Some Like It Hot (1959)

These days we are fortunate for the opportunities to see classic films once again in a movie theater. While the films are projected digitally, it does not take away from the theatrical screening experience. Many classic films are as relevant today as ever. Turner Classic Movies is on pretty much all the time in my home. Their partnership with Fathom Events is a true boon to film lovers.

This week, I screened Some Like It Hot for only the second time ever. And it was my first time seeing the movie on the big screen. What really struck me was the amount of innuendos which were cleverly crammed into the movie. I also realized how much more cellatious Lemmon's character was over that of Curtis. I mean, his character was one randy dude!

To briefly recap, two musician bachelors (Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis) are looking for any opportunity to make money. They discover an opportunity to play with an all female orchestra and decide to dress as women to join them. In the process they become witnesses to a mob hit and remain on the run from some mobsters out to rub them out. During their time performing in Florida (which was actually filmed at the Hotel Coronado in San Diego), both men fall for fellow orchestra member, Sugar (Marilyn Monroe). There are a bunch of rich older bachelors staying at the hotel and one of them falls for Daphne aka Jerry. Jerry then encounters the world of being objectified as a woman as well as it's benefits. Joe works hard to get Sugar, eventually adopting a Cary Grant affect and pretending to be a wealthy oil tycoon. The mob inadvertently catches up to them and hilarity ensues. The (musical?) comedy Some Like It Hot, conjures many images from pop culture with its iconic moments. The most common is Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon dressing as women. Or perhaps Marilyn Monroe singing, "I Wanna Be Loved By You." To me, the most impressive thing about this film from director Billy Wilder is that it basically blew apart what was left of the Hays Code. That list of restrictive, censored topics that for a couple decades were banned from films.

Time has also brought the homosexual themes depicted within the film to the forefront. While I would not say that they were intentionally placed there at the time of production, you can't help but wonder what was going through the mind Jerry's (Lemmon) character. He got so excited when Osgood Fielding III had proposed marriage to her/him. Joe (Curtis) had to remind Jerry that he was actually a man after spending so much time reinforcing to him earlier about being a woman. Was Jerry merely caught up in the role as a woman, or did he actually enjoy the male attention?  Joe goes from being a man pretending to be a woman, only to meet a woman he's interested in and then having to pretend to be an entirely different man to woo her. Crossdressing helped him meet women, but it would not work to close the deal with one. I'm sure there have already been many essays written on this topic. Some of those can be found here. Essentially, the movie hints at homosexuality, studies the male gaze, speaks to female objectification and misogyny, and finally, condemns male insensitivity. Wraps it all into an nice bow.

The whole gangster storyline was good for framing but totally secondary to the story. This element was added by Billy Wilder himself. The original storyline was adapted from a French film called Fanfare For Love from 1936, which followed the story of the men dressing as women but did not feature men on the run as part of the plot.

Fun fact from Wikipeda: Marilyn Monroe worked for 10% of the gross in excess of $4 million, Tony Curtis for 5% of the gross over $2 million and Billy Wilder 17.5% of the first million after break-even and 20% thereafter. The movie made $40 million in it's initial run.

All About Eve (1950)

There is a list of films that I should have seen by now, but just haven't gotten around to watching. This became glaringly apparent over a decade ago in film school. While my list is shorter, it is certainly still lengthy. One of the films I have been meaning to watch was All About Eve (1950). Luckily, it was this month's film selection for the TCM and Fathom Events collaboration. I couldn't pass up the chance to see this on the big screen.

You've certainly heard the famous line from Ms. Bette Davis, "Buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy night!" The movie is a backstage story revolving around aspiring actress Eve Harrington. Looking shabby, Eve shows up in the dressing room of Broadway mega-star Margo Channing, telling a melancholy life story to Margo and her friends. Margo takes Eve under her wing, and it appears that Eve is a conniver that uses Margo. The story twist was unique for it's time, but it is one that has been replicated multiple times since then. Davis's famous "buckle up" line was an admonishment to the crowd at her party, as well as the audience watching the movie, as we are about to see the story arc unfold. And while, the story twist may be familiar, the theme of the story, which is critical of the world of show business, still holds true today. Be careful what you wish for when it comes to fame, because you might just get exactly what you want.

The film set a record at it's time with a 14 Academy Award nominations and one six. Bette Davis did not win for Best Actress, likely due to the fact that both Davis and co-star Anne Baxter were both in the Best Actress category. I'm not alone in stating that this is by far, Davis's best work. Baxter wasn't bad, but her screen time paled in comparison to Bette Davis and those eyes. Interestingly, in the 1970s, the film was made into a musical called Applause and Anne Baxter eventually took over the Davis role, Margot Channing in the show.  

Tonight was also the debut of Feud, the mini-series about What Ever Happened to Baby Jane and the rivalry between Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. The series has homages to films by both women and even the pilot episode has tributes to All About Eve. Ever since the end of the studio system, we just don't have stars the size of Bette Davis anymore. All About Eve is absolutely a film that anyone who says they love movies, should see. I can't believe I didn't get around to watching this sooner.

The Night of the Hunter (1955)

The Dark Night of the Hunter

(written in 2007)

1955 saw the directorial debut (and only directorial effort) in The Night of the Hunter by Charles Laughton.  Laughton was better known as an actor from films like Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Spartacus (1960).  The film, like many classics, was ahead of its time and flopped in the box office. IMDB reports that the film made only $300,000 on its initial release while its budget was almost $800,000.  The critical reaction at the time was so negative that Laughton vowed to never direct again.

The film stars Robert Mitchum, who is notorious for playing each of his characters the same, however, in this film he manages to portray a convincing sociopath.  Also featured in the film is a young Shelly Winters.  She looked very different in her younger days, much prettier than she appeared when she was in The Poseidon Adventure in her later years.  Lillian Gish, who was already a Hollywood legend at the time of the film’s release, is strong in her role as Rachel Cooper.  Gish is one of the few stars from the silent era who successfully transitioned into the “talkies” and continued making films into the 1980s.  One of the shining stars of the film was the young Billy Chapin who portrays John Harper.  Chapin had a lot to carry with his role in the film and was quite successful in it.  Chapin only appeared in one more film before leaving Hollywood (IMDB).

The film’s opening sets us up for the themes that will later be explored.  These include the innocence of children, good versus evil, faith in God and explorations of the sexual nature of men (and women). Robert Mitchum portrays Harry Powell, a man who uses the guise of a preacher to commit crimes. He is caught, sentenced and is sent to jail.  While in prison, he shares a cell with Ben Harper and hears him talk about money obtained in a robbery in his sleep. Harper is executed for his part in a robbery, but he hid the money and entrusted his children, who are about 10 and 5 years old, with the money's location.  Upon his release from prison, Powell returns to masquerading as a preacher.  He woos and marries Harper's widow, Willa in order to obtain the robbery money, and eventually kills her.  The children, especially John, distrust and resist Powell.  After their mother's death, Powell learns the money's location from Pearl after threatening John.  The children escape with Rachel Cooper played by Gish.  He eventually finds them, but is stopped by Rachel, who figures out that he is nothing but a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  The police are notified and he is arrested. He is then tried for multiple murders and then executed.

The film was based on a novel about a real person who lived the life that Powell’s character portrays. The thematic elements of the film are so universal that this film has often been referenced, copied, imitated and/or quoted by numerous films.  Do to the disturbing nature of the film, children as lead characters who are forced to stand up against a pedophilic faux-preacher; the film was not well received in its release.  As previously mentioned, this was just another case of the film being ahead of it’s time.  As time as show, this film is now considered a classic.

With the film’s beginning depicting Rachel Cooper reading a bedtime story from the bible to the children, the frame work is laid out depicting a child’s nightmare.  This is especially true as the story develops.  John Harper, who is only a boy, is forced to stand up for himself and his sister in an adult world.  He is essentially left to fend for himself after his mother is killed by Powell.  One can remember from their own childhood, the fear of being left on one’s own with no mother or father around for guidance.  The film also reminds us of those nightmares where we are being chased and cannot find anywhere to hide.  This film excels at forcing these fears to present themselves again in our minds.

The film further pursues the concept of how men are often the predators of the world.  Women and children must beware as to not become their victims.  Powell has killed children in the past and has no problem killing women.  The children in this film, along with Rachel Cooper are forced to stand up again this predator and ultimately win the fight.  This also coincides with the confusion for children as to who they should trust and believe in the world.  Even when Powell is arrested for the last time, John becomes upset and physically ill.  He turns over the Pearl’s doll with the money hidden to the police in some vain attempt to make everything stop and go away.  Even though Powell is the “evil-stepfather,” the children are once again victims as he is taken away for the murder of their mother.
As the film ends, Rachel’s final words are once again quoted from the bible.

”They abide and they endure.”  This is the moral of this nightmarish bedtime story for children, if you do what you are told, you will always end up alright.  The word “endure” does not insinuate that these terrible events won’t haunt the orphaned children for the rest of their lives, but it does suggest that obedience breeds survival.

Footlight Parade (1933)

Footlight Parade Shines On

The film Footlight Parade (1933), is the kind of movie musical that went extinct long ago.  The film was directed by Lloyd Bacon and choreographed by the legendary Busby Berkeley.  Berkeley had a distinct style to his choreography and this film typified this style.  It is worth revisiting this film to see how a simple storyline with lots of eye candy can be just as entertaining as a film like Spiderman 3.  Few musicals in the last decade have been successful and they are constructed far differently from the musical comedies of the 1930s and 40s.  This movie also follows a common storyline of musicals at that time which is a live, theatrically produced stage musical is produced and problems with the actors and director ensue.  Released just one year before the Hays Code took effect, this “pre-code” film is worth revisiting as Berkeley’s musical numbers still seem racy even by today’s standards.

Footlight Parade follows the story of Chester Kent played by James Cagney, who is hired to produce “prologues” which are live performances that precede the showing of the main feature at movie houses in the 1930s.  Movies had killed musical theater, talkies had killed silent film stars and it all wiped out vaudeville.  The prologues were away to keep the live performers on stage.  Kent is forced in a race against time, romance and competition to produce several different productions in a short period of time.  If he is successful he will win a contract with a major film exhibitor to continue producing even more productions in the future.  While the musical numbers do little to progress the storyline (they never did in movie musicals of the era), they keep the pace moving right along.  This was Cagney’s first movie musical debut and was one of only three that he ever did.  The cast is rounded out by Warner Brothers stars Joan Blondell, Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler in the lead roles.                The concept of each prologue is that it is all taking place on the stage of movie houses.  The most familiar of the dance sequences or prologues is called “By a Waterfall.”  The musical number involves a large pool with rockscaped waterslides and women in skimpy costumes.  The scene features underwater dance sequences, akin to synchronized swimming.   The camera shoots the girls dancing underwater with shots through glass from the side of the pool and under the pool.  The number culminates in a giant three-story human fountain decorated with women in bathing suits and swimming caps standing on revolving platforms that turn counter to each other.  The camera slowly moves back revealing the massive living fountain.  Through the synchronized movement of the chorus girls legs and arms, geometric patterns abound within the inspired choreography.  Kent succeeds in pulling off a production number that had the audience within the movie giving the number a standing ovation.  While in reality audiences in 1933 gave this a standing ovation during its premiere. 

  One also wonders how this number could ever take place on a stage if it were truly staged in the way it is produced in the film.  The cinema allows the traditional nature of the theater to be pushed beyond its own boundaries.  Berkeley captures the choreography from overhead.  The camera can also capture close-ups of the “beautiful faces” of the chorus girls in the prologues.  It was considered rather revolutionary that Berkeley filmed these sequences using close-ups, which were rarely seen on film in those days.  

What makes Footlight Parade truly cinematic is that the camera is constantly moving through space as these various production numbers are being filmed by the camera.  The camera is never a static observer of the action.  Quite often, the camera itself moves past the smiling chorus girls.  The audience is often placed right in the middle of the action, in some scenes, underwater with the action.  A key sequence of choreography captured on film is during the “By A Waterfall” sequence when the camera begins with close ups of the chorus girls faces, then as the camera dollies backwards, a gigantic human-fountain is revealed to the camera.  This moment is reported to have brought standing ovations from the movie audiences.  For someone today, even viewing this moment on a television in your living room, you can relive the sense of awe that first audiences must have felt.  This same human-fountain was also chosen to be featured in The Great Movie Ride at the Disney/MGM Studios.

Additionally, this sequence of “By a Waterfall,” features characters who are dancing within their reality.  The characters are all performers putting on a show within the show.  The scene is not portrayed as some abstract art; but it is the actual performance of these characters for the audience that came to see the movie which followed the prologue.  Things such as the romantic leads falling in love with each other and fact that all the characters do is live and breathe performing is presented in a stylized manner.  The fact that they are seen rehearsing and then performing this production numbers is quite realistically portrayed.   

Another key musical sequence from the film is “Shanghai Lil,” which follows an American sailor trying to find his girlfriend around town in Shanghai before he has to set sail back to the USA.  In the patriotic finale, Kent who had to fill in for the lead, joins the marching troops and groups of “big name” performers create the American flag, an image of FDR, and an American eagle.  This end sequence is shot from overhead and is achieved through choreography and the use of color boards held over their heads to form patterns and pictures.   This number is also reflective of Warner Brothers’ sensibilities and pro-FDR stance at the time, which is not something you’d likely see in the MGM musicals of the day.

Once again, this number presents us with moving imagery that would not be possible in still photography.  The movie camera allows us to be right in the middle of this production in such a way that even a live audience could not be part of.  From the camera following Kent on his search for Keeler’s character of Shanghai Lil to their big tap dance number to the patriotic finale, the movement is what keeps our attention.  Just like in the “By a Waterfall” prologue, the characters in the film are again performing for a live audience.  Their reality is what the audience is watching.  And by audience, it is meant the audience within the film as well as the movie’s.   This movie reflects much of the close connection that movies had with the stage, to the point that most of the early movie musical comedies revolved around the theater.  

The other prominent musical number in the film is called “The Honeymoon Hotel.”  This number is also very revealing as being “pre-code.”  It revolves around a hotel where there is nothing but couples staying on their wedding nights.  A young Billy Barty keeps popping up in all of their rooms.  Women sing about being nervous since it is, after all, their wedding night.  By today’s rating standards, this film would not likely even garner a G rating.  Between this musical number and all of Berkeley’s close-ups of the girl’s backsides, it was clear this movie was made for adult audiences.  The VHS release of this movie also contains a cartoon with bug characters also acting out the “Honeymoon Hotel” song.  It is equally provocative and disturbing.

As quoted from the Bright Lights Film Journal, “Warner’s pre-Code films work from the social and sexual realities of their time, and provide, even today, the kind of thrills unimaginable in a modern studio system dedicated to capitalist propaganda and status-quo apologizing.”  Footlight Parade features cleavage, prostitutes, an inter-racial bar and even an opium den.  Some today might describe it as a sex-musical-comedy, but regardless, it is all in fun.  It could be concluded that the Hays Code brought on much more of a conservative attitude towards entertainment that did not exist before it’s creation.  Vaudeville acts, which often contained adult themes and humor were still fresh in the minds of the audiences at the time of Footlight Parade’s release.  The storyline, though simplistic, is also as entertaining as the musical numbers.  The film is considered by many as being Berkeley’s best work, if nothing else, it is some of his most creative.  In 1988, the U.S. Library of Congress established the National Film Registry to preserve film deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important."  There is a good reason why this film was chosen to be added to the National Film Registry in 1992, it tells us a lot about the world of filmmaking and audience’s taste in 1933. The other reason is that it is a classic, period.

Turner Classic Movies and Disney: Unite!

You wonder what took so long! When the Disney/MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) opened, the center piece attraction was the "The Great Movie Ride" which highlights some of the most famous film moments in silver screen history.  Disney had negotiated rights to use many of MGM's greatest cinematic moments, including the Wizard of Oz and Singing in the Rain.  The MGM library ended up in the possession of Turner Broadcasting in 1986 and Turner Classic Movies went on the air in 1994 and now its quite full circle.

  The Great Movie Ride is set to receive a TCM-curated refresh of the pre-show and the finale.  The finale will feature an all-new montage of classic movie moments, which has been updated over years but will now get a glossy major makeover, expecially with more access to classic movies. The TCM-curated refresh is set to launch by spring.    The part that is equally exciting to me is that TCM will launch Treasures from the Disney Vault, a recurring on-air showcase.  This is similar to the Vault Disney program that ran on The Disney Channel in the early 2000s.  These programs have been sorely missed and many are not even available currently anywhere. Programming will include such live-action Disney features as Treasure Island (1950), Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959) and Pollyanna (1960); animated films like The Three Caballeros (1944) and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949); classic nature documentaries, including The Living Desert (1953) and The African Lion (1955); made-for-television classics, such as the Davy Crockett series; special episodes from Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color; documentaries about the studio, including Walt & El Grupo (2009) and Waking Sleeping Beauty (2010); and animated shorts, such as 1932's Oscar®-winning "Flowers and Trees."
 
It is likely that some of the other animated features could be presented at a later time.  And unlike the current Disney Channel format, they would not be broken up with spot breaks and announcements.  These could be given all new introductions by Robert Osborne and Leonard Maltin, just think of it!


Treasures from the Disney Vault is scheduled to premiere on TCM Sunday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. 

The big opening night of the showcase will include the holiday and winter animated shorts "Santa's Workshop," "On Ice" and "Chip An' Dale," followed by The Disneyland Story. The night will also include The Reluctant Dragon, Disney's 1941 film that combined a live-action tour of the Walt Disney Studios facility with animated shorts; Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955), a compilation of the first three episodes of the iconic series starring Fess Parker; the Oscar®-winning documentary The Vanishing Prairie (1954), part of Disney's True Life Adventure series; the rarely seen Third Man on the Mountain (1959), an Alpine tale starring Michael Rennie and James MacArthur; and Perilous Assignment (1959), a documentary about the making of Third Man on the Mountain. Did you know that the Matterhorn ride at Disneyland was inspired by Third Man on the Mountain?

"The Desert Song" (1953)

In 1953 Warner Brothers released the third version of the operetta, The Desert Song. In fact, as you can see in the poster below, it was marketed as "The New Desert Song." This film was released in three-color Technicolor and in 1.37:1, not widescreen. The first widescreen film, The Robe was released by Twentieth-Century Fox in CinemaScope that same year. The first version of The Desert Song in 1929 was the first Warner Brothers film released in color, with the two color Technicolor process.

The movie is based on a hit stage musical that featured Oscar Hammerstein's book and lyrics. The basic plot is that the French are attempting to build a railroad line through the desert in Morocco but they are under constant threat by some Arab rebels. The leader of the rebels is actually a Latin tutor hired by the French general who is sent to protect the railroad from the rebels to watch keep a femme fatale named Margot from flirting with the army. The big surprise at the end is when she discovers that the rebel leader, who she admires, is the same Latin tutor.  Songs that do not do much to move the plot along are thrown in from time to time.

The storyline trots along but it is hard to identify with any of the characters in the movie. It fails to create any sense of enthusiasm in the audience for the lead characters. The comic relief in the film comes mostly from Dick Wesson's character, an American journalist always trying to dig up dirt. He's honestly the only character I can actually remember from this movie.  The film looks nice though.

I was able to screen this film during the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival. Robert Osborne had been hyping this film from the start of the festival. He was even there to introduce it. He informed us all that it was the first time this film had been screened in over 50 years in a theater.  Two of my colleagues and I sat in anticipation to film. Throughout the film, I can assure you that I was not the only person snickering and rolling their eyes at the movie. We all shared equal disappointment from the film after the credits rolled. We all wondered exactly why WB thought they needed to remake this film? Third times the charm? Because it wasn't.

After writing my thoughts, I dug up the original New York Times review of the movie. You can see that even 54 years ago, my impressions were shared.