Classic films

With Lucille Ball being one of my favourite actress, after getting through the whole "I Love Lucy" series, I thought that I should get into some of the classic Hollywood films, which gained popularity mostly in the 40's, 50's and 60's, the latter being the first category. Yours, Mine, and Ours is a romantic comedy, staring, of course Lucille Ball playing Helen North, a widow in her 50's, who struggles through life with her 8 children, and Henry Fonda in the role of Frank Beardsley, a widower, working in the Navy, who also has a wide family, living with his 8 children (+ 2 baby ones, taken care by his brother). Their lives massively change, when the two bump into each other, fall in love, start dating without knowing the other one has a bit unusual family. But soon, Helen is invited to the Beardsley house, greeting her in an unusual manner, however, this only leads to the marriage of the couple. In their new home, with 18 children, they realise that this will be their greatest challenge, managing to raise the kids like this. For a really special Christmas gift, Helen is informed by the family doctor, who is played by another great actor, Happy Days main star Tom Bosley, that she is pregnant. Although fighting until the end, the children finally accept their new mother and new father, adopting them legally, then in the ending scene, Frank's eldest son joins the army, just like once his father did, leaving the now happy, and full family. And as just Ball's character said, there are only three things needed for happiness, a great deal of love; discipline; and a husband that doesn't criticise, so let them be together forever in this way, in an awesome romantic film!

Rating: 9/10

Moving on the line of the classic era, this bit romantic situation comedy got in the way, still staring the wonderful Lucille Ball in the role of Tacy Bolton, and her then husband, and I Love Lucy co-star Desi Arnaz, playing Nicky Collini. The two face a great challenge, when they decide to move to Colorado, and Tacy's American dream is to buy a trailer. Nicky, confused at first is conviced by her, and then suddenly the problems begin to follow, the mortgages, the long long trips on the road, fearing even for their lives when they try to make it to a 8,000 feet elevated territory. But it's not a simple romantic guide to those, who are looking for heartbreaking stories, when their marriage begin to be destroyed. With it's I Love Lucy styled jokes, like when Tacy is trying to prepare a dinner in the moving trailer, it brings joy in this movie. The roles are awesome, the situations are awkward, the two people are hilarious, Lucille and Desi knew how to act even in the time I Love Lucy was still running (and just getting popular).

Rating: 9/10

The Dark Corner was the first drama series for me, to star Lucille Ball as one of the main characters, although Mark Stevens' Bradford Galt, a private detective is the one the story revolves around. Starting at his little office, Galt is ready to take on her secretary Kathleen on a date, and two are being followed by a "white suit guy". Galt manages to catch him, and ask the name of the one, paying this other claimed "detective", and he get the name Anthony Jardine. Kathleen would like to help him, however, Galt is hiding something from her. When someone tries to kill him, he finally tells her, that in San Francisco he had a partner, Jardine, who commited manslaughter, and Galt knows this, maybe this is the reason they try to kill him. We learn about another character, Clifton Webb's Hardy Cathcart, who has an art gallery, and a beautiful young wife, who cheats on him with Jardine. Galt manages to find Jardine, and talk to him. Although he swears, he is not responsible, the two get into the fight, and the police immediately start looking for Galt for hurting this person. On a day in the gallery, Hardy eavesdrops on her wife and Jardine. This is the time we realise, that Hardy is the one actually paying the white suit guy. The two set up a meeting with Jardine and Galt. At the meeting place they knock out Galt, killing Jardine, making it look like Galt did it. With Kathleen's help, they try to get rid of the evidence, and find who did this, but there isn't any lead who could done it. In a long search for the white suit guy, a girl informs Galt about the location where he meets with Hardy. At this point, Hardy is frustrated, pushing the guy out of the window, killing him instantly. Without any clue, they only could rely on a newspaper clue, seeing that there is an exhibition in the Cathcart gallery, and the name somehow similar to a name the girl said. The two finally face each other, ending with the murder of Hardy by his wife, clearing the name of Galt, and a happy ending for him, and Kathleen in the end of the dark corners.

Rating: 8/10

Nearly 2 months after I'd watched this film, I think I should write something about it too. Lured is a kind of crime thriller, starring as always, the magnificant comedy queen Lucille Ball in the role of Sandra Carpenter, but this movie is far from being an episode of I Love Lucy. The main plot revolves around a murderer, who kills young women whom he meets through the newspaper's personal column. When Sandra's friend gets lost, the police think about a new way to catch the killer, they use Sandra as an undergoing agent, to look for the murderer, and answer advertisements from the paper. As the story goes on, she meets with Robert Fleming (George Sanders), they fall in love, and when they decide to marry, Sandra abandons her case. Just before the ceremony, she finds evidence against her fiancé, they put him in jail, even though he refuses any accusations. In the end the killer's identity of course is found out, and Sandra lives happily ever after... or not... the film sure worth watching, if you like Ball, and her acting, and of course crime movies!

Rating: 9/10