Bachelor Mother (1939)

First up in my focus on the films highlighted in Majestic Hollywood, the Greatest Films of 1939, is Bachelor Mother, a sweet romantic comedy starring Ginger Rogers and David Niven. Co-starring Charles Coburn and Frank Albertson, this delightful movie, which received a Best Writing Academy Award nomination, garners 4-stars from me.  The film was remade in 1956, as the musical Bundle of Joy, with Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher in the starring roles.

The movie begins with Polly Parrish (Ginger), being let go from her job as a seasonal salesclerk for the John D. Merlin & Sons Department Store. While walking home after her final day at work, Polly passes by the local foundling home, where she sees a woman leaving a baby on the doorstep. After ringing the bell of the home, the woman turns to leave, but Polly scolds her for abandoning her baby. Denying that the child is hers, the woman rushes away, leaving Polly with the baby in her arms as the foundling home door is opened. Of course, the directors of the home assume that the baby belongs to Polly, and though she tries to convince them otherwise, they don't believe her and keep insisting that she not abandon her baby.

When the directors of the foundling home learn that Polly was recently let go from Merlin's Department Store, they assume her lack of employment is why she wants to give up her child, so they approach the store owner David Merlin (David Niven) about giving Polly her job back. Of course, David is happy to enable Polly to keep her baby and offers her full-time employment.

Satisfied that Polly will now be able to keep "her baby," the foundling home directors deliver said child to Polly's apartment, letting her know that because Mr. Merlin gave her her job back, she can keep "her baby." However, knowing it's not her baby, plus having plans that evening, Polly delivers the child to Mr. Merlin's home, telling his butler that "Mr. Merlin got her into this mess and that the child is his responsibility." The young man Polly is with overhears her words to the butler and assumes that David Merlin is the father of Polly's baby, and in a moment of jealousy, lets the senior Mr. Merlin (Charles Coburn) know that he has a grandchild.

As the movie continues, senior Mr. Merlin is convinced his son is the father of the baby, and junior Mr. Merlin is convinced that the baby really is Polly's. How everything plays out is the balance of the film.



Bachelor Mother is not a profound film---and it's totally predictable---but it really is very sweet and lots of fun, plus it gives Ginger Rogers an opportunity to show that she was much more than just a dancer. She's lovely here, and delightfully funny, clearly establishing herself in "a new career as a comedienne." [1]  My husband quite adores Ginger---she's his #1 gal---and this is the film which began the love affair.

According to Majestic Hollywood, the Greatest Films of 1939, just days before production of Bachelor Mother was to begin, Ginger Rogers complained about the script.  Producer Pandro S. Berman attempted to assure her that the script "was better than 90 percent of Hollywood scripts going into production;" Ginger disagreed, however, and refused to begin the film.  After being put on suspension, she eventually backed down, made the film, and even said she "loved working with David Niven and the precious baby."  In the end, Ginger's hesitancy about doing Bachelor Mother was proven wrong, for audiences were wild about it.  In fact, it was said to be "the best comedy of the year." [1]

Out on DVD, Bachelor Mother should be fairly easy to track down; plus, it's on the TCM schedule for Friday, March 21st, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).  I hope you get a chance to see it.

Happy viewing!!

[1]  Majestic Hollywood, the Greatest Films of 1939, by Mark A. Vieira, Running Press, 2013.

Princess O'Rourke (1943)

Princess O'Rourke, from 1943, is a sweet little romantic comedy starring Olivia deHavilland and Robert Cummings, with Jack Carson, Jane Wyman, and Charles Coburn taking on supporting roles.  Garnering an Academy Award win for Norman Krasna's screenplay, Princess O'Rourke is somewhat like Roman Holiday, in that it is the story of a royal-blooded heroine falling in love with a common man.

Having been run out of her European country due to Nazi activity, Princess Maria (Olivia deHavilland), along with her uncle/guardian (Charles Coburn), is living in a New York hotel. Because Maria is of an age where she is expected to fulfill her duty to marry and have children---boys preferably---eligible men are continually calling on her.  Not attracted to any of the "acceptable" men, Maria is rather bored and unhappy; deciding that a change of scenery might do wonders for Maria's state of mind, Uncle arranges for her to visit a ranch in California.

Flying under the name of Mary Williams, our lovely heroine, in the hopes of catching a few z's and sleeping through the flight, downs far too many sleeping pills.  With bad weather keeping the plane in New York, Maria/Mary has no opportunity to sleep off the effects of the pills, thus, as everyone deplanes, she is out cold.  Feeling responsible for the woman, yet unable to determine where she belongs, pilot Eddie O'Rourke (Robert Cummings) takes her for coffee at a local diner.  Thinking that the slightly-dazed lady before him is simply in need of a good night's sleep, the waiter slips a sleeping pill into her coffee, causing her to pass out completely. Not knowing what else to do, Eddie takes the sleeping beauty to his apartment, where she spends the night.

Eddie and Maria begin seeing each other, but she doesn't tell him the truth about herself.  In fact, she invents a story which has Eddie believing she is a refugee, bound for a housemaid job in California. He asks her to marry him, but much as Maria loves Eddie and wants to marry him, she is pretty sure her uncle would not approve of a marriage between them, so she attempts to break things off.  Unbeknownst to Maria, however, her bodyguard has been following her and reporting back to Uncle, and when Uncle discovers that Eddie is one of nine boys and that his father was one of eleven boys, he embraces such a union.  Only thing is, the couple now has to run their romance according to the rules and regulations of Uncle and royal proclamation...and that poses a problem.  How it all plays out is the balance of the film.



While not a spectacular film, Princess O'Rourke is definitely cute, enjoyable, and loads of fun. Olivia deHavilland is sweet and well-suited to this role---and she's stunningly beautiful! Robert Cummings is delightful.  Jack Carson, who is absolutely not a favorite, is out of character here---and for that reason, he doesn't bug me like he usually does.  Jane Wyman, also not a favorite, is enjoyable in her role as well.  And Charles Coburn is terrific.  I got a huge kick out of him, especially as he reveled in the number of male offspring in O'Rourke's family, calling it a "veritable goldmine of boys." Again, this isn't a great movie...it's just a sweet, solid, 3-star film, well worth viewing.

The film is out on DVD, so it should be fairly easy to track down.  Additionally, it is on the TCM schedule for Saturday, August 24th, at 9:45 a.m. (ET).

Happy viewing!!

B.F.'s Daughter (3 stars)

B. F.'s Daughter, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Van Heflin, is a 1948 romantic drama.  Featuring Charles Coburn, Spring Byington, Keenan Wynn, and Margaret Lindsay in supporting roles, this film is one of several which enabled me to see Mr. Heflin in a new and satisfactory light.

In October, 1932, wealthy industrialist B. F. Fulton (Charles Coburn) tells his wife (Spring Byington) and daughter, Polly (Barbara Stanwyck), that he is optimistic about the Depression.  Having started years earlier as a little guy and worked himself to his present powerful position, B. F. has faith in Americans to pull themselves up out of the economic downtimes.

On the opposite side of the political spectrum is Martin Ainsley (Keenan Wynn), an activist who is continually denouncing B. F. and others like him and blaming them for the Depression.  Most of Ainsley's ideas come from the books and economic ideas of university professor Tom Brett (Van Heflin).  Both men are completely opposed to and have little use for wealthy capitalists.

At a speakeasy one afternoon, Polly and her friend Apples Sandler (Margaret Lindsay) find themselves entering into conversation with Tom Brett.

Not knowing who he is, or how much he despises wealth and luxury, Polly is rather taken with Tom's boldness and ends up having lunch with him.  When he takes her home and discovers she lives in a fancy Park Avenue apartment, he is rather unsettled; yet, he is even more unsettled when he realizes that Polly is none other than the daughter of B. F. Fulton---a man about whom he has written three not-so-nice chapters in his recent book.  Despite their completely different political viewpoints, though, Tom and Polly are very much attracted to one another and fall in love.  Breaking her engagement to a rather stuffy attorney, Polly marries Tom, declaring that she wants to make him into a great man.

Tom, however, doesn't want the financial and social "bonuses" which come through being married to B. F. Fulton's daughter.  He wants to make it on his own and, in fact, yearns for Polly to need him and what he can do for her as opposed to needing what she can do for him.  Therefore, not using his connections with the rich and powerful Fulton's, Tom seeks to make a life for him and Polly on his own, but in the midst of the Depression, there aren't any who are willing to send an unknown man on a political and economic lecture tour.

Wanting to help Tom become the successful lecturer he longs to be, Polly uses her money and influence, even pressuring the lecture committee to give him a chance.  After Polly promises to guarantee any financial loss, things begin to change for Tom, and eventually, his career is completely successful, even landing him on a presidential-appointed fact finding committee.   As the years go by, though, the radical difference in Tom's and Polly's idealogy becomes more and more pronounced.  Whereas she is used to wealth and luxury, Tom despises those things, and he continues to resent her father's money being used for his comforts.  How will he react when Polly purchases a museum-sized house for them?  And what will he do when he discovers that the Fulton name is the only reason he was given a lecture opportunity in the first place?  Can Tom, who wants a wife who needs him, and Polly, whose financial and social status have always precluded her from needing anyone, keep their love alive?  Can their marriage survive the vast differences in their political and economic idealogies?  These are the questions which play out in the balance of this film.

While B.F.'s Daughter is not a spectacular film, it is definitely a solid, 3-star viewing experience.  The storyline is interesting, and I came to really care about both characters.  I adore Barbara Stanwyck and think she was her usual terrific self; Van Heflin, though, was definitely her equal.  While Miss Stanwyck takes top billing, Van more than holds his own with her and makes a very enjoyable romantic lead.  Plus, the two of them had great chemistry together here.  Incidentally, I've seen them together in another film (East Side, West Side), and I think they connected very well there too.  Charles Coburn---always fantastic in his roles---is wonderful here, as is Keenan Wynn as the liberal, anti-capitalist radio announcer.

This film is not out on DVD, and I've also been unable to locate it on YouTube.  However, TCM airs it quite regularly, so you can probably catch it there fairly soon.

Happy viewing!!

Heaven Can Wait (3 stars)

Heaven Can Wait, from 1943, is a light romantic comedy starring Don Ameche, Gene Tierney, and Charles Coburn.  It was really hard to classify this film into any particular genre---there was an element of romance...there were some lighthearted moments which brought chuckles (particularly involving the fabulous Charles Coburn)...there were also a few surprisingly touching moments which actually made me teary-eyed. 

Henry Van Cleve (Don Ameche), recently departed this life at about 70 years of age, presents himself before the devil.  Sure that his earthly behavior would never allow him access to "the upstairs," Henry stands before the keeper of "down there," expecting immediate access.  He is told, however, that in order to enter "down there," he must meet the requirements.  Can Henry relate a crime he has committed, the devil asks him?  No, Henry cannot think of a crime; however, he begins to reflect back on a lifetime of relationships with women.

Beginning with his mother (the always-delightful Spring Byington) and then his French tutor, Henry relates how he has always had quite the way with women.  When, at age 25, he falls in love with his cousin's fiance, Martha (Gene Tierney), he causes a family scandal by stealing the woman away as his own bride.  However, fond of women as he is, Henry has extra-marital affairs, causing the long-suffering Martha to leave him after ten years of marriage.  Though she ultimately forgives him and returns to him, Martha is never quite certain of Henry's faithfulness.  It is for these behaviors that Henry believes the devil will allow him access to "down there."

So where exactly does Henry end up?  Upstairs?  Or "down there?"  That question will be answered by the end of this sweet film.  As I said earlier, this movie made me teary-eyed three different times...not sure why, because it's certainly not a tearjerker.  I just found it touching.

Heaven Can Wait, which is in color, gave Don Ameche the chance to age 50 years.  At first, he's his normal, quite good-looking self, then there's a touch of gray at the temples, and then, finally, he is nearly bald.  I think the makeup people did a very good job of aging him.

This film is out on DVD so it should be fairly easy to track down.  It's also available through Net Flix instant viewing and in several parts on You Tube.   It's a lighthearted, entertaining 110 minutes, so I hope you get a chance to see this.  Happy viewing!!

The More the Merrier (4 stars)

The More the Merrier is a delightful romantic comedy from 1943.  It stars Charles Coburn, Joel McCrea, and the always fabulous Jean Arthur.  Charles Coburn won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Benjamin Dingle.

Arriving in Washington DC during a period of housing shortage,  grandfatherly Mr. Dingle convinces working girl Constance (Connie) Milligan (Jean Arthur) to let him lease half of her apartment.  Although she had really hoped to share her apartment with a woman, Connie eventually agrees to let Mr. Dingle move in.  And not long after his arrival, Mr. Dingle, unbeknownst to Connie, leases half of his half of the apartment to Joe Carter (Joel McCrea), mostly because he sees Joe as the perfect marriage partner for Connie, so having them in close proximity to one another is an absolute must.  Now Connie, who didn't want even ONE male roommate, suddenly finds herself with TWO.

Much to Mr. Dingle's dismay, he discovers that Connie already has a fiance, one Charles Pendergast.  However, given that Ben thinks Charles is a stick in the mud, he is more determined than ever to play Cupid for Connie and Joe.  And how that plays out is the bulk of the movie.

There are some totally hilarious scenes.  Connie's morning schedule is a scream.  And the way Joe and Ben play off one another is like two little boys.  Truly, there was fabulous chemistry between all three stars of this movie, but I mostly loved the interaction between Coburn and McCrea. 

This movie is totally predictable, but it's alot of fun getting there.  If you are looking for a sweet romantic comedy, The More the Merrier will definitely fit the bill.  It's out on DVD, so it should be readily available and fairly easy to track down.

Happy viewing!!