Cass Timberlane (3 stars)

Cass Timberlane, from 1947, is a romantic drama starring Spencer Tracy, Lana Turner, and Zachary Scott.  Based on the Sinclair Lewis novel of the same name, this is a film which had been on my radar for a few months.  As I have grown in appreciation for Lana Turner, I have been on the lookout for some of her lesser-known films, and this one sounded interesting to me, so I kept hoping TCM would air it...which they did earlier this month.

Widowed Cass Timberlane (Spencer Tracy) serves as a judge in a small Minnesota town. While Judge Timberlane hobnobs with the high-society folks in his town, he is very much a down-to-earth guy and even has friends "on the other side of the tracks."  One of those friends is Ginny (Lana Turner), a woman several years his junior, whose acquaintance he made when she appeared in his courtroom one day.  The friendship between Ginny and Cass (who is nicknamed Tim by Ginny) soon blossoms into romance.

Despite her initial concerns about their societal differences, Ginny agrees to marry the judge.  Of course, the majority of his high-society friends have a problem with Ginny's lack of breeding, but his friend Brad Criley(Zachary Scott) supports him 100%.

Though Tim lavishes all the love in the world on Ginny, she soon finds herself bored with their small-town life and yearning for excitement and action.  Brad, too, desires that kind of life, and before long, he and Ginny find themselves developing feelings for one another.   Will Ginny leave Tim and seek out a more glamourous life with Brad?  For that matter, does Brad---a playboy---have more than a passing interest in Ginny?  How it all plays out is the balance of the film.

While this is not a spectacular film, I enjoyed it very much.  I found Spencer Tracy and Lana Turner to be a delightful couple.  I thought they had great chemistry together; however, my daughter---who watched the film with me---did not.  It's funny how two people can look at the exact same thing and come away with totally different perceptions.  The film has great lessons about integrity, forgiveness, and the sacredness of marriage.  It is very definitely a solid, 3-star movie, which I highly recommend.

The film is out on DVD, so I think it ought to be fairly easy to track down.  Happy viewing!!

Born to Be Bad (4 stars)

I'm still on my Robert Ryan kick and will be for another few weeks, as there are close to a dozen of his films either already on my DVR or on my radar to record.   I am totally crazy about this man, who I think was one sensational actor.  He is easily at the very top of my favorite actor list...along with William Holden and Gary Cooper. All that to say, I will be reviewing several Robert Ryan films in the coming days.  If you aren't familiar with him, I hope my reviews will inspire you to see some of his works. 

Born to Be Bad, from 1950, is a fabulously entertaining melodrama starring Joan Fontaine, Robert Ryan, and Zachary Scott.  Directed by Nicholas Ray, this film features Joan Leslie and Mel Ferrer in supporting roles.  From the very beginning, the "bad" in this film is Joan Fontaine.  In a dramatic turnabout from her vulnerable roles in Suspicion and Rebecca, in Born to Be Bad, she is a manipulating, riches-seeking, people-using schemer.

The niece of a publisher, orphaned Christabel Caine (Fontaine) arrives in town and worms her way into the party (and the life) of Donna Foster (Joan Leslie).  Donna is engaged to Curtis Carey (Zachary Scott), and Christabel very quickly seeks to undermine their relationship.

Though Christabel has caught the eye of novelist Nick Bradley (Robert Ryan), her eye is on the wealthy Mr. Carey.   Oh, she'll carry on with Nick and even tease him into thinking she loves him in return...

...but her whole goal is to snag Curtis for herself.  Lying, playing innocent, and hurting others matter little to Christabel.  As long as she gets what she wants, she doesn't care who she steps on or pushes out of the way.

Born to Be Bad is a very interesting, entertaining film, and I must admit, I enjoyed seeing Joan Fontaine take on this kind of role.  She was very good...not at all what I'm used to with her...but it was great to see her stretch.  The film is not out on DVD, though it is on VHS, so if you have a working VHS player, you can catch it that way.  Additionally, it is on TCM's January 30, 2012 schedule.

By the way, there is a 1934 film of the same name, which stars Loretta Young and Cary Grant.  I haven't seen that film (it's in my DVR waiting to be watched).  However, this 1950 film is not a remake of that.  They are two completely different films.

Anyhow, happy viewing!!!