March's "New to Me" Viewings (Part 1)

This past month, I was back in my classic-film-viewing groove.  After not watching many classics in February, it was a real thrill to have enjoyed one at least four nights each week this month.  I was able to catch many "new to me" films, nine of which were 3-star or higher.

1.  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde  (1931)  Truth be told, I started this film well over a year ago; however, at somewhere around the 20-minute mark, the disc glitched and I was unable to finish. I forgot all about watching it until I saw it on the TCM schedule during 31 Days of Oscar.  So, I'm calling this a "new to me" film; however, it isn't totally.  The classic story of the good Dr. Jekyll and his alter-ego, the evil Mr. Hyde, this film is amazing.  The transformation scenes (from Jekyll to Hyde) are absolutely terrific---hard to believe this is a 1931 film.  Fredric March's performance is outstanding, very definitely Oscar worthy.  I'm going with 4 stars on this, but that's because this is not my genre.  I don't do horror at all, and while this may be considered mild horror to some people, I have to admit that it frightened me.  In fact, after getting out of bed around 2:00 a.m. on the night I had watched it, I nearly ran back to my bedroom (and the safety of my husband) because the memory of Mr. Hyde came to mind while alone downstairs.  So, though, 4 stars from me, if I liked horror, I'm sure this would be a 5-star film.

2.  Tenth Avenue Angel (1948) Starring Margaret O'Brien, Angela Lansbury, George Murphy, and Phyllis Thaxter, this is a sweet, sentimental, heart-tugger about a little girl's faith in God and her family. When she learns that the fantasy stories her mom has been telling her are just stories and not truth, and when she discovers that a beloved family friend has been in prison and not on an extended trip as she had been told, the little girl's heart is hardened and her faith in God and her family grows cold.  How she gets it back and brings love to those around her plays out in the remainder of this very touching film.  (I was brought to tears on several occasions).  The climax of the film takes place on Christmas Eve, making this a delightful addition to one's Christmastime viewing.  I'm going with 3 stars on this, but it's close to 4.

3.  Whirlpool  (1934)  Starring Jack Holt, Jean Arthur, and Donald Cook.   Petty crook Duke Ralston receives a 20-year prison sentence for manslaughter.  Wanting his pregnant wife, Helen, to get on with her life, he forges a letter from the warden, informing her that Duke had been drowned in an attempted prison escape.  Sometime after giving birth to Duke's daughter, Sandra (Jean Arthur, when grown), Helen marries a successful lawyer.  Years later, Sandra happens upon Duke, recognizing him at once from the photo her mother has.  Father and daughter are reunited, but for a variety of reasons, the future for them is bleak.  An interesting, exciting, 3-star film.

4.  The Hook  (1963)  Starring Kirk Douglas, Robert Walker, and Nick Adams, this meaty drama tells the story of three U.S. soldiers who are ordered to execute their Korean prisoner in the waning days of the Korean War.  (I reviewed this 4-star film HERE)

5.  Pushover  (1954)  This Double Indemnity-style noir stars Fred MacMurray and introduces Kim Novak, with Phil Carey, Dorothy Malone, and E.G. Marshall offering support. Directed by Richard Quine, Pushover finds the usually-affable Fred MacMurray, once again, pulled from the straight and narrow due to his attraction to a beautiful woman.  This time, rather than an insurance agent, he's a cop, assigned to follow the girlfriend of a gangster who just pulled a huge heist.  Fred's passion for the moll, coupled with his desire to fill his own pockets with the stolen funds, are his undoing.  I'm between 3 and 4 stars on this, so I'm calling it 3.5.


Later this week, I will share four more "new to me" films I watched in March, one of which joins I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang as a 5-star film discovery of the year.

February's "New to Me" Viewings

Sometimes, you just don't get to watch as many classic films as you would like.  In fact, sometimes, you feel like you're going into withdrawals for want of a great classic.  That's how this past month has been for me.  With the Olympics taking the bulk of my TV viewing time in February, I found myself watching only seven classic films the entire month.  All seven were "new to me" titles.

1.  Harriet Craig  (1950)  Starring Joan Crawford and Wendell Corey.  An overbearing, controlling woman seeks to run her household and her husband.  She lies, she manipulates, and she doesn't care if she ruins her husband's career...just as long as everyone in her life remains under her thumb. Wendell Corey seemed like an odd choice for a leading man, but I think he did fine in the role. Joan is her usual, wonderful, dramatic self. A solid, interesting, 3-star film.

2.  The Shining Hour  (1938)  Starring Joan Crawford, Margaret Sullavan, Robert Young, and Melvyn Douglas.  A nightclub singer (Joan) marries society man Douglas, encounters opposition from his family (especially from his older sister, portrayed by Fay Bainter), then falls in love with his brother (Robert Young).  This wasn't a "hate-it, turn it off" film, but I wasn't overly interested in it and found it difficult to get through, so I'm giving it 2 stars.

3.  Stagecoach  (1939)  Starring Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Andy Devine, and Thomas Mitchell. Yes, I finally caught this much-raved-about classic, which sees a a pregnant woman, an outlaw, a prostitute, a gambler, the town drunk, and a few others traveling together on a stagecoach through Indian country.  I'm going with 3 stars on this, but it's  more like 3.5, and I will admit that I am beginning to see John Wayne in a more favorable light (which I began to do after catching The Quiet Man last August).

4.  Mother Carey's Chickens  (1938)  Up until yesterday, this touching dramedy was my best film discovery of the month.  Featuring the terrific ensemble cast of Anne Shirley, Ruby Keeler, James Ellison, Fay Bainter, Walter Brennan, and Frank Albertson, this charmer is definitely one I want to write about in a bit more depth, so expect a brief review in the next week or so.  I'm going with 3 stars on this, but it's very close to 4...definitely 3.5 stars.

5.  The King and Four Queens  (1956)  Starring Clark Gable and Eleanor Parker, with Jo Van Fleet (and others) in support.  After learning that there is gold on their property, a con man moves in on a widow and her four widowed daughters-in-law.  Starved for a man's attention, all four women are drawn to the stranger, and that suits our hot-blooded Clark just fine.  Mother-in-law Jo Van Fleet, however, is determined that her daughters-in-law will not succumb to the man's charms. Although I love Clark Gable as he aged, I didn't care for this movie and give it only 2 stars  Just an aside...Jo Van Fleet is terrific in this role.  I caught her in Wild River last year, and her acting took the film from 4 to 5 stars for me.  She's not one of the well-known supporting players...but she ought to be!

6.  Wuthering Heights (1939)  This is one of the films in the Majestic Hollywood book, so while I don't overly care for the story, nor do I care for Laurence Olivier, it was a film I had to watch.  It's the tragic story of Heathcliff (Olivier) and Cathy (Merle Oberon), who love each other passionately but who are kept apart because of Heathcliff's low social standing and Cathy's desire for status.  I am very middle of the road on this.  While the acting is terrific, especially that of Olivier, I never cared about either of the lead characters.  Cathy is incredibly selfish and proud, and Heathcliff is so brooding and angry that it's hard to have much sympathy for him.  I'm giving this film 3 stars---solid, enjoyable, liked it okay.

7.  The Slender Thread  (1965)  Starring Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft, this was my best film discovery of the month. It's a meaty drama which brings a crisis line volunteer and a suicidal woman together on the phone.  The acting is terrific---as is typical of anything starring the great Sidney Poitier.  I'm going with 4 stars on this.  (Read my review HERE)

With the Olympics behind us and a DVR full of several dozen unwatched titles, I expect that March will find many "new to me" films crossing my path.  I hope so anyway, because while I love watching tried and true faves over and over again, there is something quite exciting about catching a film for the first time.

Happy viewing!