patrick (itself based on a 1951 novel by Vern Sneider), this “occupation comedy” arouses immediate suspicion and distaste given the casting of Marlon Brando as a Japanese man — but he’s surprisingly effective and inoffensive, most likely due to his genuine love of the play and respect for his craft. According to TCM’s article:

The role of Sakini had been played by David Wayne on Broadway, but since he had little track record in movies, the part went to Marlon Brando who had loved the play so much he saw it three times. Brando intended to use some of his salary to finance a United Nations film program in Asia. True to his reputation, he worked on making his role as authentic as possible, studying the motions and spoken accents of real Okinawans though he had to adapt the language slightly to be more intelligible to American audiences.

Meanwhile, DVD Savant writes that Brando’s character is “a natural prankster who uses his charm and guile to completely derail Captain Fisby’s [Ford’s] mission. He completely manipulates the situation by selectively interpreting, or misinterpreting, Fisby’s words.” Indeed, the entire film handily mocks America for trying to impose democracy wholesale onto a different culture, and it’s refreshing watching the villagers quietly and insistently get what they want. As Savant — who argues the film “takes a bit of getting used to” — notes:

… It’s disconcerting at first to see the presentation of the Okinawans as ‘cute’ and inoffensive ‘little people.’ Only slowly do we realize that they are the ones in control of the situation, and by the end the film is awarding them full respect while lampooning the American military as hopeless dummies.

Beautiful Machiko Kyo — star of Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon (1950); the Academy Award-winning Best Foreign Picture Gate of Hell (1953); Kenzi Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu (1953), Princess Yang Kwei Fei (1955), and Street of Shame (1956); Yasujiro Ozu’s Floating Weeds (1959); and Kon Ichikawa’s Kagi (1961) — acquits herself very nicely, and is especially delightful during an initial tussle with Ford as she struggles to get his clothes off.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

• Amusing lead performances
  
• Beautiful Technicolor cinematography
  

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

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• DVD Savant (scroll down to second review)
• TCM Article