Happy Birthday, Ray Milland!!!

Today is the birthday of one of my top 16 favorite actors---the wonderful Ray Milland.  (January 3, 1907-March 10, 1986)  NOTE:  IMDB has his year of birth listed as 1905, but nearly everywhere else it is listed as 1907.

This Welsh-born actor, who was equally successful at both dramatic and comedic roles, hovers between 12 and 16 on my all-time favorite actor list, putting him very solidly on my top 20 list.  My favorite Milland film is The Lost Weekend, the film for which he won the Best Actor Academy Award.  His work in that movie was really spectacular and very deserving of the Oscar.  (Reviewed HERE)

With considerable effort, I managed to round out my list of 5 favorite Ray Milland films.  (There could easily be at least another five films on the list, but I'm forcing myself to stop at 5.)

2.  Close to My Heart  (with Gene Tierney...reviewed HERE)

3.  The Major and the Minor (with Ginger Rogers...reviewed HERE)

4.  Dial M for Murder (with Grace Kelly and Robert Cummings)

5.  The Doctor Takes a Wife (with Loretta Young---reviewed HERE)

There is a Milland film I'm absolutely dying to see...Something to Live For, in which he stars with Joan Fontaine and Teresa Wright.  This film has been on my want-to-see list for a couple years now, but since it's not out on DVD nor ever on the TCM schedule, I've not yet had a chance to catch it.   Elisa over at Elisa's Classic Films has blogged about it twice recently, so she has my curiosity majorly going wild.  Sure wish TCM would decide to air it.

So, on this, his 105th birthday, here's to you, Ray Milland!!  Thanks for making so many great movies!!

My Foolish Heart (4 stars)

My Foolish Heart, from 1949, is a wartime romantic drama starring Dana Andrews and Susan Hayward.  It is very much a tearjerker as well, so I always have the tissue box handy when I watch this one, which I did yesterday in honor of Dana Andrews' birthday.  The film, which is told primarily in flashback, takes place just before and during the early months of World War II.

Eloise Wengler (Hayward), an unhappily married suburban housewife with a bit of a drinking problem, is on the brink of a divorce.  As the film begins, Eloise's college friend, Mary Jane, whom she hasn't seen in years and from whom she parted company under difficult circumstances, pops by for a visit.  After Mary Jane meets Eloise's young daughter, Ramona, the two women have an argument, wherein Eloise threatens to disclose some information to her husband, something Mary Jane begs her not to do.  Prior to disclosing the information, however, Eloise begins a trip down memory lane and finds herself back in November 1941.

At a dance one evening, Eloise meets Walt Dreiser (Dana Andrews), and the two begin a whirlwind romance.  Although Walt originally expects an easy pick-up and is sorely disappointed when Eloise fails to give herself to him, he, nevertheless, continues to see her.  For her part, Eloise is in love with Walt and yearns for him to love her in return.

As war is declared and Walt is drafted into the Army, he and Eloise have to snatch moments together as they can get them.  It is during one of Walt's brief leaves that their relationship becomes more than platonic...an action which will ultimately end in tragedy and change not only Eloise's life, but the life of her friend, Mary Jane, as well.

My Foolish Heart is based on a J.D. Salinger story, and from what I have discovered, Mr. Salinger was none too happy with the outcome.  While I'm sorry that he wasn't satisfied with the screen version of his story, I have to say that, for me, this film totally works.  Since I have never read the original story, it actually matters little to me if the film is faithful to it.  Rather, I see Mr. Salinger's story being one thing and the film being another thing entirely.

Susan Hayward, who is my second favorite actress of all-time, gives her usual stellar performance.  While she was 32 here and perhaps a bit too old to be playing the part of a young, innocent college girl, I think she did a great job.  Even if a trifle too old, she was certainly believable.  Dana Andrews, always a solid and above-average performer, is really great here.  I think the two of them worked well together and had great chemistry.  The story itself is touching and brings alot of tears (two things I like in a movie).  Oh, and Robert Keith portrayed Eloise's father, and I thought he was great as well.  Finally, the theme song (of the same name) is quite beautiful (video below).  All in all, a wonderful, highly recommended 4-star movie.

While I don't believe this film is out on DVD, it is on VHS; plus, it is available on Net Flix instant viewing.  Additionally, TCM airs it periodically.  I hope you get a chance to see this one.

Happy viewing!!

Another Man's Poison (2 stars)

Another Man's Poison, from 1952, is a mystery/drama starring my absolute #1 gal, Bette Davis, and her then-husband Gary Merrill.  This film was made in England, with the Merrills making the trip there at the request of the movie's producer, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.  Directed by Irving Rapper, Another Man's Poison had been on my must-watch list for the past three years, but since I haven't been able to locate it on DVD and since TCM never has it on their schedule, I haven't had the opportunity to catch it...until recently, when I discovered it on YouTube.  Thrilled beyond belief to have finally tracked this movie down, I settled in to watch it with my daughter the other night; however, much as it pains me to say it, both daughter (who also loves the fabulous Bette) and I were extremely disappointed.  (I believe this is the first Bette Davis film I have ever 2-starred.)

Mystery writer Janet Frobisher (Davis) receives an unexpected, unannounced late night visitor---one George Bates (Merrill), who is looking for Frobisher's estranged husband, George Preston.  Bates and Preston had pulled off a robbery together, with Bates being fingered as the shooting suspect, and hoping to clear himself, he is in search of Preston.  Only problem is, Janet killed her husband that very morning. 

Convinced that the answer to his problems is to pose as Preston, Bates disposes of the body and then begins to masquerade as Janet's husband.  The charade is very much against Janet's will, however, as she not only despises Bates, but is also involved with another man.  She is determined to get Bates out of her life for good, and accomplishing that may just prove to be her undoing.

While Another Man's Poison sounds like an extremely interesting film, the plot is painfully slow-moving; also, much as I hate to say it, I found zero chemistry between Davis and Merrill.  While they had sizzled together in All About Eve, that same fire just wasn't anywhere to be found in this film.  Bette, as always, was in top form, but even a fabulous actress can't redeem a bad script or an agonizingly slow-moving plot.  The final four or five minutes, when all the twists and turns play out, is the most interesting part of this film.

As a major-huge Bette Davis fan, I absolutely had to view this movie, and I figure all Davis fans probably feel similarly.  So if you want to give this one a try, HERE is its YouTube link, where you will find the film in its entirety.

Happy viewing!!

Happy Birthday, Dana Andrews!!

New Year's Day is the birthday of one of my top-20 favorite actors---the always-solid Dana Andrews. (January 1, 1909 - December 17, 1992)

Born Carver Dana Andrews, this fabulous-voiced actor, hovers between 12 and 16 on my all-time favorite actor list.  While I enjoy many of Andrews' films, my absolute favorite is, without question, The Best Years of Our Lives, in which he portrayed airman Fred Derry.  (Reviewed HERE)

Rounding out my five favorite Dana Andrews films are:

2.  Laura (with Gene Tierney)

3.  My Foolish Heart (with Susan Hayward...reviewed HERE)

4.  Crash Dive (with Tyrone Power and Anne Baxter)

5.  The Purple Heart (with Farley Granger and Richard Conte)

For me, Dana Andrews has one of the most fabulous voices I have ever heard.  Add to that, he's ruggedly handsome, and he always gave a strong, solid performance---all of which combine to make him one of my favorite, must-watch actors.  His is one of those names which almost always draws me in, for when I see his name as part of a cast, you can bet I'm going to give that film a try.

So, happy 103rd birthday, Dana Andrews!  You were one of the best and will always be one of my top 20 favorite actors!!

My Cousin Rachel (3 stars)

My Cousin Rachel, from 1952, is a suspenseful romantic drama starring Olivia deHavilland and Richard Burton.  Based on the Daphne duMaurier novel of the same name, this story has elements in common with another of the author's works---Rebecca---namely, a large manor house, the English coast, and a mysterious death.  This film, though, takes place during the early 1800's.

Phillip Ashley (Richard Burton), having lost his parents when he was but a few months old, has lived with his wealthy cousin/guardian, Ambrose, all his life.  Though the two get along extremely well and are more like father and son than cousins, when Phillip reaches his twenties, Ambrose departs coastal England for the warmer temperatures of Italy.  While there, he meets and marries his distant cousin Rachel (Olivia deHavilland), informing Phillip of the marriage through a letter.

Ambrose seems happy enough, but shortly after the first letter, another letter arrives, this one referring to Rachel as "his torment" and indicating that she is trying to kill him.  Concerned, Phillip heads to Florence to see for himself what is going on.  By the time he arrives, though, Ambrose has already died and been buried, and Rachel has left town.  Although Phillip is informed that Ambrose had been suffering from a brain tumor which had resulted in delusional thoughts, he still believes Ambrose had, in fact, been in danger from his wife.  After vowing to Ambrose's grave that he will repay his cousin Rachel, Phillip returns to England.

Not long afterwards, Rachel, who is younger and more beautiful than they expected her to be, makes a visit to the Ashley Estate. As Phillip and Rachel spend time together, Phillip comes to believe that there was absolutely no truth to Ambrose's letters...that they really were the result of a delusional mind...that Rachel had never done his cousin any harm. Completely in love with Rachel, Phillip refuses to believe stories which indicate she is not what she appears to be.

Since Ambrose's will made no allowance for a wife, but left everything to Phillip, could it be that Rachel is stringing him along?  Perhaps she really did murder Ambrose and will, very soon, find a way to get her hands on the estate and murder Phillip as well.  These are the questions that play out in this mildly suspenseful Gothic drama.

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My Cousin Rachel is interesting and entertaining, and while not of the same caliber as Rebecca, it is, nevertheless, a very solid 3-star film. Olivia deHavilland gave a superb performance. She really had a broad range of ability, and I have enjoyed discovering that she was far more than simply sugary-sweet Melanie Hamilton. Richard Burton's performance was "so-so" to me. I never---not even for a moment---felt that his love for Rachel was real. He just seemed lukewarm to me, his passion forced; however, despite Burton's less-than-believable performance, I was interested enough in the outcome to keep on watching.

To my knowledge, this film is not out on DVD, but it is available in its entirety on YouTube (above).

Happy viewing!!