Kings Go Forth (4 stars)

Kings Go Forth, from 1958, is a World War II romantic drama starring Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, and Natalie Wood.  Directed by Delmer Daves, this film, which flips back and forth between romantic drama and wartime action, is tender and touching and very bittersweet.  It's one of many Frank Sinatra films our family owns, and since there is enough action in it to keep a 20-year old boy entertained, my son recently put in a request that we watch this one.

While Paris is being liberated in 1944, Allied troops are marching through Southern France as they prepare to drive the German troops from the nearby mountains.  One of the soldiers being welcomed by the grateful French people is Lt. Sam Loggins (Sinatra).

Sam's outfit has just received a new recruit---communications man Brit Harris (Tony Curtis).  A fun-loving, womanizing show-off, Brit is described by Sam as a smooth operator, who knows all the angles.

While on a weekend trip to Nice, Sam meets a beautiful young woman, Monique Blair (Natalie Wood), and he is soon quite smitten with her.

Although Monique at first declines Sam's request for another date, she ends up seeing him again and introducing him to her mother as well.  Frank begins to live for his weekend visits to Nice, and he becomes quite close to both Monique and her mother.

Much to Sam's surprise, he learns that Monique is, in fact, an American, but that she has lived in France all her life.  Monique's conversations are liberally peppered with references to her late father, and Sam remarks that her father must have been a very wise man; however, when Monique reveals that her father was a black man, Sam is quite taken aback. Without even acknowledging Monique's words, he leaves her home and heads back to his base, where in addition to the war he is fighting with the Germans, he begins fighting a personal war as well.

Having grown up detesting black people, Sam has a hard time coming to terms with the fact that the woman he loves has black blood in her.  Eventually, though, he realizes that Monique's race doesn't matter to him, nor does it change his love for her.

While out on the town, Sam and Monique run into Brit, and in short order, Monique---who has already told Sam she thinks of him as nothing more than a friend---and Brit have eyes for only each other, leaving Sam odd man out.  Brit asks Monique to marry him, and she happily says yes, but how will Brit, who is not nearly the man Sam is, react when he discovers the truth of Monique's parentage?   The answer to that question, as well as the resolution to the battle taking place in the mountains, will play out in the balance of the film.



Kings Go Forth is a very bold (for its time) film.  While today we (most of us anyway) would think nothing of Monique's revelation, in 1958, that storyline had to be quite unsettling to audiences, especially when the film's lead character ended up not having a problem with it.  I applaud every person involved in this film for pursuing this very worthwhile story. Without question, Kings Go Forth is another of the many films which clearly shows that Frank Sinatra, indeed, could act.  He's wonderful here.  I completely love his character and the way in which Frank brought him to life.  My heart was breaking for Sam as he dealt with the pain of unrequited love.  I'm not overly familiar with Tony Curtis, but I thought he was super in his role as well.  Natalie Wood was beautiful and sweet, and she did a great job with the French accent.  She played her part perfectly, as did Leora Dana, who portrayed Monique's mother.

The Elmer Bernstein score of the film is lovely.  It includes a portion called "Monique's Theme," and while the film features only an instrumental version of that beautiful piece of music, lyrics were written for it, and the song, entitled "Monique" was a hit for the velvet-voiced Sinatra.



In addition to the romantic storyline, there is the war side as well.  The film is liberally interspersed with battle scenes, all of which are realistic and quite tense.  All these things combine to make an extremely solid, 4-star film, which I highly recommend.

The film is out on DVD, plus it's also on the TCM schedule for Saturday, June 23rd, at 4:15 a.m. (ET).    I hope you are able to catch it.

Happy viewing!!

The Man with the Golden Arm (5 stars)

The Man with the Golden Arm, from 1955, is a bold and gritty drama which takes a hard look at the ugliness of heroin addiction.  Produced and directed by Otto Preminger and starring Frank Sinatra (in an Academy Award-nominated role), Eleanor Parker, and Kim Novak, this film was quite controversial in its day.  With the Hayes Production Code still in effect in 1955, and with the subject matter of drug addiction quite taboo, Mr. Preminger found himself moving forward on the film without receiving the Code office's seal of approval.  The result is an extremely realistic portrayal of the ugliness of drug use.

The film begins with Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) returning home after a six-month stint in a federal narcotics hospital.  Rehabilitated by his time "on the inside," Frankie, now clean and determined to stay that way, has learned to play the drums and is hopeful of obtaining a job with a local band; however, it soon becomes clear that his old supplier, Louie (Darren McGavin), and his unscrupulous former boss, Schwiefka (Robert Strauss), have no intention of making the straight road an easy one for Frankie.  Though Frankie swears he'll not deal cards for Schwiefka again, nor will he ever have another fix, his old pals are relentless in keeping their hold on him.

At home, Frankie's paralyzed wife, Zosh (Eleanor Parker), reminds him continually that it was his drunk driving that landed her in her wheelchair.  Controlling and clinging, and wanting Frankie to stay in the same bad-news surroundings which led to his drug addiction, Zosh discourages him about the potential band job.  Knowing that as long as she stays wheelchair-bound, Frankie's guilt will keep him with her, Zosh doesn't want any change in the status-quo.  If Frankie were to get a drumming gig---and be successful at it---he might make enough money for her to have treatment, and then he might leave her---so Zosh begs Frankie to keep working as Schwiefka's dealer.

With Zosh against him and Louie and Schwiefka bearing down on him, Frankie's resolve crumbles, and he heads to Louie's place for just "one fix."  But one fix leads to another, and once again Frankie is hooked, because, as Louie reminds him, "the monkey never dies...when you kick him off, he just hides in a corner waiting for his turn."

On the sidelines watching Frankie's downward spiral is Molly (Kim Novak), a former girlfriend.  With her love, support, and encouragement, Frankie may beat the monkey after all...or he'll die trying.  How it all plays out is the balance of the film.

While The Man with the Golden Arm is a stark, ugly, non-feel-good film, it is, nevertheless, an amazing, brilliantly-acted 5-star gem.  (Bold, mature-themed, well-acted adult dramas often merit 5 stars from me.  A film doesn't have to be warm and fuzzy for me to love it and rate it 5 stars.) The performance of Frank Sinatra is completely beyond spectacular.  I've often heard people say that they think Sinatra couldn't act, and I always beg to differ with that statement.  He was very good in nearly every dramatic role I've seen him in...but here, wow, he is nothing short of brilliant.  I truly believe this is, without question, the best performance of his career and that he ought to have won the Academy Award for his work here.  Although he was nominated, he lost out to Ernest Borgnine; while I've seen Marty and think Mr. Borgnine did a good job there, I definitely think the win that year belonged to Sinatra (even though the phenomenal James Cagney was also nominated for Love Me or Leave Me).  Here is a video clip of Frankie's withdrawal scene.



Eleanor Parker is just as stellar as Frank is...she is completely amazing as the clinging, wheelchair-bound wife.  Since she had already been nominated that year for her work in Interrupted Melody, she didn't even receive a nomination for Golden Arm.  Having seen both films, I think she was nominated for the wrong one.  Her performance here in Golden Arm is not only Oscar nomination-worthy, but also Oscar win-worthy.  (She's wonderful in Interrupted Melody too...I just think here performance here is even more exceptional.)

Robert Strauss and Darren McGavin are terrific in their roles as the low-lifes who just won't let Frankie go straight.  Otto Preminger's direction is fantastic, and the Academy Award-nominated Elmer Bernstein score is interesting and exciting...escalating to a fever pitch each time Frankie goes for a fix.  Truly, the score adds much to the film's intensity.  A bold movie for its time---and yet still relevant for the drug addictions many struggle with today---this is a definite must-see!

Out on DVD, The Man with the Golden Arm ought to be fairly easy to track down.  If you enjoy bold, realistic, mature-themed dramas, you are certain to love this film.  By the way, Golden Arm is my 20 year-old son's favorite old film, and Frank Sinatra is his favorite classic film actor.  (White Heat and James Cagney are a close second, but Golden Arm and Sinatra are top dog for him.)

Happy viewing!!

From Here to Eternity (5 stars)

With this coming Wednesday being the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing, I thought it would be the perfect time to talk about From Here to Eternity, the sensational wartime romantic drama from 1953.  This fabulous film, directed by Fred Zinnemann, won a total of eight Oscars that year, including best director and best picture.   All five of the movie's major stars---Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, and Donna Reed---received nominations for their roles; Sinatra and Reed, both nominated in the supporting actor/actress category, walked away with statues for their work.  Lancaster and Clift, both of whom were nominated in the lead actor category were upset by William Holden's performance in Stalag 17, while Deborah Kerr was upset by newcomer Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.  Despite not taking the lead actor and actress categories, though, From Here to Eternity was the big winner for 1953, and, I think, rightfully so...it is a blockbuster of a movie.

There are several storylines going on in this film, which is set at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii only weeks before the Japanese attack.  First, there's Sgt. Robert E. Lee Prewitt, otherwise known as Prew (Montgomery Clift).  As the film begins, Prew, a bugler who has played "Taps" at Arlington on Armistice Day, has transferred in from another unit. 

A very good boxer in his former unit, Prew is being pressured to take on that role in his new regiment...something he does not want to do.  The regiment's captain, however, won't take "no" for an answer, and he begins piling on extra duties in the hopes of breaking Prew and causing him to give in.

There's Karen Holmes (Deborah Kerr), whose marriage to the regiment's captain is in shambles.  Despising her unfaithful husband, she has been involved with a number of men through the years, but she now finds herself falling in love.

Sgt. Milton Warden (Burt Lancaster) is the man with whom Karen Holmes is falling in love, and the feeling is quite mutual.  Despite the career damage it could do for him to be discovered with his superior officer's wife, Warden cannot stay away from her.

Private Angelo Maggio (Frank Sinatra) is a good-natured, fun-loving guy who, simply because he has an Italian name, gets on the bad side of the stockade sergeant (Ernest Borgnine); when Angelo skips out on guard duty one night and is sentenced to the stockade for punishment, the sergeant is determined to destroy him.

Finally, there's Lorene, also known as Alma (Donna Reed), a hostess at one of the local clubs.  Though Prew loves her and wants to marry her, Lorene won't let anything deter her from her plans of making alot of money and marrying well.  Marrying a soldier is simply not on her radar.

On top of all these stories is the arrival of the "Day of Infamy."  As bombs are dropped on Pearl Harbor, lives will be changed.  Who, if any, will survive?

From Here to Eternity is a really terrific film, with superior acting by all the leads.  The chemistry between everyone was great too.  Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr were wonderful together...really the passion between them was totally believable.  Also, the chemistry between Montgomery Clift and Donna Reed was just as fabulous as the chemistry Clift had with Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun.  Frank Sinatra, who I really like as an actor, was sensational as well.  I know there are many people that think Sintra couldn't act...I am definitely not one of those people. He is easily in my top-15 list.  I think he was fantastic in several films, and I wholeheartedly believe he deserved the Academy Award he received for this role. 

No surprise...TCM will be airing From Here to Eternity on December 7th, at 8:00 p.m.  If you have never seen this film, I highly recommend trying to catch it then.  Or look for it on DVD.  It's really a blockbuster of a movie.

Happy viewing!!!

Not As a Stranger (4 stars)

Not As a Stranger,  from 1955, is a medical drama starring Robert Mitchum and Olivia deHavilland. The directorial debut of Stanley Kramer, Not As a Stranger features an excellent supporting cast--- Frank Sinatra, Gloria Grahame, Broderick Crawford, and Charles Bickford.

 Ambitious, self-righteous Luke Marsh (Robert Mitchum) is attending medical school; however, Luke's financial status isn't the best, and in order to make extra money, he cleans the pathology lab.  Even with that job, though, he is behind on his tuition payments.  A trip to his drunken father gets him nowhere---not only does his dad not have any money for him, but he also tells Luke that he will never be a doctor because brains are not enough...he has to have a heart...and that he does not have.  Luke is aware that should he not come up with the $400 payment, he will be out of school, so he asks one of his instructors and one of his friends for some help.  Still, though, Luke is short, and he is told that he has 30 days in which to make the payment or else he's out.

One of the nurses at the hospital, Christina Hedvigson (Olivia deHavilland), an unsophisticated Swedish girl, invites Luke and his friend Al (Frank Sinatra) to dinner at her apartment.  Through their dinner conversation, Luke discovers that Christina has put into savings half of every paycheck and that she has a sizeable nest egg available to her.  The wheels begin turning, and before long, though he is not attracted to her, Luke begins dating Christina.  (One fun thing about their date---they went to a movie---the Humphrey Bogart/Ava Gardner flick, The Barefoot Contessa.  I always think it's fun to see other classic movies showing up in a classic movie.)  Knowing that Christina loves him, and wanting use of her money, Luke tells Christina he loves her and asks her to marry him.

Because he knows Christina's gauche, unsophisticated ways are not for Luke, Al realizes Luke is marrying her for her money, and he calls him on the carpet for that.  Luke responds that Christina will never know he doesn't love her, and he goes through with the marriage. He seems disgusted on their wedding night, though with himself for marrying a woman he doesn't love, or whether with Christina's lack of sophistication, is not clear.

Able to pay his tuition, Luke completes medical school, all the while being argumentative and arrogant.  He is intolerant of mistakes...he blasts anyone who is not as perfect as he is.  Even Christina...in one heated argument, he lets her know that he thinks she's stupid.

Eventually, Luke begins practicing with a small-town doctor, and it is there that he begins an affair with a young widow (Gloria Grahame).  Christina, however, has had enough---the cheating, the condescending attitude, the intolerance of anything less than perfection.  She wants nothing more to do with Luke, and it is only afterwards that Luke understands that he, too, is imperfect, that he, too, is capable of making a mistake.

Does Luke ever get down off his high horse and humble himself?  Does Christina take him back?  These are the questions that will play out in this film.

Not As a Stranger is a bit on the long side---over two hours and fifteen minutes---and there were a couple times it dragged a tiny bit. However, that dragging wasn't enough to lower the star rating to a 3.  I thought it was a powerful story, with good acting by both leads, especially Olivia deHavilland.  It was a bit odd hearing her talk with a Swedish accent; and it was even more odd to see her as a platinum blonde.  Another funny thing in this film are the hospital scenes.  Patients smoking in their hospital beds never cease to amuse me.  Definitely, a dated movie in that regard.

Anyhow, I think this film is a very worthwhile couple of hours, so I hope you get a chance to see this.  I'm not certain it's out on DVD, but I do believe it is.  You might also be able to track it down on YouTube (it is sometimes there, sometimes not). Having caught this on TCM a couple years ago, I have it recorded to disc, and I'm always willing to loan my movies to my classic movie friends, so don't hesitate to ask.

Happy viewing!!

A Hole in the Head (4 stars)

A Hole in the Head, directed by the fabulous Frank Capra, is a delightful little film starring Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker, Edward G. Robinson, Thelma Ritter, and a sweet little boy named Eddie Hodges.  Part comedy, part drama, it also has a few sentimental moments.

Tony Manetti (Frank Sinatra), a widower with a young son, owns and operates a run-down hotel in Miami.  Since business isn't all that good, Tony is constantly having to worry about the mortgage and an assortment of other bills.  A gambler, Tony is always sure that his big moment is just around the corner, that very soon, he will hit the jackpot and his financial worries will be over.  All he needs is a short-term loan, just to tide him over until his riches come in. 

Tony's brother, Mario (Edward G. Robinson), and his sister-in-law, Sophie (Thelma Ritter), are quite comfortable financially, and since they've helped him out in the past, Tony is sure they'll be willing to help him out again...especially because of their love and concern for Tony's son, Ally.  Mario, though, doesn't want to enable Tony to continue gambling and living on dreams.  He wants him to settle down, to get a real job and a wife.  He wants a real home, not a hotel, for his nephew, so he tells Tony he won't give him a dime.  Unless Tony is willing to marry and settle down, there will be no money from Mario and Sophie.

Tony agrees to meet Eloise Rogers (Eleanor Parker), a kind-hearted widow his sister-in-law knows, but he's really not sure he wants to give up his carefree existence to marry her...even if it means that Mario and Sophie take Ally back home to live with them.  So, he tries once more to get the big payoff, this time asking an old friend to finance him, but when that doesn't work out, Tony is forced to make some tough decisions.

There are some very tender moments in this film...I even get lightly misty-eyed a couple of times.  There are many lighthearted moments, though, and even some hearty laughs.  I am so used to Eddie G. as a gangster, so I was unprepared for just how funny he could be.  And the way he and Thelma Ritter played off of one another was great.  She is always fabulous, and she certainly doesn't disappoint here.  Also, the chemistry between Frank Sinatra and little Eddie Hodges was amazing.  I loved watching the two of them together.  Yes, their characters had a strong bond, but I believe that bond was off-screen as well.  They just connected in a wonderful way.

Also in this movie, Frank has a chance to show his musical abilities with the delightful "High Hopes."  It's always a treat to hear Ol Blue Eyes sing.

Anyhow, this sweet movie is out on DVD and should be quite easy to track down.  I hope y'all get a chance to see it.  Happy viewing!!