“The Wizard of Oz” in 3D: Was it necessary?

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My parents introduced “The Wizard of Oz” to me when I was a baby.

My sisters and I all have dressed up as Dorothy for Halloween or a book character day at least once.
We also have Dorothy Barbies, dolls and my mom owns “The Wizard of Oz” collectors decorative plates.

Needless to say, the Pickens family are fans of the film.

I grew up with “The Wizard of Oz” just as my parents did when it was shown yearly on television.

wizard of oz2

“The Wizard of Oz” was what taught me about the state of Kansas and what a cyclone was.
Like most movies, the information and lessons it taught me molded my young mind.

When I heard the 1939 film starring Judy Garland as Dorothy was going to be released in 3D and IMAX, I had mixed emotions.
1. I wanted to see the film on the big screen, because I never had before.
2. I don’t like 3D and avoid it at all costs. Why did they feel the conversion was necessary?

Though I wasn’t pleased with the thought of 3D or paying $17 for a movie ticket, I couldn’t pass up watching a classic film in a movie theater- something that doesn’t happen much in my area.

Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Judy Garland as Dorothy and Jack Haley as the Tin Man in "The Wizard of Oz"

Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Judy Garland as Dorothy and Jack Haley as the Tin Man in “The Wizard of Oz”

Tuesday evening I made the 50 minute drive to Charlotte, NC to see the “Wizard of Oz.”

The Technicolor was lush, I laughed at the supporting characters, cried at the end of the movie and I enjoyed myself. It had been years since I watched “The Wizard of Oz” from start to finish. I forgot how funny the jokes are and how visually beautiful it is.

Having the opportunity to see a classic film on the big screen is a special experience. Even if you have seen the movie before, you pick up on jokes and subtle movements and expressions better than you can on your television. You are also forced to pay attention to the film, because it is just you and the screen.

But the big question is, was the 3D necessary or distracting?

The 3D wasn’t obtrusive or dramatic. Many scenes looked similar to if you were watching a 2D version of the film. The times it stood out the most were when the Wicked Witch (played by Margaret Hamilton) pointed at the camera or when Glenda the Good Witch (played by Billie Burke) gestured with her silver wand.

The Lollipop Guild

The Lollipop Guild

The 3D mostly was used for depth. Dorothy sat a little further out from her surroundings as she sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and the Lollipop Guild stood out as well. These scenes weren’t bothersome, but there just wasn’t much purpose to it.

The only other 3D film I have watched in a theater the John Wayne film “Hondo” (1953) at the Turner Classic Film Festival. While the 3D wasn’t used excessively in “Hondo,” it’s use was more dramatic. Native Americans rode on horses towards the screen and arrows looked like they were coming at you.
There was nothing that dramatic in “The Wizard of Oz,” not even a flying monkey looking like it was going to share your seat.

There were a few times I felt 3D made things a bit blurry (or maybe it’s my bad eye sight) like when the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), Dorothy (Garland), the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr) and the Tin Man (Jack Haley) ran through the poppy field. Another area I felt was a bit blurry was when Dorothy opened the door to Oz-taking the film for sepia tone to Technicolor.

In general, I’m not a fan of colorization of black and white films such as “It’s A Wonderful Life” (1946) or “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” (1938). I feel that modifying a film from 2D to 3D falls under the same distasteful category as colorization. All of these tactics are to bring in younger audiences. But why change art? If a younger audience doesn’t like the “Mona Lisa” would we paint a smile on her?

“3D falls into the category of digital ‘remixing,’ colorizing and other changes,” said my broadcast journalism professor, Haney Howell. “The director shot the movie from his perspective, not that of some geek who thinks he can make it better.”

Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Tin Man but was allergic to the makeup. His big break came in the from of the 1960s TV show, "The Beverly Hillbillies."

Buddy Ebsen was originally cast as the Tin Man but was allergic to the makeup. His big break came in the from of the 1960s TV show, “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

From 1938 to 1939, the script of “The Wizard of Oz” had several rewrites and stars were recast in the film. Shirley Temple was originally considered for the role of Dorothy. Buddy Ebsen was going to be the Tin Man but was allergic to the silver face paint, and Jack Haley was cast instead. Margaret Hamilton, who played the Wicked Witch of the West, received third degree burns on her hands and face during her firey exit with the Munchkins.

A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into the director’s vision of “The Wizard of Oz.” Modifying the film from 2D to 3D is going against artistic wishes.

When it was announced “Wizard of Oz” was going to be in 3D, it was said, “If 3D was around in 1939, this is how it would have been shot.” Which is a ridiculous response.

Filmmakers have had 3D capabilities of some sort since the 1920s and 1930s. MGM even made a short film in 1935 called “Audioscopiks” testings 3-D. Then 3D film fell briefly into the mainstream from 1952 to 1954. Hollywood was using 3D to pull movie goers away from their television screens and back into theaters.
So saying “If 3D was around” is a fairly ignorant response.

But to answer the $64 question of “Was 3D necessary?”: No, probably not. But so far, since “The Wizard of Oz” was released last Friday, it has made roughly $3 million. It has served the purpose the money making purpose it was supposed to.

Regardless, I really enjoyed seeing “The Wizard of Oz” for the first time on the big screenscreen.

But as Dorothy says, “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.”

The popularity of “The Wizard of Oz” has remained for over 75 years, so why look any further to improve on it when it isn’t needed.

sepia dorothy

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Musical Monday: “Moon Over Miami” (1941)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
“Moon Over Miami” –Musical #162

Poster - Moon Over Miami_04

Studio:
20th Century Fox

Director:
Walter Lang

Starring:
Betty Grable, Carole Landis, Don Ameche, Robert Cummings, Charlotte Greenwood, Jack Haley

Plot:
Kay and Barbara Latimer (Grable and Landis) work with their Aunt Susan (Greenwood) at a burger joint in Texas. They think they are going to come into a windfall of money, but only ends up being $4,000. Kay comes up with a scheme where they will go to Miami on the money and get rich husbands. Kay poses as an heiress with her sister acting as her secretary and her aunt poses as her maid. Kay meets two millionaires who are smitten with her- Jeff (Cummings) and Phil (Ameche). Which will she pick and are they everything that they seem they are?

Trivia:
-Joan Davis was cast in the Carole Landis role in March 1941.
-John Payne and Dana Andrews were considered for the male leads.
-Originally supposed to star Virginia Gilmore and Gene Tierney or Arline Judge were conceived to appear in the roles of Barbara and Susan.
-Remake of “Three Blind Mice” (1938)-starring Loretta Young and Joel McCrea-and “The Greeks Had a Word for Them” (1932) starring Joan Blondell, Madge Evans and Ina Claire.
-Remade with “Three Little Girls in Blue” (1946) starring June Haver (who once was called the Pocket Betty Grable), Vivian Blaine and Vera-Ellen.

Highlights:
-The Condos Brothers (Frank and Harry) dance with Grable and then perform in an elaborate South American dance number. Grables dance in “You Started Something” with them is one of my favorite dances in the film.
-Charlotte Greenwood’s flexible, high leg swinging dance moves

One of Charlotte Greenwood's signature dance moves (Comet Over Hollywood/ Screen cap by Jessica P)

One of Charlotte Greenwood’s signature dance moves (Comet Over Hollywood/ Screen cap by Jessica P)

-In “The Kindergarten Congo,” Grable dances with Hermes Pan, who choreographed many of Fred Astaire’s musical numbers in musical films.
-Betty Grable’s wardrobe. She buys a new wardrobe to catch a millionaire husband and every single outfit is adorable. Here are some picture of my favorites:

moonovermaimi5

My favorite dress in Moon Over Miami. Grable is dancing with the Condos Brothers in “You Started Something” (Comet Over Hollywood/Screen cap by Jessica P.)

Lovely peach evening gown worn by Grable. (Comet Over Hollywood/Screen cap by Jessica P)

Lovely peach evening gown worn by Grable. (Comet Over Hollywood/Screen cap by Jessica P)

Another favorite outfit Grable wears in "The Kindergarten Conga" (Comet Over Hollywood/Screen Cap by Jessica Pickens)

Another favorite outfit Grable wears in “The Kindergarten Conga” (Comet Over Hollywood/Screen Cap by Jessica Pickens)

 

Notable Songs:
-“You Started Something” sung by Robert Cummings and Betty Grable
-“Kindergarten Conga” sung by Betty Grable, which is my favorite number in the film
-“Loveliness and Love” sung by Don Ameche
-“Is That Good?” sung by Charlotte Greenwood and Jack Haley

My Review:
This is my favorite Betty Grable movie and a movie I pop in when I have the blues. It’s colorful, the fashion is great and the songs are catchy and lighthearted. Grable looks her most beautiful and the supporting cast is excellent. Landis isn’t featured as much as Grable but does a great job in all of her scenes. Charlotte Greenwood is always a delight, especially with her goofy dancing. Both leading men are also entertaining and likeable. There are few things I can find wrong with “Moon Over Miami,” other than the fact that it has to end.
It isn’t a heavy film with some great intelligent message. But if you are looking for a pleasant way to spend an hour and a half, I suggest you spend it with “Moon Over Miami”

 
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Hot off the presses: Unethical reporters in classic films

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A man is killed and sent C.O.D. to a Hollywood actress.

Rather than call the police, the actress calls her reporter friend to help her out.

The reporter investigates the case like he’s a detective.

He sneaks in houses searching for clues and finds jewels that can be used as evidence. The reporter then puts the diamonds in an ice cube tray to hide them from police.

Reporter George Brent investigates a murder in "A Corpse Came C.O.D."

Reporter George Brent investigates a murder in “The Corpse Came C.O.D.”

As these events occurred in “The Corpse Came C.O.D.” (1947) starring George Brent and Joan Blondell, my dad turns to me and asks, “I hope you don’t do these things at work.”

Later when Brent gets in a fist fight with a bad guy my dad asks, “Is there anyone at the Star that would be able to do that?”

As a reporter who loves classic movies, I go out of my way to watch films where the hero plays a reporter.

However, if I researched my stories using the same methods that reporters used in films, I would most likely get fired.

Glenda Farrell stars as Torchy Blane, a troublesome and wise-cracking reporter in 1930s films. Blane comically gets her information by hiding in trashcans and bugging rooms, techniques not used by contemporary reporters.

Glenda Farrell stars as Torchy Blane, a troublesome and wise-cracking reporter in 1930s films. Blane comically gets her information by hiding in trashcans and bugging rooms, techniques not used by contemporary reporters.

In classic films, reporters are often solving crimes like a police officer and often receive information by unethical means. At the Shelby Star, we do a lot of research on our stories, but I doubt we will ever solve a crime.

In the 1930s Torchy Blane film series, Torchy is constantly at odds with her detective boyfriend Steve McBride for being where she shouldn’t be.

The nine films follow the wise-cracking female reporter, played by Glenda Farrell, Lola Lane and Jane Wyman.

Torchy can be seen eavesdropping, bugging rooms, hiding in trash cans and following bad guys to get the scoop on a story.

If I hid in a trashcan to find out the latest secrets of Cleveland County, North Carolina, not only would that be breaking media laws, I would also smell pretty bad.

John Qualen hides in a desk in "His Girl Friday."

John Qualen hides in a desk in “His Girl Friday.”

In “His Girl Friday” (1940), reporter Hildy Johnson, played by Rosalind Russell, hides an accused murdered in her rolltop desk to get the scoop on a story. Unfortunately, I don’t have a rolltop desk at work, but even if I did, I’m not sure how the sheriff would feel if I stored suspects in my desk.

In another George Brent film “You Can’t Escape Forever” (1942), managing editor, Brent will get hunches by tugging on his ear like he’s communicating with somebody via Morse code.

Then Brent will come up with a fantastic hunch that he will print in the paper, which usually ends up being true.

If reporters worked solely on hunches without fact checking, the paper would be full of corrections that had to be run, rather than news stories.

In “The Philadelphia Story” (1940) reporters James Stewart and Ruth Hussey pose as family friends at the wedding of Katharine Hepburn. The two are tabloid writers there to get information on the story.

Getting information under false pretenses is unethical by today’s standards and would most likely leave you with a lawsuit.

Though there are several comedic representations of newspapers, there are films that represent journalism in a truer light, such as “The Story of G.I. Joe” (1945) about war journalist Ernie Pyle or “Citizen Kane” (1940) about the power of journalism.

Robert Mitchum and Burgess Meredith (as Ernie Pyle) in World War II film "The Story of G.I. Joe" about reporting on the front lines.

Robert Mitchum and Burgess Meredith (as Ernie Pyle) in World War II film “The Story of G.I. Joe” about reporting on the front lines.

As someone who works in newspapers, I don’t take offense to the unethical journalism in the 1930s and 1940s films, because I know most of it is there for comedic relief.

It doesn’t make me stop watching the films; you just have to take it all with a grain of salt, as you would with any movie.

Clearly newspapers have changed a great deal from the 1930s to today.  However, it does make me wonder how media laws and ethics have changed in the past 75 years.

So for my father: No dad, we don’t do any of that at the Star.

This is part of the Breaking News: Journalism in Classic Films blogathon co-hosted by myself and Lindsay at Lindsay’s Movie Musings. Read all of the wonderful contributions here! 

MBDCIKA EC019

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Musical Monday: “Doll Face” (1945)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Doll Face (1945)- Musical #474

doll face

Studio:
20th Century Fox

Director:
Lewis Seiler

Starring:
Vivian Blaine, Carmen Miranda, Dennis O’Keefe, Stephen Dunne, Perry Como, Martha Stewart (not the home decor woman)

Plot:
Mary “Doll Face” Carroll (Blaine) hopes to break out of burlesque and into the big time. When she is turned down due to her performing background, her manager Michael Hannigan (O’Keefe) decides to have a ghost written autobiography written about Mary. The author of the book Frederick Gerard (Dunne) begins to fall in love with Mary causing conflict with Michael, who also is in love with her. Using the publicity of the book, Michael begins to produce a Broadway show with the help of the other burlesque performers.

Trivia:

Carmen Miranda performing "Chico Chico"

Carmen Miranda performing “Chico Chico”

-Based on the 1943 play “The Naked Genius” written by burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee.
-Carole Landis was offered the lead in the film but turned it down, according to the book Carole Landis: A Most Beautiful Girl by Eric Lawrence Gans
-Carmen Miranda’s first starring film that is in black and white.
-“Eighty Miles Outside of Atlanta” from “Something for the Boys” can be heard in the background.
-Carmen Miranda’s song “True to the Navy” cut from the film. The song as filmed still exists. Paramount held exclusive rights to the song and wouldn’t allow 20th Century-Fox the song. It was performed by Clara Bow in “Paramount On Parade” (1930)
– “Doll Face” is one of four films Vivian Blaine and Carmen Miranda were in together. The other films included “If I’m Lucky” (1946), “Something for the Boys” (1945) and “Greenwich Village” (1944).

Notable Songs:
-Perry Como’s song “Hubba Hubba Dig You Later” became a hit for him after the film. It reached number 3 on the charts and was Como’s second Gold album, according to the book Perry Como: A Biography and Complete Career Record By Malcolm Macfarlane, Ken Crossland

My Review:
This film is fun and cute but forgettable. The songs aren’t very exciting either.
As a lover of classic films, I obviously enjoy films shot in black and white. However, casting Carmen Miranda, Hollywood’s most colorful performer, in a black and white was murderous to her career. Biographies on her life cite that her novelty was wearing off when Fox began casting her in non-color films.

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Leaving Hollywood for a new habit: An interview with Dolores Hart

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She gave Elvis his first on-screen kiss.

Roles in “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father” and “The Ticklish Affair” that later went to Shirley Jones were originally offered to her.

Her career began in 1957 with the film “Loving You” along side Elvis Presley and ended in 1963 with the film “Come Fly with Me.”

But at the height of her career in 1963, Dolores Hart left Hollywood to follow a vocational calling to become a nun.

Dolores Hart in the 1960s and now as Revered Mother Dolores today (Comet Over Hollywood/Jessica Pickens)

Dolores Hart in the 1960s and now as Reverend Mother Dolores today (Comet Over Hollywood/Jessica Pickens)

 “I am not leaving anyone or anything behind me. I am taking with me a full and grateful heart,” Hart left as a statement with her publicist.

The media frenzy that followed cited her broken engagement with her former fiancé Don Robinson. The National Enquirer headline read “Star Driven into Nunnery by her Love for Elvis.” Colleagues and friends were dumbfounded.

To Hollywood, family and friends, Hart’s decision to become a nun may have seemed rash. But her choice was a long road of exploration of her faith that was triggered by her first visit to the Abbey of Regina Laudis in 1958.

Hart published the book “The Ear of the Heart: An Actress’ Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows” in May that explores her parent’s tumultuous marriage, why she became a Catholic, her career as a film star and her life as a nun.

Her parents had the desire to become Hollywood film stars. However, her father Bert Hicks mainly played bit roles. Her parents divorced while she was still young. While attending Catholic school, she decided to convert so she could have hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls with the other children.

She is often asked if her role as Saint Claire in “Francis of Assisi” (1961) is what influenced her decision to become a nun. The role had no effect but meeting Pope John XXIII while filming left an impact on the actress.

Saturday morning, I had the privilege to meet with Dolores Hart in Charlotte, NC before she spoke at the Charlotte Eucharist Convention. “Ear of the Heart” is one of the best celebrity autobiographies I have read. Rather than full of gossip and salacious rumors, it discusses her journey through life. I couldn’t help but feel calm and soothed every time I picked it up.

We met and spoke about her book as well as her time in Hollywood and at Regina Laudis.

Though she was a little older and was dressed in a nun’s habit and robe, her smile and sparkling clear blue eyes were the same ones you see in her films such as “Where the Boys Are.”

Revered Mother Dolores was warm, personable and an overall lovely woman.

IMG_6649

Reverend Mother Dolores and myself in Charlotte, NC on Sept. 14

 Q: Tell me about the Eucharist Conference you are in town for today.

I’m actually not that familiar with it because I have been in an enclosed monastery.  I don’t remember anything like this before I entered. It’s wonderful seeing the intensity of love for the sacrament…Not love in the usual form of the word but transcending love that can hold the passion of and sadness of life.

Q: What influenced you to write the book?

I think it’s because my old friend Dick DeNeut encouraged me to do it. He told me if I didn’t write it soon, I would forget everything. We started in 2003 and it has taken a long time to put it in its present form. I’m fortunate to have someone like Dick. He knows me so well and we were very close. We have had strong communication for decades. I think the beautiful part of the preparation is that he would always be frank with me. He wouldn’t say things that made me feel good but would be frank in order to awaken and receive an honest response.

Q: Which Catholic celebrities in Hollywood supported your decision?

Dolores Hart with George Hamilton in "Where he Boys Are"

Dolores Hart with George Hamilton in “Where he Boys Are”

Hart discusses in her book being friends with other Hollywood Catholics during her stardom such as Irene Dunne and Loretta Young. She once was invited to speak at a Jesuits’ Church of the Blessed Sacrament breakfast in 1958 that was attended by Catholic celebrities.

June Haver was one of the most faithful friends I had in Hollywood, and so was Patricia Neal. Others were complimentary. June would visit several times a year and try to find ways to help us. She loved visiting our dairy farm and working with the farm animals. Once she asked how the pigs reproduce. We told her we had a semen tank, but it was actually running low. She said that was how she would help us. Well, the local newspaper in town heard about it and came out with a story saying June Haver was buying nuns a semen tank. It was hysterical. But she would come to visit us on a yearly basis.

Q: How often were you compared to June Haver, who once entered as a nun and later left?

Dolores Hart with Elvis Presley in 1957 in a still for "Loving You"

Dolores Hart with Elvis Presley in 1957 in a still for “Loving You”

When I first started considering, Mother Benedict told me to take some time to put everything in order so I wouldn’t become another statistic. I didn’t know June at the time and I wasn’t aware of her personal struggles. She once entered as a nun herself and left. When we finally met I could perceive the depth of goodness and that she had struggled a great deal. She was very honest and never claimed what wasn’t true. She was a great lesson to me.

Q: How did Hollywood help or hurt you in a cloistered community?

I didn’t understand in the beginning how I could benefit from my Hollywood experiences. I accept the time in Hollwood as part of God’s will. I appreciate the goodness of the venture. I didn’t leave to reach for something better or a higher value.

People in the industry are so open. Producer Hal Wallis saw some sort of value in me to give me a seven year contract. He was furious when I left and told me not to bother coming back to work for him. I understood that because I was breaking professional expectation of truth. That was a profound step in his reality of life. But then after 15 years, he broke down and we became friends again. His wife Martha Hyer still sends us a basket of fruit every year.

My agent Harry Bernson sent me a note and asked if I had swallowed razor blades and said I had committed suicide. But then he eventually saw it was the right thing.

Those friendships shown to me by a number of actors showed me integrity of human values in every religion.

Q: If you hadn’t left Hollywood, how do you think your career would have ended up?

If I hadn’t left Hollywood, we probably wouldn’t be talking right now. The interest in me wouldn’t be there. People are interested because I became a nun.

I don’t think my career would have petered out, but then I have seen so many people come and go and you never see them again. Depending on roles, most women in Hollywood only work until their early 40s. You can’t bank on your career being a given.

My grandfather was a movie projectionist and had seen all the films. When I got older, I confessed to him that I wanted to become an actress. He told me he had seen them all and knew I would be the best at it. For a grandfather to say that was the best possible compliment.

Q: You also left Hollywood right before things began rapidly changing. Were you aware of the changes in Hollywood with the studio system?

Because I was still a member of the Academy, I still had an interest in what was happening with the studios, but I don’t remember judging it. People say that the film industry is what led the way to society changes. I could tell changes by the way people talked and dressed. There was a deeper sense of fear that life wasn’t worth much. I noticed people were dressing sort of in a dumpy way. I couldn’t believe a woman would wear jeans and high heels in the airport. That was really campy to me.

I think the film industry really reflected what was going on in society. They were always champions in exfoliating what was going on with people.

Hart with fan mail in 1960

Hart with fan mail in 1960

Q: How much fan mail do you receive each year?

It depends on what’s going on. As I have been on tour for the book, I have received a considerable amount. I usually receive two or three letters a day. By the end of the week it turns into a mountain of mail, so it’s a continuous obligation. When the documentary “God is Bigger than Elvis” came out two years ago, the situation changed. We did the film and it was my break through back into public life. I got so much fan mail after and I had to have some of the sisters help me stamp and address letters.

 Q: One last question, do you still watch any of your movies?

I have seen them so often that they bore me. I will watch them though if someone requests to watch a movie with me. Sometimes I discover something new by a question they present. The community doesn’t want to see my movies anymore, because they are tired of them.

For more on her kiss with Elvis and acting with Montgomery Clift stay tuned to Comet Over Hollywood in the coming days for a full book review.

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Musical Monday: “Hi-De-Ho” (1947)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
“Hi-De-Ho” (1947) – Musical #503

hi de ho

Studio:
All-American Studios

Director:
Josh Binney
Starring:
Cab Calloway (as himself), Ida James, Jeni Le Gon

Plot:
Cab Calloway plays himself a as a bandleader who is getting bored with his sexy singing girlfriend Minnie who he calls a moocher. Minnie is jealous of Cab’s female band manager named Nettie. Out of jealousy, Minnie gets a job at a night club that rivals the club that Cab is performing at. She also asks gangsters to kill Cab.

Trivia:
-“Hi-De-Ho” is what is known as a “race film.” The film is made up of an entirely black cast that were generally made between 1915 and 1950. These films were usually produced outside of the Hollywood studio system.
-The film also features the Peters Sisters and The Miller Brothers

Cab and Minnie the moocher

Cab and Minnie the moocher

Notable Songs:
The movie has several of Cab Calloway’s songs, but sadly no “Minnie the Moocher.”
Song include:
-“Minnie was a Hep Cat”
-“St. James Infirmary”
-“At Dawn Time”
-“Bop Bop”
-“The Hi-De-Ho Man, That’s Me”

My Review:
The plot to this film is very thin and the quality of the picture is very low. If you go strictly by the story line, “Hi-De-Ho” is lousy. However, this is a great exhibition of Cab Calloway’s music with eight songs from the big band leader. It’s also interesting for its historical value as a “race film.” If you can find this movie, I would highly suggest it for its excellent music. The only disappointing feature is that it doesn’t have the song “Minnie the Moocher.”

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Classics in the Carolinas: Tallulah goes to college

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At Byrnes Auditorium at Winthrop University, actress Tallulah Bankhead performed her one of her favorite stage role in the play “Little Foxes.”

Yes, Tallulah Bankhead performed at my alma mater in 1940.

Tallulah Bankhead wasn’t your typical Southern Belle.

Tallulah Bankhead as Regina Giddens in "The Little Foxes."

Tallulah Bankhead as Regina Giddens in “The Little Foxes.”

Born in Huntsville, AL, Bankhead’s father was William B. Bankhead-a politician from Alabama and Representative from 1917 to 1940.

But despite her prominent background, Bankhead has been described as flamboyant, wild and dabbled in alcohol and drugs such as cocaine and marijuana.

She left her Southern roots at the age of 15 to travel to New York to become an actress and made her stage debut in 1918. She later was in Hollywood films starting in the 1930s.

After acting in films alongside Gary Cooper, Robert Montgomery and Charles Laughton, Bankhead made her way back to her southern roots.

In 1939, Bankhead originated the stage role of Regina Giddens in the Lillian Hellman play “The Little Foxes.”

Based in the early 20th century in the South, Regina manipulates her daughter and estranged husband to work out a business deal with her unscrupulous cousins.

“All in all, Regina Giddens is the best role I ever had in the theater,” Bankhead wrote in her autobiography, Tallulah: My Autobiography. “So The Little Foxes is the best play I’ve had. Up to this time most of my roles had been on the light and larkish side.”

Later made into a 1941 film starring Bette Davis, “The Little Foxes” ran for 410 performances at the National Theatre on Broadway.

“The Little Foxes” brought Bankhead to Rock Hill, SC.

Tallulah Bankhead and actress Eugenia Rawls perform in "The Little Foxes"

Tallulah Bankhead and actress Eugenia Rawls perform in “The Little Foxes”

On March 4, 1940, she performed her role of Regina Giddens on the stage of the brand new Byrnes Auditorium of Winthrop College (now Winthrop University) which was an all-girls school until 1975.

“Her seductive southern drawl was an instant hit in South Carolina,” according to the book York and Western York County, SC: The Story of a Southern Eden by J. Edward Lee and Jerry Lee Wes. “After her performance, the audience gave her a standing ovation.”

Bankhead had ties to York County. Her great-great-grandfather George Bankhead moved to lived in Bullock’s Creek, York County South Carolina before moving to Alabama in 1830, according to Lee and Wes’s book.

“As a (local) reporter asked the Hollywood actress about her fast-paced life in California, Bankhead…reminded the journalist, ‘Dahling, I’m from Bullock’s Creek,’” Lee and Wes wrote.

Though Bankhead was not in the film adaptation of the play, her Broadway costars Dan Duryea, Charles Dingle, Carl Benton Reid, and Patricia Collinge starred with Bette Davis.

Knowing that Tallulah Bankhead once walked on a campus where I studied journalism, makes me feel just a little closer to the Golden Era of Hollywood.

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Musical Monday: “Music for Madame” (1937)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
“Music for Madame” (1948) – Musical #504

music for madame

Studio:
RKO Radio Pictures

Director:
John G. Blystone

Starring:
Joan Fontaine, Nino Martini, Lee Patrick, Alan Mowbray, Alan Hale, Grant Mitchell, Billy Gilbert, Jack Carson

Plot:
Nino Maretti, an aspiring opera singer (Martini) is conned into thinking he is singing for important composer at a Hollywood party. In reality, Nino is singing at a Hollywood party to distract the guests as the two con artists steal priceless pearls. Jean Clemens (Fontaine) is at the same party, trying to get a symphony she wrote noticed. When Nino realizes he was used, he goes into hiding and doesn’t sing so he won’t be recognized—all the while falling in love with Jean.

Nino Martini, Joan Fontaine, and Lee Patrick (left to right) work as Hollywood film extras in "Music for Madame."

Nino Martini, Joan Fontaine, and Lee Patrick (left to right) work as Hollywood film extras in “Music for Madame.”

Trivia:
-“Music for Madame” is Fontaine’s fifth credited role on screen. The movie following “Music” is her only other musical, “Damsel in Distress” (1937) with Fred Astaire.
-Mowbray’s character was spoofing famous conductor Leopold Stokowski.
-According to IMDB, the film lost $375,000 at the box office.
-Martini was an Italian opera singer who sang with the New York City Metropolitan Opera. He made four films from 1935 to 1948. “Music for Madame” was his second to last film.
-Actor Jack Carson has a small role as an assistant director.
-Actor Ward Bond has an uncredited role in the film.

Notable Songs:
-Vesti la giubba from the opera “Pagliacci” (1892)
-“King of the Road” is sung by a truck driver who picks up Fontaine and Martini and accompanied by several car horns played by the two passengers.
-“I Want the World to Know” is the love theme of the film, written by Fontaine’s character and sung several times by Martini.

Highlights:
-Alan Hale. Hale is an excellent character actor in all of his films, but he is the only actor who stands out with humor and charisma in this film. The other actors are all pale in comparison to him.
-The scene with the truck drive singing “King of the Road” is an interesting one. He says he doesn’t have a radio so he makes music himself with all of these horns inside his vehicle. It’s not a musical masterpiece but of all the musicals I have seen, I’ve never seen a number like that.
-Martini’s acting is not the best, but he does have a beautiful singing voice.
-Fontaine looks incredibly young with a page boy bob and a bow in her hair. It’s an interesting way to see her when you are used to the sophisticated roles she played starting in the 1940s.

Jean (Fontaine) is detained by police after the pearls go missing.

Jean (Fontaine) is detained by police after the pearls go missing.

My Review:
I feel like “Music for Madame” is one of those movies that Academy Award winning actress Joan Fontaine looks back at and shudders. It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s also one I wouldn’t highly recommend. “Music for Madame” is a simple, entertaining plot but a lot of the acting is lacking. Nino Martini has a beautiful voice, but that can’t carry the film on it’s own. Fontaine is still exercising her acting chops. The most interesting character in my opinion is Alan Hale as a bumbling, music loving detective.

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Before Lois Lane there was Torchy Blane

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by torchy blane

She’s a fast-talking blond who breaks every rule of reporting.
As a journalist, I should be appalled by Torchy Blane, but I really want to be her. She is the perfect mix of my profession and classic film love.

From 1937 to 1939, Torchy Blane solved crimes and caused trouble for her police detective boyfriend in nine films.

Glenda Farrell as Torchy Blane- my role model.

Glenda Farrell as Torchy Blane- my role model.

She also was part of the inspiration for Superman’s reporter girlfriend Lois Lane.
In a 1988 Time magazine article, creators of the Superman comics Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel credited Glenda Farrell’s performance as Torchy Blane with their creation of Lois Lane.

“My wife Joanne was Joe’s original art model for Superman’s girlfriend in the 1930s,” Siegel is quoted from the interview in the book The Women of Warner Brothers. “Our heroine was, of course, a working girl whose priority was grabbing big scoops. What inspired me in the creation was Glenda Farrell, the movie star who portrayed Torchy Blane. Because of the name Lola Lane, who also played Torchy, appealed to me, I called my character Lois Lane.”

Produced by Warner Brothers Studios, the Torchy Blane series was one of many Hollywood B-movie series of the 1930s and 1940s, others include Maisie, Dr. Kildare, Boston Blackie, The Falcon and the Lone Wolf.

Actress Glenda Farrell played Torchy in seven of the films while Jane Wyman and Lola Lane each played the role once.
Torchy Blane titles include:
Torchy Blane…Playing with Dynamite (1939)
Torchy Runs for Mayor (1939)
Torchy Blane in Chinatown (1939)
Torchy Gets Her Man (1938)
Torchy Blane in Panama (1938)
Blondes at Work (1938)
The Adventurous Blonde (1937)
Fly Away Baby (1937)
Smart Blonde (1937)

Though the other actresses play the part well, Farrell left the lasting impression. Her comedic timing, brassiness and nonchalant attitude brings Torchy to life. Her performances were complete with 400 word speeches given in 40 seconds as she talked her out of trouble.

In many of the films, Torchy is causing more trouble than she is writing stories and meeting deadlines.

Each film has a mystery to solve, and before Torchy’s detective boyfriend Steve McBride can take fingerprints, Torchy is one step ahead.

Her job is really more of an amateur detective than a reporter.
“Maybe you know who bumped him off,” Steve says in “Smart Blonde” (1937).
“Not off hand, but with a little time and something to eat, maybe I can help you,” says Torchy.

Our heroine usually solves the crime, leaving the police force and her detective boyfriend looking slightly foolish.

Torchy does some of her own sleuthing

Torchy does some of her own sleuthing

In today’s world of journalism, Torchy’s means of sleuthing and reporting are ethically questionable:
-Hiding in a trashcan to eavesdrop
-Bugging rooms with microphones
-Snooping through rooms
-Talking with questionable sources

It’s amazing she even has a job at a publication.

At the end of each film, Steve McBride promises a steak dinner and marriage but at the start of the next film, there have yet to be any wedding bells.

Though the films were made for low budget entertainment, the New York Times in the 1930s gave the movies poor reviews, dubbing Torchy a “demon reporter.” They also wrote “we have a murder mystery solved by an endless succession of door-opening and shuttings, taxi-hailings, jumping in and out of automobiles and riding up and down elevators,” quoted in Howard Good’s book “Girl Reporter: Gender, Journalism and Movies.”

It’s possible that the Times mainly scoffed because the main character was a female star reporter, Good wrote.

Torchy and her detective boyfriend Steve McBride played by Barton MacLane.

Torchy and her detective boyfriend Steve McBride played by Barton MacLane.

Dressed in professional suits, Farrell modeled Torchy after female reporters she knew and tried to make her believable.

“Before I undertook Torchy, I determined to create a real human being, not an exaggerated comedy type,” she said in a 1969 Times interview, quoted in the book The Women of Warner Brothers. “I met those newswomen who visited Hollywood. They were generally young, intelligent, refined and attractive. By making Torchy true to life, I tried to make a character practically unique in movies.”

Reporters could argue that Torchy Blane scripts are not representative of the newspaper industry.

However, as a contemporary female reporter, I love Torchy. I even asked my editors if I could change my byline to Torchy Pickens…but was denied.

Her sass, beauty and energy is endearing, even if she breaks every media law there is.

This is part of the Summer Under the Stars blogathon by ScribeHard and Sittin’ on a Backyard Fence. 

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Musical Monday: “You Were Meant for Me” (1948)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.

In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 500. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
“You Were Meant for Me” (1948) – Musical #503

you were meant for me

Studio:
20th Century Fox

Director:
Lloyd Bacon

Starring:
Jeanne Crain, Dan Dailey, Oscar Levant, Barbara Lawrence, Selena Royale, Percy Kilbride

Plot:
Set in 1929, teenager Peggy Mayhew (Crain) falls in love popular bandleader Chuck Arnold (Dailey). She spontaneously kisses him on stage after winning a prize. Chuck asks to see Peggy again. When she travels to the next town to see his band, they elope. Peggy has to adapt to life on the road with musicians. The couple then struggles with their careers and their relationship when the stock market crashes.

Trivia:
-Marilyn Monroe had an uncredited role that ended up being cut from the film.
-Though Dan Dailey had been in films for eight years, this film was around the time his career was starting to take off.
-The first 20 or 30 minutes is very similar to “Orchestra Wives” (1942). Crain falls in love with a bandleader, travels to see him and they elope. Ann Rutherford does the same thing in “Orchestra Wives.” Once the couple elopes in the film, the similarities end there.

Notable Songs:
The whole film is full of fun, popular songs of the 1920s written by George Gershwin, Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown such as:
-The title song “You Were Meant for Me” by Freed and Brown. This song can also be heard in other films such as “Penny Serenade” and “Singin’ in the Rain.”
-Other popular 1920s songs such as “Ain’t She Sweet,” “Crazy Rhythm” and “Ain’t Misbehavin.”

you were meant for me 2

Dan Dailey and Jeanne Crain in “You Were Meant for Me”

Highlights:
-Pianist Oscar Levant performs
-Jeanne Crain and Dan Dailey do a cute song and dance routine to “Ain’t She Sweet” while in a soda shop.
-Dan Dailey tap dancing to “Crazy Rhyme.” Though Dailey isn’t the greatest tap dancer of the 1940s and 1950s, he does a great job.
-Small role of Barbara Lawrence. Though she isn’t in the film very much, she is still delightful to see.
-Small role of Herb Anderson who played the father on the 1950s TV show “Dennis the Menace”

My Review:
“You Were Meant for Me” isn’t an award winning film, but it’s light-hearted and fun.
The musical performances in the film are mainly by Dan Dailey on stage, rather than spontaneous songs and dances brought on by emotion from the character.
The film is in black and white, which isn’t a problem for classic film fans, but shows the 20th Century Fox didn’t see it as an important musical-though it starred two of their top stars.
Crain and Dailey make a good pair and I wish they had been in more films together. Dailey is an underrated actor and does an excellent job with singing in dancing in this film. His voice is mellow and soothing and his tap dancing is believable.
My only complaint is that the film ends rather abruptly. Otherwise, it’s an enjoyable film that I highly suggest.

Check back next week for Musical Monday.

This is part of the Summer Under the Stars blogathon 

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