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Post by topbilled on Jan 23, 2023 15:21:10 GMT
This neglected film is from 1947.
Ghost of a chance at love
Since this is a movie about a female writer (who is ghost-written by, well, a ghost)– I was curious about the author of the original novel and who that might be. The credits at the beginning of the film just say R.A. Dick, which seemed suspiciously like a woman trying to be ambiguous. And sure enough, it’s a pseudonym for an Irish woman named Josephine Leslie. So is Gene Tierney playing a woman based on Miss Leslie? I suppose we may never know, and it’s only partially relevant to a discussion of the film and how things work on screen.
But I do want to say a key component of the story and its effectiveness in cinematic terms is the characterization Tierney give us. Is she a woman with a masculine streak in her, represented by the ghost? Maybe she’s a woman possessed by a man, which has been known to happen. The main theme is the creative process and it’s told in the form of a supernatural romance drama which is most intriguing.
Helping the story along is Rex Harrison’s dynamic portrayal of the old sea captain. He has some of the best lines of dialogue I’ve heard. It’s obvious the actor is having a ball and it’s difficult to imagine anyone else playing it so well.
Meanwhile, we have George Sanders in a subplot involving a man the widowed Mrs. Muir meets at a publisher’s office one day. He outwardly pursues her, which causes the ghost to become jealous (which is a funny thing when you consider it), and in a way this takes us deeper into the collective psyche of both lead characters.
I won’t spoil how the relationship with Sanders’ character ends for those who have not seen it yet, but it does give Tierney some great stuff to play. She does very well with it.
There are other people who enliven the production. Natalie Wood is wonderful as Tierney’s young daughter (why aren’t child actresses this good now?)…and Anna Lee who appears in only one scene makes a lasting impression.
I also liked the comic relief with the women from Mrs. Muir’s family who try to convince her to leave the seaside village and move back home with them. Of course, their plans to control the situation don’t stand a ghost of a chance.
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Post by Fading Fast on Jan 23, 2023 16:55:20 GMT
⇧ For me, it's in the top five of all ghost movies for many of the reasons you noted. Also, it's one of Tierney's best performances, better than her performance in "Laura," IMO. And, as you also note, Harrison's and Sanders' characters are fantastic. Plus the movie just has the right "vibe," the right balance of humor, drama and ghost stuff. And I love that house.
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Post by topbilled on Jan 23, 2023 18:38:09 GMT
⇧ For me, it's in the top five of all ghost movies for many of the reasons you noted. Also, it's one of Tierney's best performances, better than her performance in "Laura," IMO. And, as you also note, Harrison's and Sanders' characters are fantastic. Plus the movie just has the right "vibe," the right balance of humor, drama and ghost stuff. And I love that house. |
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Post by sagebrush on Jan 23, 2023 23:51:12 GMT
Don't forget Bernard Herrmann's wonderful score!  I have a CD of a radio production of THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR from 1947 starring Charles Boyer and Madeline Carol. For anyone interested, here is a YouTube recording of the broadcast (the picture shows the film movie poster):
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Post by topbilled on Jan 24, 2023 0:21:03 GMT
Don't forget Bernard Herrmann's wonderful score! I have a CD of a radio production of THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR from 1947 starring Charles Boyer and Madeline Carol. For anyone interested, here is a YouTube recording of the broadcast (the picture shows the film movie poster):
Thanks for sharing this with us! |
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Post by topbilled on Jan 29, 2023 14:24:32 GMT
This neglected film is from 1958.
Truth is the sixth happiness
I agree with those who say this film is too long, but it does contain some uplifting moments. Ingrid Bergman, as always, delivers an intensely personal and strong central performance. She’s playing real-life missionary Gladys Aylward, a woman that was eager to do the Lord’s work in China.
Bergman the actress was a spiritually troubled woman off-camera who once sought friend Loretta Young’s counsel about the existence of an afterlife. No doubt Bergman’s public sufferings tested her faith, but she doesn’t let any of her actual feelings about religion get in the way of portraying Aylward in this picture.
Miss Aylward was a British woman who did not look much like the Swedish woman bringing her story to life on screen. Aylward was also rather opinionated, and she voiced her displeasure with how the film turned out. She did not like the liberties that 20th Century Fox took in adapting the biography that had been published about her. Her journey to China, which took her through Russia and Japan, was full of hardships not included in the movie.
Most importantly Aylward devoted her life to improving conditions for others. She worked tirelessly on behalf of orphaned children, as well as ministering to convicted criminals. She did not have a man in her life, as seen in the movie. I suppose Hollywood thought a fictional romance was required to market the picture to audiences. As a result, Bergman’s version of Aylward falls in love with a half-Chinese man played by Curt Jurgens.
The truth is that Gladys Aylward did not go off to marry anyone. After she had brought a group of orphans to safety during the war, she faced death threats by the communists in China who did not approve of her Christian proselytizing. When the war was over, she was forced to leave China and return to Britain. Later, she tried to return to China but was prevented by the Chinese government from re-entering the country. So she went to Taiwan to open a new school there, and focused on improving conditions for Taiwanese children.
Incidentally, truth is the sixth happiness. The Chinese believe there are eight happinesses. Gladys Aylward’s school in China was called The Inn of the Eight Happinesses. Not The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. Once again Hollywood deviated from the facts. But thanks to the performances of Ingrid Bergman, Curt Jurgens, Robert Donat and the British-Chinese children featured in the film, we do get a deeply personal and moving story about the will of one person to make a difference in the lives of others.
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Post by topbilled on Feb 2, 2023 7:18:46 GMT
This neglected film is from 1934.
The one where Shirley Temple plays an orphan
Shirley Temple believes in every line of dialogue they give her. She is supposed to believe in Santa (while arch-nemesis Jane Withers does not); and you can tell that Little Miss Moppet does believe in Santa the way she says her lines. This is ‘true’ acting.
And the scene where she kisses the old man in the wheelchair and says she likes him is brimming with truth, too. You can sense that this child performer does like adults who treat her kindly. The moment when she puts her head on his chest is predictably sweet but no less effective– gently reminding adults how to properly treat children.
Yet despite all these charming aspects of David Butler’s script (he also directed the picture), we know we are being manipulated for some serious drama ahead. Shirley starts out fatherless (except for surrogate daddy figure James Dunn) and by the 37th or 38th minute of the story, she is completely orphaned when her mother is killed on the street one day.
Signal the tears. Lots and lots of tears. The scene where James Dunn learns about the mother’s death while Shirley waves from inside the plane is tough to watch.
Then, there’s the sequence where he takes her up in the plane and while floating over some clouds, he tells her about heaven and her mother joining her father in heaven. She breaks down while he flies the aircraft and it is devastating. I can only imagine how audiences responded to this the first time it was seen in the 1930s. How can there be a dry eye left in the house after that tender, truthful display of emotion?
And this is where Mr. Butler and Fox pull out all the stops. Shirley has lost both her parents now, on Christmas Day of all days. And miraculously, she still believes in Santa. The old man in the wheelchair plays Santa for her, James Dunn and all his buddies play Santa for her. Even the cook (Jane Darwell) and the butler are up to the task of playing Santa for her and providing her with a home if necessary.
We are surrounded by a gift of love in this film. But the real gift– then and now– is always Shirley herself.
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Post by topbilled on Feb 6, 2023 14:53:12 GMT
This neglected film is from 1950.
Western family reunion
Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) is the fastest gunman who ever lived. He’s faster than all the others– Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok and even Wyatt Earp. So fast that when he rides into a new town, his reputation precedes him. During the film’s first few minutes, a squirt named Eddie (Richard Jaeckel) makes the fatal mistake of challenging him to a duel. Jimmy’s forced to defend himself and kills Eddie.
Eddie’s three brothers are soon out to settle the score, but Jimmy is too smart for them and of course, too fast. He gets them off their horses in the desert and lets the animals run off. This only just the beginning; after Jimmy rides into another town, we can be sure the brothers will catch up to him. In the meantime Jimmy is preoccupied with other matters, which include finding his girl Peggy (Helen Westcott) and her boy.
Peggy has changed her name and is trying to live a new life, free of Jimmy and the violence that comes with him. The marshal (Millard Mitchell) happens to be an old pal, and he goes to speak to Peggy. She is now working as a schoolteacher and they discuss what to do. Peggy is Jimmy’s wife and her boy is Jimmy’s son. But the reason for Jimmy’s return is not yet clear. Has he changed?
Peck’s previous western was YELLOW SKY. In that one, he was a gunman headed for redemption; but this time around, redemption may not be in the cards. The leading lady, Helen Westcott (not usually a lead in top-drawer productions) gets a chance to shine. And in a supporting role is Jean Parker as Molly, an over-the-hill barroom singer. Minor characters are played by esteemed character actors Karl Malden; Alan Hale Jr.; Ellen Corby; and Verna Felton.
There are some excellent scenes where Molly tries to aid a reconciliation between Jimmy and Peggy. Some good stuff where Jimmy Jr. wants to see his father involved in a shootout, not realizing he’s the son of the famed gunfighter. And a very humorous scene where the society women try to force Jimmy’s removal from town.
At every twist and turn, the story is loaded with irony as a man, once wild, tries to reconnect with those he loves. Meanwhile, there’s an old coot across the street who wants to kill Jimmy for supposedly shooting his son. Plus another young squirt (Skip Homeier) desperate for glory; and the three brothers seen in the beginning. They will make it nearly impossible for Jimmy to have a normal family reunion.
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Post by Fading Fast on Feb 6, 2023 15:20:20 GMT
⇧ That is a really good, thoughtful Western. I haven't seen it in a long time, but your review will have me keeping an eye out for it as I believe TCM runs it from time to time.
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Post by topbilled on Feb 6, 2023 15:44:50 GMT
⇧ That is a really good, thoughtful Western. I haven't seen it in a long time, but your review will have me keeping an eye out for it as I believe TCM runs it from time to time. |
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Post by topbilled on Feb 12, 2023 15:56:48 GMT
This neglected film is from 1954.
Good multiple character study
WOMAN’S WORLD is a pleasant way to spend 94 minutes. Like EXECUTIVE SUITE, a film it very much resembles, a top exec (in this case a general manager for an automotive company) has passed away and must be replaced. Three outsiders are brought to New York to be considered for the position.
These are men selected by the owner (Clifton Webb) and they come from different parts of the country– Philadelphia (Fred MacMurray and wife Lauren Bacall); Dallas (Van Heflin and wife Arlene Dahl); and Kansas City (Cornel Wilde and wife June Allyson). Each man demonstrates a specific regional attitude, and brings his own experiences and sensibilities to the business.
Meanwhile, each man’s wife has her own merits and shortcomings. The women are being evaluated along with the men. Since this is technically a woman’s picture marketed by 20th Century Fox, we have scenes with the women bonding but of course the men bond, too. The couples remain quite friendly with each other even though the stakes are high.
What works is that we get to learn some of the backstory of each couple. An excellent sequence is the one where Bacall and MacMurray return to the Italian restaurant where they first dined after they were wed. MacMurray is often a bit stiff in his movies, but he appears relaxed with Bacall. When his character’s ulcer flares up after they return to the hotel, we get a nice tender moment between them.
One wife (Dahl) is labeled a handicap. But all three women do function as slight handicaps for their husbands. Dahl is openly flirtatious and obviously unfaithful behind Heflin’s back. Bacall is about to divorce MacMurray unless he focuses on their family and his health. Allyson is clumsy with no social graces, and she lacks understanding about corporate life. But of course, despite these handicaps, the women are also just what the men need in order to be happy.
Probably if this were remade today, one of the women would be an executive, with the husband a stay-at-home dad. Also one duo would probably be an African American couple or a same sex couple. There was an interesting comment in reviews I read online where someone said, referencing Webb’s real-life homosexuality, that while he may have spurned Dahl’s advances he probably would have been willing to give Wilde the job if the hunky exec slept with him.
Marilyn Monroe was supposed to play the part taken by Dahl, and I wonder if she had been in the film, if that role would have become more comedic. I don’t see Monroe being able to portray a serious vamp like Dahl does.
Bacall was originally set for her role, then it was given to Jean Peters, before Bacall returned to the project. She conveys the right amount of sass and elegance, so it’s a bit difficult to imagine Peters doing as well with it. Allyson was always attached to the project, probably because of her work in EXECUTIVE SUITE back at home studio MGM. Allyson gets to share scenes with Heflin and Dahl, both of them former MGM contract players now freelancing. (Allyson and Heflin had both appeared in THE THREE MUSKETEERS several years earlier.)
It was obvious to me that Allyson and Bacall enjoyed working together. They seem very chummy on screen. Finally, I should mention that while the film focuses on cars, clothes, fine dining and ritzy estates, it is a multiple character study. Something the studio did well. In fact I would rank WOMAN’S WORLD up there with other 20th Century Fox multiple character studies like A LETTER TO THREE WIVES, THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN and ALL ABOUT EVE.
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Post by Fading Fast on Feb 12, 2023 16:19:13 GMT
Woman's World from 1954 with Fred MacMurray, Lauren Bacall, Van Heflin, Arlene Dahl, Cornel Wilde, June Allyson from Clifton Webb
Thought of as a time capsule, Woman's World is an enjoyable look at how a large company, in the 1950s, chose an executive for its top job. It's a lighter take on the same basic story of 1954's Executive Suite and 1956's Patterns.
Three couples - played by Fred MacMurray and Lauren Bacall from Philly, Van Heflin and Arlene Dahl from Dallas, and Cornel Wilde and June Allyson from Kansas City - are brought to New York City by the Company's Chairman, played by Clifton Webb, for a few days of evaluation for the top position.
Webb is trying to decide, not only who is the best man for the job, but which woman would make the best "corporate wife," as she would be, effectively, a hostess and ambassador for the company with her husband in such a prominent position.
Webb, an actor born to play a well-bred man of culture obnoxiously picking a top executive, smartly tones down his usual condescension here and, instead, is almost likeable when he, occasionally, lets his chairman mask slip. It's a nicely nuanced performance.
Woman's World is less a business movie, though, than a glossy soap opera as we learn each couple has its issues. MacMurray and Bacall are about to get a divorce as his passion for the company is killing his health and alienating Bacall. They agree to play the good couple until the company makes its decision.
Wilde and Allyson have a secure marriage, but she has no interest in being, nor the social skills necessary to be, the wife of the top executive. Dahl, conversely, ferally wants the job for the social position she'll get from it more than she cares about her husband's career or their marriage.
Over the course of a few days, we see the men go to several company meetings where their business acumen is tested, while the women have social events where their grace, manners and poise are evaluated.
Then the couples meet up in their hotel suites, which they can't really enjoy due to the stress, and discuss or fight about how they did that day. These scenes are the heart of the movie as we learn that Bacall and MacMurray are still in love, but as can happen in long marriages, they are, now, just talking past each other.
Allyson is cute (as always) telling her very understanding husband what social gaffe she made that day. Yet it's when Van Heflin, a nice guy who is singularly focussed on his job, finally sees his wife for the conniving (eh hem) witch that she is, that we get the movie's money moment. After that, the job is awarded and the couples begin to deal with how their lives will change or not.
The audition for the job - like lipizzaners being pranced around the ring at auction - is very awkward, which appears to be part of the point of the movie: it might seem fun to be a big executive or his wife (in the 1950s), but the process, despite the nice clothes, fancy cars, expensive dinners and fawning by others in the company, is humiliating.
Today, women are executives and both spouses usually work, so Woman's World is much more of a museum piece than any comment on modern times. For more of an insider's look at the machinations of how a top executive in the 1950s really got chosen, check out Executive Suite (with Allyson, once again, playing a corporate wife) or Patterns, but for a fun saponaceous approach, Woman's World is enjoyable time travel to a no-longer-extant corporate world.
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Post by topbilled on Feb 12, 2023 17:30:03 GMT
WOMAN'S WORLD would probably be a good one to do live one Sunday.
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Post by Fading Fast on Feb 12, 2023 18:12:18 GMT
WOMAN'S WORLD would probably be a good one to do live one Sunday. |
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Post by kims on Feb 12, 2023 22:23:34 GMT
Woman's World is a favorite of mine. I think Marilyn could pull off the Dahl role-watch NIAGARA. NIAGARA always makes me a little sad because I think Marilyn could have done more drama. Culturally WOMAN'S WORLD presents a little explored woman's role in business prior to acceptance of working women. Many ambitious women did seek husbands with potential for executive success. College in the 70's when dorms were not coed, lots of discussions of getting a husband who would be a doctor, lawyer or executive chief. I wonder if any executive would pass on Dahl? Then came the 80's and the trophy wife and the claim that women were promoted for sexual favors.
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