Classic movies are not just antiquated films from a bygone era...rather, they are beautiful, well-acted, well-written gems that ought not to fade into obscurity. Truly, Hollywood just doesn't make 'em like they used to!!! I hope you'll discover some must-sees by your visit here.
My husband and I began our holiday viewing last week, and the first film on this year's "must watch" list was 1944's I'll Be Seeing You. This movie is one of my 25 all-time favorites, and though I've reviewed it here before, that was back in 2011---the first year of They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To's life; therefore, I'm going to re-run that article, as I think the Christmastime setting (including a singing of "O, Come, All Ye Faithful") makes this a perfect movie to add to your holiday viewing schedule.
A touching wartime romantic drama, I'll Be Seeing You stars Ginger Rogers and Joseph Cotten, with Tom Tully, the always-delightful Spring Byington, and a teenaged Shirley Temple taking on supporting roles. Directed by William Dieterle, this charming film just might bring a mist to your eye.
The story is about Mary Marshall (Ginger), who is on furlough from a women's prison. (You'll find out during the movie why she was sent to prison.) While on a train traveling to visit her aunt, uncle, and cousin for Christmas, she meets Zachary Morgan (Joseph Cotten), a handsome soldier who has recently left an Army hospital, where he was being treated for the effects of what we now know as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Mary and Zach both disembark the train at the same stop, and upon Zach's request, Mary gives him her uncle's telephone number. They begin spending time together and soon fall in love. However, since Zach's emotional state is still quite tenuous, Mary doesn't tell him that she's been in prison and will soon be going back. And with Zach working through his own personal demons, can there possibly be a future for these two hurting souls?
I'll Be Seeing You is a sweet and tender movie, and although it doesn't bring huge sobs, it definitely gets me misty-eyed a couple of times. I think all hopeless romantics will love it. With its Christmastime setting, it's a lovely film to watch this time of year. Out on DVD, it should be quite easy to track down; plus, it's on TCM's schedule twice this month---Friday, December 18th at 8:00 p.m. and Friday, December 25th, at 12:45 p.m. (ET).
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.
Kitty Foyle, from 1940, is a romantic drama starring Ginger Rogers, with Dennis Morgan and James Craig taking on supporting roles. One of many films which prove Ginger was far more than just a dancer, KittyFoyle found Ginger taking home the Best Actress Academy Award for her role.
As the film begins, working-girl Kitty (Ginger), is on the receiving end of a marriage proposal from a man named Mark (James Craig). When she says "yes," Mark asks her if things are all over with the guy in Philadelphia. Assuring him that they are, Kitty makes plans to meet Mark at midnight, at which time they will get married.
When Kitty returns to her apartment to pack, however, Wyn Strafford (Dennis Morgan)---the man from Philadelphia---is waiting for her. Telling Kitty there is no life for him without her, he asks her to go to South America with him. Though he will not be getting a divorce and, thus, cannot offer her marriage, Wyn, nevertheless, asks Kitty to accompany him...something she agrees to do. With Kitty's promise to meet him at the ship at midnight, Wyn sets off to make final arrangements.
With two men loving her and expecting her to meet them at midnight, Kitty reflects back on her relationships with them. Originally a secretary to the socially prominent Wyn, she soon became his wife, a fact which was met with extreme disapproval by his blue blood Philadelphia family. Eventually, their differing worlds and his family's lack of acceptance drove them apart, and their marriage was annulled. Needing a fresh start, Kitty relocated to New York, where she met Mark, a kind and humble doctor who loves her and can offer her a future. Kitty's continuing love for Wyn, though, threatens to ruin her chance for happiness with Mark. She desperately needs to decide what she wants out of life...and which man can give it to her.
Does Kitty choose to marry Mark? Or does she choose to sail to South America with Wyn? The answer will be discovered in the final scene of the film.
Kitty Foyle is an interesting, well-acted film. The first time I watched it, I really had no idea which man she would choose. Though, in reality, I ought to have known---after all, this film was made in 1940...a time when standards were different than what they are today. Keeping that in mind, it is probably no surprise what Kitty's choice winds up being. Still, though, it is enjoyable to watch it all play out. Ginger was her usual lovely, delightful self. Her performance is super---though I'm not entirely convinced it beat that of Joan Fontaine, whose brilliant work in Rebecca landed her an Oscar nomination that year as well. Dennis Morgan is always fun to watch---he has the most adorable lopsided smile. He and Ginger had fantastic chemistry together here. James Craig I'm not familiar with---this is the only film I've seen him in.
Out on DVD, Kitty Foyle should be quite easy to track down. I think it's a delightful movie and a definite must-see for all Ginger fans. Try to catch it if you can.
Black Widow, from 1954, is a film noir/drama of the whodunit kind. Starring Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, and George Raft, it is one of those films that keeps you guessing up until the very end. It's also one of those films that has enabled me to see Van Heflin in a new light, which is really saying something, since not all that long ago, I really didn't like him (thought him very milque-toasty). Since seeing this and a half dozen or so other films, though, I really see Mr. Heflin as a romantic leading man.
Van Heflin's role in Black Widow is as play producer Peter Denver. As the film begins, he is putting his wife, Iris (Gene Tierney), on a plane to visit her ailing mother. Before departing, Iris reminds Peter that he is expected at Lottie Marin's (Ginger Rogers) party that evening. Though he doesn't much care for Lottie and really would prefer not to attend the party, Peter knows it is essential that he put in an appearance. The lead actress in one of Peter's plays, Lottie is quite high maintenance, so Peter knows her ire would be raised if he didn't attend.
Mingling among the guests at Lottie's party, Peter strikes up a conversation with Nancy Ordway, a young aspiring writer. With completely pure motives and a desire only to be kind, Peter invites Nancy out to eat after the party is over. The two strike up a very innocent friendship, and very soon, Nancy has convinced Peter to allow her to use his fancy apartment while he is at work. Saying that her own apartment isn't cheerful for writing and promising to be out of the apartment before Iris returns to town, Nancy obtains Peter's permission to access his place during the day. Lottie and her husband, Brian, who live in the same apartment building as Peter and Iris, are very aware that Nancy is spending time at Peter's apartment. They see her coming and going all the time, and they wrongly conclude that she and Peter are involved.
Eventually, Nancy turns up dead in Peter's apartment, and as the case is looked into, it would appear that he was, in fact, very much involved with her...that it wasn't the strictly-friends relationship he maintained it was.
How everything plays out is the balance of this very interesting film.
As I said, Van Heflin was really great in this role. His acting was solid, and I very much saw him as a romantic leading man. Gene Tierney, beautiful as always, was definitely underused here. There wasn't a whole lot for her character to do. George Raft, who was beginning to show his age (but who still looked extremely good!), was underused as well. As the police officer investigating the death, he didn't have a whole lot to do either. Top-billed Ginger Rogers was terrific, as always, but her character was definitely unlikeable, and I didn't really like how she was made up...she seemed harsh to me, but maybe that was in fitting with her character, or maybe it was her age. (Though she was only in her early 40's here, she just wasn't the beautiful Ginger my husband knows and loves.)
Black Widow is definitely an entertaining viewing experience, especially when watching it for the first time when you don't know how everything is going to play out. The film is out on DVD and should be quite easy to track down.
Tender Comrade, from 1943, is a mildly sentimental wartime romantic drama starring Ginger Rogers, with Robert Ryan, Ruth Hussey, Kim Hunter, Mady Christians, and Patricia Collinge in supporting roles. This film is very much a morale-boosting, flag-waving film, and it's also a mild tearjerker (at least for me). It's the story of five women, four of whom work together at an aircraft plant, who share a house during the war.
First, there's Jo Jones (Ginger Rogers), whose husband, Chris (Robert Ryan), is in the Army.
As the film begins, before the women have moved out of their tiny apartments and into the house they share, Chris, who will be shipping out the next morning for overseas duty, makes a surprise 8-hour visit to his wife. The movie is liberally dotted with flashbacks of Jo and Chris's courtship and early married life.
There's Barbara (Ruth Hussey), whose husband Pete is in the Navy. Convinced that Pete has a girl in every port, Barbara is ready to begin seeing other men. She's weary of rationing and sacrificing.
Helen (Patricia Collinge), who has both husband and son in the Service, is rather the matriarch of the working girls.
Doris (Kim Hunter) and her husband, Mike, were married only minutes before he was shipped off.
Finally, there's Manya (Mady Christians), a German woman who responds to the girls' ad for a housekeeper. Not an American citizen, Manya is unable to work in the war plant; however, she still longs to help in the war effort, and by helping those that are working there, she feels she is doing her part.
While I originally discovered this film because of my husband's love for Ginger, I enjoy it even more because of my own love for Robert Ryan. While I totally love Ryan in his usual "heavy" roles, I really enjoy the opportunity to see him in a romantic role...and I think he took to the role beautifully. He definitely could have been a romantic leading man!
Tender Comrade is totally Ginger's movie, and her story is the one most touched upon. The other girls' stories are only a tiny portion of the film. Ginger fans will undoubtedly want to see this.
Also, Robert Ryan fans (such as myself!) will enjoy seeing him in this kind of role (especially looking SO incredibly handsome!).
Finally, those that enjoy films about the World War II homefront will probably want to see this. However, just a warning, the film is heavy into what has been called the "propaganda speech," so if that bothers you, you probably will really dislike this movie. It doesn't bother me at all; in fact, I quite enjoy these morale-boosting films. But those who are really bothered by those kinds of speeches will probably want to skip this.
I don't think this film is out on DVD or on VHS...at least I've never seen it in either format. It might be available on YouTube or other online sources, but I haven't been able to locate it. However, TCM airs it periodically...that's where I caught it a couple years ago...so you might be able to catch it there.
Teenage Rebel, from 1956, is a slightly sentimental comedy-drama starring Ginger Rogers and Michael Rennie. They portray Nancy and Jay Fallon, who, along with their little boy, Larry, are preparing for a visit from Nancy's daughter, Dodie (played by Betty Lou Keim). Since Nancy's ex-husband was awarded custody of their child and since he didn't comply with the visitation schedule, it has been eight years since Nancy has seen her daughter. Dodie is no longer a little girl...she is now 15 years old...and she does not want to be called Dodie, preferring, instead, the more grown-up Dorothy.
Harboring ill feelings towards the mother she feels abandoned her and longing to be back home with her father, Dorothy is sulky and bad-tempered to everyone with whom she is in contact---Nancy, Jay, Larry, and the neighbor kids too. She absolutely does not intend to make a go of things. Even though Nancy tells Dorothy that she longs to build a relationship with her, Dorothy insists that will not happen---as far as she is concerned, her mother died eight years ago.
Will Nancy ever be able to convince Dorothy that she really does love her and that she always did? Will Dorothy ever forgive her mother? Will the two ever develop a mother/daughter relationship? Those are the questions that play out in this sweet film. Though it's called Teenage Rebel, the girl really is not rebellious---she's just hurt and lonely---so you don't have to fear an obnoxious brat in this film.
Ginger Rogers, who is my husband's #1 gal, is still looking mighty fine at this point in her career. And she even gets an opportunity to strut her stuff a bit. Ginger fans will definitely want to see this film.
Storm Warning, a hard-hitting 1951 drama that explores some very intense issues, including the ugly blight of the Ku Klux Klan, is definitely not a feel-good movie. Directed by Stuart Heisler, it stars Ginger Rogers, Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, and Steve Cochran. Our family chose to watch this last night in honor of Doris Day's 87th birthday; however, it's really Ginger's movie. She gets top billing, and she more than steals the show. She's totally fabulous, and since my husband adores Ginger and was in need of a fix, we chose to watch Storm Warning. But even though it was totally Ginger's movie, Ronald Reagan, Doris Day, and Steve Cochran were all terrific in their roles. Really, if anyone thinks Doris was all musicals and comedies, this is one of several movies they need to watch in order to be enlightened.
The story begins when Marsha Mitchell (Ginger), while on a business trip, stops off in the small Southern town of Rockpoint in order to visit her sister Lucy (Doris). Lucy has recently gotten married to Hank Rice (Steve Cochran), whom Marsha has never met before. So, late one evening, she steps off the bus and into a horrifying new world.
Marsha barely gets out of the bus depot before all the businesses nearby turn off their lights and shut down. The few people she runs into are unfriendly and unhelpful; in fact, the cab driver won't even give her a lift. So, after quickly checking her large suitcase at the bus station, Marsha begins the long walk to Lucy's place of employment. Within minutes, though, she hears shouts and then watches a lynch mob attacking a man, even shooting him in the back and killing him. As Marsha hides in the shadows of a building, she gets a clear view of the mob; although most remained in their white-hooded Ku Klux Klan robes, two of the men...one of them being the man who fired the deadly shots...have removed their hoods, and Marsha is able to see their faces clearly.
Sickened by what she has witnessed, Marsha is extremely distraught when she finally connects with her sister. But she is even more distraught when she is introduced to her new brother-in-law and discovers that he was part of the lynch mob and that he was the one who fired the deadly shots. Despising Hank, yet not wanting to hurt Lucy, Marsha doesn't want to get involved and decides she will just hightail it out of town the next morning.
County Prosecutor Burt Rainey (Reagan) is positive that the man's death was the work of the Klan; however, as has been the case with many activities that have taken place in Rockpoint, no one ever sees anything, no one is ever willing to testify against the Klan. And without a witness to back him up, Rainey never has a case. This time, though, he is determined to indict the Klan, and after learning that Marsha had checked her suitcase at the bus station only minutes before the murder, he brings her to his office for questioning.
Although Marsha doesn't reveal the identity of the two men she clearly saw, she does tell Prosecutor Rainey that the mob were all wearing hoods. That is exactly what Burt needed to hear in order to pin the crime on the Klan; however, in order to get an indictment, he needs Marsha to testify to that, and he subpoenas her. Now Marsha can't leave town as planned. On the other hand, the Klan head, who has learned that Marsha witnessed the crime, tells her that if she testifies that it was the Klan, then her brother-in-law will be fingered as the guilty party and hanged. How can she do that to her sister?
Burt Rainey is having a similar dilemma. Over and over, his colleagues counsel him to drop the case, saying it is political suicide to try to indict the Klan, that he will never win another election in Rockpoint again. How can he prosecute the very people whose votes he needs to stay in office?
So, how do Burt and Marsha resolve their moral dilemmas? What will they do? Will they do what they think is right even when it is to their detriment to do so? Well the remainder of the movie chronicles the choices they both make, so in order to find out, you will have to watch for yourself.
Storm Warning is a very good message movie, and I highly recommend it. It's out on DVD and should be readily available and quite easy to track down.
The Major and the Minor, starring Ginger Rogers and Ray Milland, is a fun little 1942 comedy directed by the fabulous Billy Wilder. Wilder, who is one of my very favorite directors, is known for such great works as Sunset Boulevard, Stalag 17, The Lost Weekend, and Double Indemnity (plus many more). The Major and the Minor, with Ginger Rogers as "the minor" and Ray Milland as the "major," was one of Wilder's earliest works.
Ginger, who, as I always stress, was FAR more than just a dancer, is Susan Applegate, a young woman who has grown weary of the leacherous lifestyle of New York City and intends to return to her home in Iowa. From the time of her arrival in New York, she had held aside just enough money for the train trip home in the event things didn't work out. Only problem...fares have gone up since her arrival, and now she doesn't have enough money for the ticket home. But after discovering that she DOES have the money for a children's ticket, she quickly transforms herself into a twelve year old and is soon on the train bound for Iowa. (Okay, yes, it's a little unrealistic to think that a 31 year old woman would try to pass for a 12 year old, but, hey, it's only a movie...and it made for alot of fun.)
On the train, Susan meets Major Phillip Kirby (Ray Milland), an instructor at a boys' military academy. Phillip, who is a bit near-sighted, thinks Susan is exactly what she claims to be...a little girl all alone and frightened. So, he takes her under his wing, even having her call him Uncle Phillip. The relationship is all very above board, but when Phillip's fiance happens by the train, she sees a woman...not a little girl...in Phillip's compartment and becomes totally furious. In order to put out the fire in his fiance, Phillip convinces Susan (who has told him her name is Sue Sue) to stop off for a few days at the military academy.
At the military academy, Susan must keep up the charade. Although she is falling in love with "Uncle" Phillip, she must continue to be 12 year old Sue Sue and even finds herself having to fight off the advances of all the boys at the academy. So how long can Susan keep up the act? How long can she fool people into thinking she's a 12 year old girl when she's really a full-grown woman? Will Uncle Phillip find out that it wasn't a little girl he took under his wing after all, but a woman who is very much in love with him? And what about Phillip's fiance?
Well, to find out the answers to these questions, you will have to watch The Major and The Minor for yourself. It's out on DVD and should be readily available and quite easy to track down. Yes, it's very unrealistic to think of Ginger, who was 31 at the time, posing as a 12 year old. And, yes, the movie is VERY dated by today's standards...I mean, we would automatically be screaming "pedophile" if a grown man met a 12 year old girl on a train and shared his compartment with her. But the times then were more innocent, so if we look at it through the lens of the 1940's, it was simply a man taking it upon himself to look out for a child alone. Ray Milland's character was never inappropriate towards Sue Sue. So, even if the movie seems outlandish by today's standards, I still highly recommend it. It's loads of fun and very cute. And for Ginger fans (like my husband), it's a definite must-see!
