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Reviews
Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Good teen flick
This movie had a powerful impact with young audiences when it first came out. I've watched it a few times and thought it was above average for a teen flick. James Dean is good within a narrow acting range (angst, whining, mumbling and crying). Fortunately most of the Rebel script was within this range making this a successful movie. I didn't think Natalie Wood's performance deserved an Academy Award nomination but it showed she could successfully transition to adult roles. Rebel could have been netter or worse. I give it a 6..
Lilly Turner (1933)
Pre-code with a positive messge
Thoroughly enjoyable pre-code gem exploring an all too common situation where a naïve young woman marries a smooth talking scoundrel only to be abandoned when he gets her pregnant. Ruth Chatterton easily makes the transition from innocent newlywed to a woman who becomes too familiar with school of hard knocks. So it's refreshing when George Brent comes into her life with a dose of optimism she sorely needs.
Lilly Turner also explores loyalty and sacrifice. Frank McHugh is there for Chatterton when she needs him most and she repays his kindness staying with him at the end after he breaks his back. By doing so she turns down a chance to start life over with the man of her dreams (Brent) who responds by turning down the job of his dreams to stay with her.
Good acting, solid directing with some nice twists in the plot to keep things interesting. I'd rather watch movies like Lilly Turner than escapist 1930s drivel showing gold-diggers manipulating dumb horny businessmen. This movie touched on a the worst and best in human nature. With substantial editing this could be a good family movie but it's message is more powerful in the original form.
Night Court (1932)
Gritty crime drama worth watching
To protect himself, a crooked judge frames an innocent woman for prostitution, tries to send her husband out of the country and takes away their only child. You start to wonder how evil can this film get. It's surprising Walter Houston did not get an Academy Award nomination for his performance as the corrupt magistrate but apparently MGM did not push for it.
Night Court was an excellent movie until the last 10 minutes which seemed as though it had a different script writer tying the loose ends together. And that's too bad because this could have been a great film. Phillips Holmes and Anita Page are solid as the victimized couple. Ms Page could act and was certainly more attractive than many of MGM's leading ladies but never achieved full blown star status because she refused to ..ahem.. cooperate with the studio execs. Instead they ruined her career. Golden Age Hollywood at it's worst!
Night Court is worth watching and keeps the viewer interested. I rate it a 7.
Other Men's Women (1930)
Pleasantly surprised
I watched this move because this was one the few Cagney movies I'd never seen. His role was small but you can clearly see the star quality when he is on screen. Regis Toomey is excellent as the husband who quickly figures out that something is going on between his wife and his best friend. Mary Astor is quite convincing as the guilty wife torn between two men. Director Bill Wellman keeps the action moving at a good pace and even works in some character development. The special effects near the end are more than adequate for it's time.
Joan Blondell is a surprise bonus as the waitress who gets around. And yes, Cagney did refer to her as a 's ' (rhymes with glut) twice near the beginning so you know this is pre-code. Overall the acting was solid. Astor and Grant Withers are attractive enough to make the plot believable.
Other Men's Women is really about two friends who love each other enough that each is willing to sacrifice his life so the other can be happy with the woman both are in love with. Considering this is a early 1930s low budget Warner's movie, I'm rating it an 8 for the acting and direction.
Meet Me in St. Louis (1959)
Family entertainment at it's best
Live TV is the most difficult medium for an actor.
In film, if you make a mistake, there's always another take. In theater, if you make a mistake, maybe 500 people see it and there always the next show. On live TV, viewers millions of viewers immediately see any mistake and once it's out there you can't take it back.
The actors in the 1959 version of Meet Me In St Louis had 4 weeks to prepare before going on live TV. The product they turned out was more than satisfactory for family entertainment on a Sunday night. Jane Powell had a strong voice and was excellent in the lead role. With an all star supporting cast including Tab Hunter, Myrna Loy and Walter Pidgeon it must have been a ratings bonanza.
I would recommend this film to any family seeking wholesome entertainment.
This Is My Love (1954)
One of Linda Darnell's best performances
Strong performances but Darnell, Duryea, Domergue and Jason make this worth watching but you get the feeling that this could have been much better. Part of the blame is in the direction and part in the script.
This Is My Love was made near the end of Darnell's Hollywood career. She kept getting better as a actress but never learned how to market herself in a business where the studio system was collapsing. I'm reading a book which claims Darnell's millionaire second husband offered to make her a producer so she could choose her own scripts and costars but she turned him down and got a divorce instead. A shrewd businesswoman would have taken the deal and extended her film career but I guess we all have to be true to ourselves in the end. You have to feel sorry for actresses like Darnell that had the talent and beauty to be megastars but ended up on the B list instead.
La vendetta è il mio perdono (1968)
A Spaghetti Western with plenty of meat
Having grown up watching John Wayne movies, I was never a fan of Spaghetti Westerns because of their tendency to deconstruct mythological heroes and traditional American values. But 'Vengeance' is an exception since it doesn't destroy the concept of 'law and order' but instead replaces it with one man's quest for justice under his own rules. And there is an unambiguous hero, even if he doesn't wear a badge. Tab Hunter is outstanding as Durango the ex-sheriff out to avenge the murders of his fiancé and her parents. He does so not by directly killing the culprits, but by placing each in less than desirable situations. (One is eaten by vultures after being left tied to a tree). The ending is quite unexpected and puts an interesting spin on the whole plot.
This is probably Hunter's best performance since Gunman's Walk. He plays the part of a sheriff as well as Humphrey Bogart plays a detective. Spaghetti Westerns have a reputation for being long on sauce and short on meat. 'Vengeance' has plenty of meat in Tab Hunter. It's surprisingly good for a movie of this genre, and worth watching.
That Kind of Woman (1959)
Tab Hunter convinces another hooker to change her ways
In Lafayette Escadrille which was released in Feb 1958, French prostitute Renee Beulieu gives up streetwalking for Tab Hunter's character Thad Walker. Less than a year later, Tab again uses his charm and swoon bait smile to do the same with That Kind of Woman. Some guys get the dirty jobs, other guys don't.
It's 1944 and paratrooper Red (Tab Hunter), becomes infatuated with expensive call girl Kay (Sophia Loren) on a train. He's from a nice family but says it's none of his business what Kay does for a living "if that's what (she) WANTS to do." The plot sounds unrealistic but works due to the strong performances of the two stars.
Kay easily toys with men and is intrigued by the persistence, boyish handsomeness, and what she thinks is naivete of Red who actually sees through her contrived aloofness. Despite growing mutual attraction, Kay abruptly brushes off Red and retires for the evening. Red soon visits Kay at her train compartment where they share a brief steamy encounter. After the train arrives at it's destination the next day, Kay says goodbye and leaves. Fortunately for Red, his buddy Kelly (Jack Warden) obtains Kay's home address which allows the paratrooper to show up and profess his love for her. This time Kay more forcefully brushes him off but her misty eyes tell a different story. The remainder of the movie continues along the same vein with Kay's resistance slowly crumbling while Red continues his pursuit. Hunter plays this well especially in a key scene where his facial expression changes from disappointment into a subtle smile (almost a smirk) once his character realizes the truth. Eventually Kay has to choose between passionate love with Red or a lush life as a kept woman.
While Hunter did not have the same on-screen chemistry with Loren that he had with other actresses (Linda Darnell, Dorothy Malone or Etchika Choureau), there was enough there to make the plot believable. This movie is underrated and deserves a second look. I can't give it a 10 because most of the outdoor scenes detracted from the overall quality of the film and the musical score could have been much better. That Kind of Woman is worth watching especially if you are a fan of Loren or Hunter.
A Star Is Born (1937)
Good script, poor casting
What was David Selznick thinking when he cast Janet Gaynor and Andy Devine? It's difficult to believe a Hollywood leading man would fall for a homely woman. It's absurd to think such an actress would become a star overnight. Mr Devine is fine for comedic relief, but his voice is downright annoying in a dramatic role. Why didn't his agent get him voice lessons or surgery to get rid of the squeak? While this movie is similar in plot to What Price Hollywood?, it has none of the snappy dialogue. Frederic March gives one of his better performances, and Adolph Menjou deserves credit in a supporting role. If you can get past the first 45 minutes, it's worth watching.
Saturday Island (1952)
Romance novel put to film
Beautiful nurse Linda Darnell is shipwrecked on a tropical island with teen hunk marine Tab Hunter; months later an older handsome pilot, Donald Gray, crash lands to complete the triangle. Stephanie Nordlie wrote the script and was instrumental in casting unknown Hunter. In his book Tab says when he showed up for the casting call, Nordlie's eyes lit up, then she proclaimed: "That's the boy I want."
The script allows director Stuart Heisler to craft a touching story about two people's growing attraction. Darnell does most of the heavy lifting as her character is the most complex of the three being an 'old maid' focused exclusively on her career to the detriment of her love life. Hunter's teen hormones and unrequited love drive him to build a boat and plan to sail alone to seek help. The only thing that can stop him from leaving is....The love scenes are tame by today's standards and tastefully done.
Saturday Island was filmed in Jamaica near the famous Dunn's Waterfall on the beach (it was later used in the Bond film Dr. No). The cinematography is above par and the actors are as pleasant to watch as the scenery. This movie took 5 months to compete and you can actually see Hunter growing from a teen into a young man. Darnell was still in her physical prime and Gray was very popular in Britain.
Every time I see this movie it makes me want to vacation on a tropical isle.