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MGM
Oct 10, 2023 7:06:10 GMT
Post by marysara1 on Oct 10, 2023 7:06:10 GMT
Hart to Hart did it too. North by northwest and Riches Girl in the World but in Hart-to-Hart case the rich girl killed her imposter.
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MGM
Oct 10, 2023 13:42:30 GMT
Post by topbilled on Oct 10, 2023 13:42:30 GMT
Hart to Hart did it too. North by northwest and Riches Girl in the World but in Hart-to-Hart case the rich girl killed her imposter. |
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Post by topbilled on Oct 11, 2023 14:39:55 GMT
This neglected film is from 1945.
The Women’s Army Corps would never be the same
Part of the charm of this MGM morale boosting war comedy is the idea that three women with very distinct personality types can work together for the greater good. It takes most of the film’s running time for them to cooperate fully, not only with the military as WACs in training, but also with each other. But by the time they solve all their petty disagreements, we have become fully invested in their collaborative efforts as a team.
The studio gives lead billing to Lana Turner, and for all intents and purposes this is a Lana Turner movie. But it would fall flat without the other two main costars, contract players Laraine Day and Susan Peters. Miss Day was about to return to RKO, where she had previously been under contract in the late 30s as Laraine Johnson; while Miss Peters would suffer a debilitating accident in between this film’s production and release into theaters. In fact, Peters had a long recovery process and was dropped by MGM after becoming a paraplegic…she would only make one more film, in a wheelchair, at Columbia a few years later.
The studio was more interested in promoting Turner who’d ascended the ranks. In a short period she became one of Hollywood’s brightest stars.
Part of what makes Lana Turner so appealing to watch, besides her glamorous looks, is her slightly devious personality which is used to good effect by this story. Turner is portraying a spoiled heiress whose extravagant lifestyle is called into question by a board of trustees who won’t give her anymore money until she proves herself of reliable character. Her solution? Why, it’s to join the WACs, of course!
Watching Turner go from spoiled rotten to a mostly decent human being is one of the pleasures in watching this film. It’s a credible evolution, and it’s easy to cheer her on each step of the way. At the crux of her transformation is a series of clashes with Day’s character, since Day is playing a military brat who is keen to show off her knowledge of the service and is eager to make Turner look foolish. The on-off nature of their relationship, true frenemies if ever there was a pair, is quite plausible and convincingly conveyed to the audience.
Added into the mix we have Peters as the third gal who basically functions as a buffer between the other two. Peters is suffering in silence at the end, because her husband has been killed in action, and she’s unable to talk about it. Obviously, the writers want the audience to feel sympathy in these moments but also to admire how these women can overcome individual obstacles and make sacrifices for the good of the a country, since the U.S. was still at war when MGM made the picture in late 1944.
At times I found myself laughing at the combustible personal issues that developed between the main characters, especially when the ladies were stubborn and unwilling to bend. I also found myself going along with some of the more propagandistic elements as well as the conspicuous statements that were made about snobs. The message: we all need to work together and follow orders. Still I didn’t think it ever got too preachy or too unrealistic. It’s a very enjoyable movie.
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Post by Fading Fast on Oct 11, 2023 15:14:00 GMT
Keep Your Powder Dry from 1945 with Lana Turner, Laraine Day and Susan Peters
By 1945, Hollywood was at the retread stage of wartime propaganda movies, but it still managed to put out some reasonably good efforts like Keep Your Powder Dry, an early similarly themed version of 1980's more-well-known Private Benjamin.
War causes social change with WWII unevenly and too slowly bringing advancement for minorities' and women's rights. In Keep Your Powder Dry, the focus is on humor and the personalities of the three stars, but even if unintentionally, there's a feminist vibe.
Three young women, played by Lana Turner, Laraine Day and Susan Peters, from diverse backgrounds and for various reasons, join the WACs (Women's Army Corps.). They have challenges and squabbles, but grow as individuals and officers as is propaganda's wont.
Very blonde Turner gets the fun role of playing the rich party girl who joins only to convince her trust administrators that she's becoming a mature and responsible adult, which per the terms of the trust, should prompt them to release more funds to her.
Peters plays a traditional young wife who, despite lacking confidence to do something on her own, joins the WACs in sympathy with her husband so that both can be serving their country at the same time.
Day gets to play the army brat who likes discipline and rules just a little bit too much. She joins to please her officer father and because she is scared of civilian life, so she cocoons in the WACs, where she expects to quickly advance.
Once in, the girl triangle quickly forms with lackadaisical Turner and by-the-book Day immediately rubbing each other the wrong way as sweet-as-heck Peters plays peacemaker.
All the things you expect to happen, happen. Turner is the slowest to adjust to army discipline; diffident Peters is just glad to survive another day, while Day irritates most of the other girls with her know-it-all attitude and imperious approach.
There are some fun scenes along the way, including one where the girls, now all in the motor transport school, go out to fix a general's car. He's not at all obnoxious about it (that's not this type of movie), but it's clear he has no confidence in these women mechanics.
Of course, the girls get the car running in no time and the humbled general makes a nice comment about the WACs. The inside fun for the audience is watching Turner, playing a supposedly crack mechanic, looking like it's the first time she's ever seen an engine in her life.
It's all handled lightly, but in the 1940s "girl mechanics" fixing a car lickety split as a bemused general looked on said something to America about women's rights. It would take another generation for even more advancement, but each step counts.
Another scene to look for is the one where Turner's old socialite friends show up as they look incredibly frivolous next to now serious Turner. There's, sadly, also a gratuitous dig at a stereotypically fey gay man at a time when gay men were not allowed in the military.
As in the above scene, the movie gets more serious as it heads to its climax, which includes some real WWII sacrifice coming home to one of the girls just as Day, finally, learns a humbling lesson about leadership being about more than just enforcing the rules.
Had the movie kept the tone of the socialites-are-frivolous or Day's comeuppance scenes throughout, Keep Your Powder Dry would have been a better movie. But MGM couldn't help making this effort too-Hollywood glossy and "girl pretty" to give the movie sustainable grit.
Keep Your Powder Dry is still enjoyable, though, as Turner, Day and Peters are appealing actresses. Plus, even a WACs propaganda movie is historically important as it reminds us that women's rights weren't spontaneously generated by the Baby Boomers in the 1960s. |
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Post by topbilled on Oct 11, 2023 16:05:38 GMT
You made some good points in your review, Fading Fast. I agree that even though feminist terminology hadn't yet entered the common vocabulary, it's clear that feminism can be found in earlier films like KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY. One thing I really liked about this film was how helpful and forgiving Agnes Moorehead's character, the lieutenant colonel, was in her scenes, showing that she understood this newer generation and its issues, and what it meant for them to be women and succeed during a challenging time.
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Post by Fading Fast on Oct 11, 2023 16:14:13 GMT
You made some good points in your review, Fading Fast. I agree that even though feminist terminology hadn't yet entered the common vocabulary, it's clear that feminism can be found in earlier films like KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY. One thing I really liked about this film was how helpful and forgiving Agnes Moorehead's character, the lieutenant colonel, was in her scenes, showing that she understood this newer generation and its issues, and what it meant for them to be women and succeed during a challenging time.
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Post by topbilled on Oct 11, 2023 17:33:03 GMT
After watching the movie and writing my review, I did some more research on the WACs.
Supposedly that organization was attacked by right-wing conservatives during the war. And the attacks caused women to leave the WACs and hindered additional recruitment. Attacks seem to have been fostered by the far right who suggested that WACs were either lesbians or prostitutes that went into the service to provide other "help" to military men.
Probably MGM bosses decided to green light this film to help combat those jabs. Putting a sex symbol like Lana Turner front and center, but then having her character become humble and patriotic, was the formula the studio used.
The women's movement was facing a backlash even then, which makes the success of KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY even more noteworthy.
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Post by kims on Oct 12, 2023 1:40:49 GMT
Did the far right also attack use of women in the factories? Great research TB. It is interesting how often slinging the words lesbians and prostitutes have been used to hinder women-example all women golfers and tennis players were once considered lesbians and that was considered a major slur.
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Post by topbilled on Oct 18, 2023 13:50:53 GMT
This neglected film is from 1934.
Knowledge is power
We are told right away that this adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s hit play takes place in Scotland, though the filmmakers use shots of the Pacific Ocean along the California coast to suggest this. Most of the actors affect a Scottish brogue, especially American actress Helen Hayes who lays it on a bit thick in some of her scenes. One supporting cast member (Madge Evans) does not use an accent, but then she is playing the niece of a French countess. So I guess if she had been educated abroad, then it is plausible for her to sound continental.
The story revolves around Hayes, playing the titular woman who knows what the rest of her species knows. In the beginning her father (David Torrence) and brothers (Dudley Digges and Donald Crisp) worry about her marriageability– yes, that’s a word– because she’s just been jilted again. The male relatives are fiercely protective of this wee lass…but while she catches bouquets quite easily, catching a man is not altogether easy for her. The poor thing seems to lack charm, but she makes up for this deficiency in other deportments, like intelligence and cunning.
The premise is stereotypical in that a female is supposed to spend her life devoted to a man, specifically a husband. However, we do get a sense that Hayes’ character has her own individual self worth. Introduced into this environment is a political radical (Brian Aherne) who’s accused of communism but insists he’s a collectivist.
During a rally involving Crisp’s character, Aherne makes a public spectacle of himself by interrupting an important speech and quoting world leaders the locals don’t know much about. The result is that he’s garnered the attention of Hayes and her family. That night Aherne breaks into their home to read a few books, something he’s apparently done before!
He’s a poor scholar in need of materials. The brothers and father conspire to strike a bargain with the academic interloper. They will sponsor Aherne’s education on the condition that he marry Hayes in five years. Aherne agrees to the deal, and Hayes doesn’t have much input.
While this isn’t quite an indecent proposal, it’s hardly an ordinary one. As far as dramatic set-ups go, it’s both cute and intriguing. The agreement is made legal, and the two “lovebirds” become better acquainted with each other. Of course, their unusual courtship will not occur without additional issues.
Five years later, the wedding is finally being planned when Aherne is given the chance to run for parliament. Hayes postpones the marriage, extending her option on him, so that he may campaign and get elected. After Aherne is elected, the two do marry. The story is predictable in spots, but what works is their growing belief in one another as individuals. A good foundation for a strong union.
Besides these career issues, there is a personal issue that also occurs. A single woman (Evans) who is more sophisticated than Hayes, befriends Aherne. She and her wealthy French auntie (Lucile Watson) have considerable resources and connections that can help Aherne in office. Soon Aherne falls for Evans, which threatens his marriage to Hayes. What will happen next?
Well, we know what every woman knows in these patriarchal, somewhat chauvinistic situations– that a good wife advocates behind the scenes to ensure the success of her husband. She is not necessarily Lady Macbeth, but she understands that his success is ultimately her own success.
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Post by Fading Fast on Oct 18, 2023 14:08:42 GMT
What Every Woman Knows from 1934 with Helen Hayes, Brian Aherne, Donald Crisp, Lucile Watson and Madge Evans
"I'm six years older than he is. I'm plain and I have no charm. I shouldn't have let him marry me. I'm trying to make up for it."
- Brutally honest Helen Hayes discussing her marriage.
An ordinary-looking-and-almost-freakishly-petite woman played by Helen Hayes is on a path to spinsterhood in What Every Woman Knows. So her three well-meaning-but-bumbling brothers offer to pay for a poor young man's, played by Brian Aherne, education in return for his agreeing to marry Hayes once he graduates.
Set in Scotland and even with tongue in cheek, there are a thousand things wrong with this negotiation based on today's values, but it's still a fun scene where Hayes is, effectively, tossed onto the pile of chips in the center of the table and pulled out a few times. Then, Hayes herself, kinda liking the idea of being married to the young man in question, throws herself back in to seal the deal.
Despite the generally light tone, the movie turns serious at several points preventing this charming effort from slipping into farce or slapstick. Once Aherne has completed his studies, Hayes offers to let him out of the pact, but he bluntly states that a bargain is a bargain and marries Hayes even though he doesn't love her. Both, in their own way, did the stand-up thing.
Hayes, clearly in love with Aherne, becomes the woman behind the man as his political career catches fire owing, mainly, to her efforts, which she hides even from her clueless husband. A career move to London has Hayes continuing to surreptitiously direct his political future, but Aherne - now exposed to a superficially more elegant and sophisticated class of women - begins to stray (enter pretty Madge Evans).
In a movie that thankfully avoids many cliches, Aherne, contemplating leaving Hayes, doesn't treat her like an annoying obstacle. He truly struggles with the fact he married her as part of a bargain and she's been a good wife even as he fell in love with another woman. Hayes, too, struggles with the morality of holding a man by obligation and not of his free will.
The resolution has, of course, Hayes, unnoticed, moving the chess pieces around so that Aherne sees what he'd be giving up and what he'd be getting were they to divorce. Despite landing where you'd expect it to, this is no Hallmark movie as its surface charm has real-life grit just beneath.
Putting our modern indignation aside allows us to see this 1934 movie is subversive for its day as most of the men are either strutting peacocks, like Aherne, or harmless bumblers like Hayes' well-meaning but foolish brothers. Whereas, most of the women are smart and shrewd operators who quietly run things off stage. This low-budget effort, which seems almost simple, punches well above its moral and intellectual weight class.
N.B. Look for Lucille Watson playing Hayes' cagey and wise London mentor as this old-pro stage actress made an incredibly smooth transition to "talkies." In What Every Woman Knows, she provides a combination of verve and gravitas to her few crucial scenes. Oh, and yes, she's another woman who is smarter than the bloviating men in this one. |
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Oct 18, 2023 18:55:51 GMT
I haven't seen What Every Woman Knows, or any film featuring Brian Ahere made prior to Sylvia Scarlett (1935). Reviewing his film career, I had no idea that there was a 1933 British version of The Constant Nymph. Has anyone seen this one? I've seen the WB 1943 version featuring Charles Boyer and Joan Fontaine.
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Post by Fading Fast on Oct 18, 2023 19:06:20 GMT
I haven't seen What Every Woman Knows, or any film featuring Brian Ahere made prior to Sylvia Scarlett (1935). Reviewing his film career, I had no idea that there was a 1933 British version of The Constant Nymph. Has anyone seen this one? I've seen the WB 1943 version featuring Charles Boyer and Joan Fontaine. |
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Post by topbilled on Oct 18, 2023 19:36:38 GMT
I haven't seen What Every Woman Knows, or any film featuring Brian Ahere made prior to Sylvia Scarlett (1935). Reviewing his film career, I had no idea that there was a 1933 British version of The Constant Nymph. Has anyone seen this one? I've seen the WB 1943 version featuring Charles Boyer and Joan Fontaine.
Katharine Hepburn speaks highly of Aherne in her autobiography 'Me' and he was one of Rosalind Russell's favorite leading men...they costarred in four films, all of them romantic comedies (HIRED WIFE, MY SISTER EILEEN, WHAT A WOMAN and ROSIE).
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Oct 18, 2023 23:13:07 GMT
I haven't seen What Every Woman Knows, or any film featuring Brian Ahere made prior to Sylvia Scarlett (1935). Reviewing his film career, I had no idea that there was a 1933 British version of The Constant Nymph. Has anyone seen this one? I've seen the WB 1943 version featuring Charles Boyer and Joan Fontaine.
Katharine Hepburn speaks highly of Aherne in her autobiography 'Me' and he was one of Rosalind Russell's favorite leading men...they costarred in four films, all of them romantic comedies (HIRED WIFE, MY SISTER EILEEN, WHAT A WOMAN and ROSIE).
Yea, I was aware of their marriage since I have Joan's book No Bed of Roses, which sums up that marriage. |
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Post by topbilled on Nov 4, 2023 17:06:02 GMT
This neglected film is from 1937.
Good old Beery
Around 1930, the studio began to perfect the Beery persona it sold audiences when he played an incorrigible lout in MIN AND BILL. He refined this portrayal in later pictures during the decade like AH WILDERNESS! (1935).
It was a rather simple formula. First, have Beery swagger through most of the picture, spouting as many truisms as he does nonsense. Have him annoy everyone else on screen with him, and have him make more than his share of his mistakes. Then have everyone (including the audience) forgive him, because aw shucks he really didn’t mean no harm honey, and he was still good as gold deep down. In short, Wallace Beery was usually cast as a lovable lug, and he had the patent on that.
As part of this winning formula, he was often paired with a strong-willed woman who wasn’t afraid to poke fun of his follies and call him out when he did wrong. These women were typically played by Marie Dressler and Marjorie Main. In this picture, such duty is assigned to Janet Beecher. She and Beery may not have electrifying chemistry, but there is a sense of comfort and knowingness in the relationship between them that is depicted on screen.
Beery and Beecher are joined by Eric Linden and Betty Furness playing their grown kids. And rounding out the cast we have some excellent character actors like Una Merkel, Robert McWade, Margaret Hamilton and George Sidney.
The gist of the plot concerns itself with Beery being a little too fond of booze, during Prohibition. The story is set in the not-so-distant past, since there is mention of Roosevelt running for presidential office and his promise to end Prohibition. But for now, hooch is illegal. It doesn’t stop Beery from sneaking some of it into the house which he shares with the maid (Merkel). Due to his continuous drinking, the family doesn’t really take him seriously. Later when some stock certificates go missing, Beecher fears the worst– that Beery took them and cashed them in to pay off gambling debts.
The truth is that their son (Linden) took the stock and sold it, because he had debts of his own and was facing jail time. This is when we reach the part of the story that is meant to make the audience root for Beery, because despite all his impropriety, he takes the blame to spare his son from prison. As Beery suddenly morphs into a protective father out to do right by his clan, he concocts a scheme to get even with a cousin that was in the theft of the stock certificates. This scheme will bring money in that will more than make up for their recent losses, and will make Beecher see him in a whole new light.
The best aspect of the film is the dialogue, written by A.E. Thomas, based on a Broadway play from the 1920s by Don Marquis. There is a lot of homespun wisdom in what the characters say, despite their over-the-top contrived circumstances. I found this picture very enjoyable, as it revealed just how wonderful Beery can be when he believes in the character he’s playing and is determined to impart some important lessons for viewers.
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