BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)

Sometime in 2014. Chris the ex-librarian has just had his first movie script green-lighted and it is about to be put into production. But what next?

(Hollywood, California. A prominent unnamed movie exec’s office)

Exec: Come on in kid. What have you got for me?

Chris: First I want to thank you again. I know you have limited time.

Exec: Just make sure you don’t waste it. I just wanted to repeat how much I appreciated the originality of your ninja/coal miner story, but you know what they say…

Chris: You’re only as good as your next one?

Exec: Right. I have taught you well. So I repeat…what you working on?

Chris: (standing up to add emphasis to his pitch) I’m working on a remake.

Exec: A remake, eh? A real hit or miss proposition there. What are we remaking? Nothing Victorian I hope. Nothing prestige at all. That’s not in this year. This studio needs money, not awards. And no Westerns! Wait, I forgot about True Grit. Is it a Western? Wait. That’s still too risky. I need something with boffo special effects. Our CGI department is top of the line, you know. I think it’s time for a sci-fi. Is it sci-fi? I do hope it’s something sci-fi.

Chris: You could say that.

Exec: Let me guess. Probably something from the 50’s. Forbidden Planet? No, too cerebral. That movie where five people are left on earth. What was that called?

Chris: That was called Five.

Exec: Five. That’s right. That would certainly save money on casting. One of my favorites is Them! That might work. Our F/X team could make some killer ants. How about The Day the Earth Stood Still?

Chris: They already remade that one and it stunk.

Exec: Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Why don’t you just tell me? Stop being so shy!

Chris: Well, it’s nothing 50’s. I’m working on an update to Back to the Future.

Exec: Oh! That’s going to be a tough sell. A beloved film for our generation. My kids still watch it. I still watch it. Obviously you still watch it. What’s wrong with the original version?

Chris: Nothing. But don’t you get it? The original is from 1985 and Marty McFly goes back thirty years to 1955. This version will be set in 2015 and he goes back to 1985. Get it now?

Exec: So it’s about mathematics. Thirty is your magic number. Is thirty a prime number? I’m going to buzz my secretary and see if thirty is a prime number or not. Never mind. That’s not important. Anyway, is that all you’re bringing me? It’s going to take more than addition and subtraction for me to sell a Back to the Future remake. So where else you going with this?

Chris: Listen to this. Marty goes back to 1985 and he doesn’t know what to do to get his parents together because nobody has cell phones. Right? And he keeps looking for a computer to get on and he can’t find one and goes to a library and all they have is books! He’s got to get them together before the big Terms of Endearment dance…

Exec: I’m a little interested, but I’m hardly blown away, kid. You got any more?

Chris: Well, a few political jokes. Obviously some Reagan one-liners. Just like in the first one. The real kicker is when Marty tells him that a black man is now president of the United States. It refers to Goldie Wilson the mayor from the first movie, right?

Exec: That’s okay. But there were already two sequels. We know about the future of the series from them.

Chris: They won’t exist in this universe.

Exec: Oh, a full-franchise reboot.

Chris: Reboot. Remake. Whatever! Let’s go for it, C. B!

Exec: Hold your horses. What about the cast? Michael J. Fox’s don’t grow on trees.

Chris: Glad you asked. I was thinking about Dakota Fanning.

Exec: Maybe a good choice for Marty’s mother. That might work. But what about Marty?

Chris: I am talking about Marty. Dakota Fanning as Marty.

Exec: You want Marty to be a girl this time?

Chris: NO! I want Marty to be a boy, but played by a girl. Sort of like Cate Blanchett in I’m Not There.

Exec: That Dylan movie? Are you kidding! How many people saw that? Eight, maybe? So who you got in mind for Doc Brown? You thinking Sean Penn?

Chris: Glad you asked. Here’s the kicker. The Doc Brown character will be changed. The new professor character will be, and remember this is 1985 now….Bill Gates! In between the building of Microsoft, he’s also built a time machine! I’ve got a lot of computer jokes to go with this. You know, we’ll make fun of people not knowing what a floppy disc is. Bill could see an apple and tell Marty how apples aren’t good for him. Get it?. And the catch phrase of the movie will have bad guy Biff saying, “What the hell is DOS?”

Exec: Wait. You got a few strained computer jokes, a female Marty McFly and the founder of Microsoft with a time machine. Have you got anything else?

Chris: Well, the Libyans are now Al-Queda. The Delorean is now an electric car. The clock tower scene would now be a digital clock scene, set at a bank. That would say something about the greed decade, right? And George McFly doesn’t become an author he….wait a minute.

Exec: What is it kid?

Chris: This is all wrong. This isn’t real. I just made this up. I made you up.

Exec: Now see here. You can’t come into my office and-

Chris: Shutup! You’re fictional. I just decided to think of a Back to the Future remake because I can’t believe it’s been almost thirty years since it came out. Thirty years! This is my therapy to deal with the passage of time.

Exec: And you’re trying to find a way to turn back the clock. Well, that explains a lot about me. I was beginning to feel pretty one-dimensional, I admit. Well, since we have determined my fictionalitization, may I go now to wherever it is fictional characters go?

Chris: I don’t think fictionalitization is a word.

Exec: I guess grammar is your problem, kid. By the way, the ninja/coal miner story…it stinks!

(The Exec disappears)

Chris shrugs and pulls out a copy of Back to the Future and decides to watch it again, but without thinking about it so much this time.

PINOCCHIO (1940)

Pinocchio (1940)

Before Viewing: My final post in three weeks of posts from 1940's films is from my favorite Disney animated movie, Pinocchio. Will it remain so or will the whale of disappointment swallow me whole?

After viewing: Still up at the top of the list. Love Geppetto's cuckoo clocks. Great carnival of villains: Monstro, Lampwick, Honest John, Stromboli and the coachman who takes Pinocchio to Pleasure Island. Animation still looks fresh to my untrained eye and the morality tale doesn't seem forced. "Pinocchio, you are a real boy!"

And the final Elisa Cook Jr. supporting player award for the 1940's goes to...Geppetto. No. Check that. I took a poll of the house and the award will instead go to Jiminy Cricket. Just a poor, humble cricket who wants nothing more than to help Pinocchio and maybe get a nice badge from the Blue Fairy for this trouble. Sorry, Geppetto. If you'd just taken the time to walk with Pinocchio to school the first day, all of his problems may have been avoided.

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Expectations: I’ve never seen it. I have seen the Nicholson remake which I thought wasn’t all that memorable, but haven’t seen that one in years.

After Viewing: This film is based on the James M. Cain story is about a drifter played by John Garfield who falls for a restaurant owner’s young wife, played by Lana Turner. They fall in love and plot to do away with him. Interesting film noir. Liked it, but not as much as Double Indemnity. Though I definitely get more “heat” from Garfield and Turner than we get from Double Indemnity’s Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Lana Turner’s legs, since they are showed off to such effect in this film. Let's just say they're impressive...bordering on spectacular.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to… Cecil Kellaway, who has a pretty plum part as the colorful but doomed husband of Lana Turner. It’s certainly a better part than Tom Powers gets in the doomed husband role in Double Indemnity. There’s also a good role here for Hume Cronyn as a shady, but smart attorney. And who is that as Cronyn’s assistant? It’s none other than Alan “Fred Flintstone” Reed!

And the second James M. Cain cuckold award goes to... Cecil Kellaway

DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

Double Indemnity (1944)
Expectations: Another in the category of it’s been many years since I’ve seen it, but remember it as being one of the best of the film noirs.

After Viewing: Billy Wilders’ film based on the James M Cain book is considered by many the first film noir. The plot is about an insurance man (Fred MacMurray) who gets involved with an unhappy young wife (Barbara Stanwyck) and they both plot to do away with her husband and collect the life insurance money. I still really like Double Indemnity, I’m happy to say. Stanwyck is good and the usually likeable MacMurray is even more effective in this change of pace role. The one draw back, which has also been pointed out by others, is the “lack of heat” between the lovers MacMurray and Stanwyck.* They kiss a little and occasionally change positions on the sofa during scene breaks. I honestly can’t tell if they just had sex or were about to play a game of Parcheesi. The major problem, of course, stems from the censorship of the era. I’ve mentioned before that I thought censorship may have actually helped some films from this era as it forced filmmakers to be more creative. In this case, I think if hurt. However, this is a small complaint to a film that would still be on my favorite 100 films of all-time if I ever take the time to compile such a list.** The setting, music, tone, direction and story are all first class in my book.***

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Edward G. Robinson. MacMurray and Stanwyck are impressive in their roles as lovers, but Robinson as the Insurance claims adjuster absolutely steals this movie in every scene he is in. When he goes on and on about statistics on suicides, he’s really fun to watch (I'm not kidding!).

And the first James M. Cain cuckold award goes to…Tom Powers as Stanwyck’s doomed husband. Cheated on and murdered. And not as good a role as Cecil Kellaway had in The Postman Always Rings Twice. Sorry, Tom.

*For more heat of course, you could just watch Body Heat.
** Still haven’t taken the time to compile such a list
***Book for sale in your theater lobby.

ADAM'S RIB (1949)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

Adam’s Rib (1949)
Expectations: I remember in the 70’s, one of the networks had a prime time program called simply The Movies, which showed clips from films from Hollywood's past. I actually tried to write most of the ones down I remembered at the time. I'd like to read the list, but it's really turned the pages have pretty much turned to brown at this point. Anyway, Adam’s Rib was featured on one of the clips. So it’s taken me thirty-six years or so to get around to watching the whole thing. Adam’s Rib was also a short-lived TV series from the early 70’s with Blythe Danner and Ken Howard which I have a vague recognition of.

After Viewing: The plot of Adam’s Rib involves Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn as lawyers on the opposite end of a trial involving a woman accused of attempting to kill her husband. That’s really all you need to know. This movie relies mostly on the chemistry of the two stars (which is considerable) and the sharp script by Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…David Wayne as the witty, gay rival of Tracy for the affections of Ms. Hepburn (And yes, Wayne proves definitively that you can be gay and in love with Katherine Hepburn.) And honorable mention goes to Judy Holliday for her wonderful Melanie Griffith impersonation.

Great Librarian moment: There’s no great librarian moment in Adam’s Rib, but I’d like to mention another Tracy/Hepburn movie, Desk Set from 1957, which is one long great librarian moment. The plot involves an efficiency expert played by Tracy who is looking at the possibility of using or replacing the gallant librarians (led by Katherine Hepburn) working for the conglomerate Federal Broadcasting Company with a computer. The scene where the IBM computer is unable to properly decipher a sophisticated question and the librarians quickly save the day by using books for the answers is really exciting! Honestly! Well, maybe you have to be a librarian.

I’d also like to hand out a bonus Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player to…the lovely Sue Randall of Desk Set. Playing a librarian no less! If you don’t recognize the name, she played elementary school teacher Miss Landers on Leave It To Beaver. I believe this is the first time I’ve seen her in anything else. As as long as we're talking about black and white era teacher crushes, let's throw a rose to June Marlowe who played Miss Crabtree in the Our Gang comedies. Good ole Miss Crabtree...Good ole Miss Landers...

NOTORIOUS (1946)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

Notorious (1946)
Expectations: It’s been many a summer since I’ve seen this one. Mostly remember the scenes from Claude Rains’s wine cellar.

After Viewing: I was actually surprised that this movie seemed to get off to a slow start. It seemed to drag in the establishment of the Ingrid Bergman-Cary Grant relationship. But when the movie goes to Rio and Bergman and Grant get their assignment to get the goods on Nazi sympathizer Claude Rains, the movie takes off and certainly earns its rank in the Hitchcock pantheon. And the final scene is as good as any of them.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Claude Rains, of course. I’m used to Rains playing a bad guy that you can’t help but liking just a little, as in The Adventures of Robin Hood, even though he wants to kill the main character. Or as a bad guy, whose really not so bad at all, as in Casablanca. He usually seems to do this with charm and almost winking at the audience. Not so in Notorious. Dignified: Yes. Winking at the audience: No. He is as terrified meeting the disapproval of his Nazi colleagues and his domeineering mother and he elicits our sympathy to him from go. And who could blame him for falling head over heals for Ingrid Bergman? Even Cary Grant concedes how easy falling in love with her is. So this role is slightly different for Mr. Rains, but he pulls it off well.

THE OX-BOW INCIDENT (1943)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
Expectations: I remember back in the days of Poli Sci at good ole watching this film along with a film about the Leo Frank/Mary Phagan criminal case. Both are good examples of mob justice reaching the wrong conclusion.

After Viewing: Another case of a studio head (Zanuck of Fox) making a film that he knew wasn’t going to make a profit simply because he (buoyed by the persistence of director William Wellman) knew it could be memorable film. And he was right in my opinion.

Glamorous leading ladies needed: So much for the glamorous leading ladies of the forties. The two females with any screen time at all in this film are Jane “Ma Joad” Darwell and Margaret “Wicked Witch of the West” Hamilton. That’s all right, The Ox-Bow Incident is a more of a guy thing, anyway.

DVD commentator discrepancy: Two commentators on this DVD. One, William Wellman Jr., discusses how rare it is that his father would change any original material when he adapted a book for a film. The other commentator then gives us several examples, including two characters that were morphed into one, of how the senior Wellman did just that.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Harry (Henry) Morgan. One of movies and TV’s greatest sidekicks. I’m guessing this was one of his earliest roles as Henry Fonda’s, uh, for lack of a better word…sidekick.

DETOUR (1945)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

Detour (1945)

Expectations: I knew Detour was a film noir from one of Martin Scorcese’s favorite directors Edgar Ullman.

After Viewing: Like the main character in this film who takes an unscheduled detour on the way to California to see his girl, I too am living dangerously with this one. I checked out Five Killer Classics DVD from the library (wish also includes 1001 entry The Stranger) and guess what? No bonus features! Whoa, talk about walking on a tightrope, sister. And when I tried to pull up the subtitles option so’s I could catch me all the dialogue-there was none! Even the film itself had a couple of scenes that looked like it was going to crackle and pop right off my televison! Help! Help! Where’s the film restoration department! But honestly, if you’re going to watch a copy of a film that’s on the cheap, watch Detour. Made for what looks like a hundred bucks-but if someone were to ask me what’s a typical film noir film-I’d probably say Detour.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Screenwriter and original novelist Martin Goldsmith. I said this movie strikes me as typical noir-typical of the genre. Well, a typical noir is going to have lots of voice over narration from the main character. And, brother-does this one have plenty!

Below are some of samples of voice-over narration written by Mr. Goldsmith on what I imagine was pecked out on a 1925 Smith Corona:

That tune! That TUNE! Why was it always that rotten tune-following me around…beating in my head…never letting up? Did you ever want to forget anything? You want to cut away a piece of memory and blot it out? You can’t, you know. No matter how hard you try. You can change the scenery and then you’ll get a whiff of perfume, somebody will say a certain phrase or hum something-then you’re licked…again!

So when this drunk handed me a ten spot I couldn’t get excited. What was it? I said. A piece of paper covered with germs.

Money…you know what that is. It’s the stuff you never have enough of. Little green things with George Washington’s picture that man commits crimes for…slaves for…dies for. It’s the stuff that has caused more trouble than anything we’ve ever invented because there’s too little of it.

Hitchhiking? I know all about how it’s an education. But me? From now on I’ll take my education in college or PS sixty-two where I’ll send a dollar ninety-eight in stamps for ten easy lessons.

Even with a gnawing in the pit of my belly I didn’t want to be in too big a rush to put on the feedbag.

Yes I was in for it…They’d laugh at the truth. And I’d have my head in a noose. What else was there to do but hide the body and get away in the car? I couldn’t leave the car there with him in the gully. That would be like erecting a tombstone.

She was young. Not more than twenty-four. Man, she looked like she had just been thrown off the crummiest freight train in the world. Yet, in spite of this, I got the impression of beauty. Not the beauty of a movie actress mind you or the beauty you dream about when you’re with your wife, but a natural beauty. A beauty that’s almost homely because it’s so real.

If this were fiction, I’d fall in love with her, marry her and make a respectable woman out of her or she’d make some supreme sacrifice for me…and die.

I was suffering from shock. Things were whirling around in my head. I couldn’t make myself think right! All I could think about was the guy playing the saxophone and what he was playing! It wasn’t a love song anymore…It was a DIRGE!

THE STRANGER (1946)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

The Stranger (1946)

Expectations: Another in the it’s been years since I’ve seen it category. Orson Welles stars and directs. Curious to see how it stands up.

After Viewing: The opening sequences of this film do have the stylish touches associated with Mr. Welles. The general plot involves Edward G. Robinson as Nazi hunter tracking down Nazi war criminal Franz Kindler (who Welles plays without an ounce of redeeming qualities) hiding as a teacher in a small town America. You gotta like that.

I thought that since this film has an important climactic scene at a clock tower, it might make a good double feature with Back to the Future…or not.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Billy House as the middle aged, balding, paunchy proprietor/pharmacist of the local general store whose biggest thrill is finding someone to play checkers with him for a quarter a game and snooping into other people’s business. I honestly thought I had seen Mr. House in other movies, but as I looked at his IMDB resume, it seems I was mistaken. But he brings some well-needed humor to a film with grim subject matter.

THE KILLERS (1946)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

The Killers (1946)
Expectations: Knew it was a well thought of film noir with Burt Lancaster.

After Viewing: “Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers” has very little to do with the Hemingway story past the first couple of scenes. Lancaster's character "The Swede" is killed in the first few minutes of the film and the story is told in flashback through the eyes of an insurance investigator researching a claim (a little far-fetched in the extreme it goes to, I admit). The flashback aspect makes me think of this as kind of a film-noir Citizen Kane, well not quite, but I do really like the story-telling technique. And you got to like Lancaster’s evil cabal of crooks for their big heist(Albert Dekker, Jeff Corey and Jack “why wasn’t he a bigger star?” Lambert). And let’s not forget the gorgeous femme fatale (Ava Gardner). There are other plot holes if you really think about it. Why do the killers announce in the opening scene they are there to kill their vicitm and risk someone stopping them or their prey getting away? Why don’t they just play it cool until they find him? * I think the answer is that it makes for a great opening scene that sets the mood for the whole piece.

One reason to watch Don Siegel’s 1964 version of The Killers (other than Lee “my favorite action movie actor of all time** Marvin) is Ronald Reagan.

If you don’t like Reagan, you get to see him play a bad guy that slaps Angie Dickinson to the ground and gets punched out by John Cassavettes.

If you do like Reagan, he slaps Angie to the ground and gets punched out most convincingly.

*This was the question that the director of the 1964 Killers, Don Siegel asked. He didn’t use this scene at all in his version.

**Actually tied with Steve McQueen on my imaginary list. Or maybe Clint Eastwood? But let’s not forget Kirk Douglas…Forget it-this is why my list is imaginary.


And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to...William Conrad. (And I’m talking about the 1946 version here.) Despite the fine supporting players that I mentioned above, I want to single out Conrad here. During this time period the short, stout, balding actor mostly played thugs or hired guns (like he does in The Killers). Who would have thought that this same short, stout, balding actor would become a TV star twenty-five years later as a detective in Cannon and later in Jake and the Fatman? What are the odds that someone with this type of resume and physical appearance would get his own show today? Answer: No chance. Here’s to you, Mr. Conrad. We need more like you and less pretty boys. (Stepping down off my soapbox.)

TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

Expectations: It’s been so long since I’ve seen this. I remember liking it and who among us hasn’t at one time another repeated the line, “I don’t have to show you any stinking badges.”

After Viewing: I try not to state on this blog that a movie is great. I may say how much I liked a movie. You can’t argue with that. But who am I to determine the aesthetic merits of a particular work of art or film? That being said, I’m willing to go out on a limb on this one.

The Treasure of Sierra Madre is a great film.

I can't even explain why it's great, so I'm not going to try.

However, I can safely say that Humphrey Bogart and Walter and John Huston were great.

And I still don’t know who the elusive author B Traven was.

And I still don’t have to show you no stinkin’ badges.

Just watch if you haven't seen it.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Alfonso Bedoya. I realize I should give this to Walter Huston. He deservedly won an Academy Award for the part of the old prospector. The memorable scene where he dances a jig may only be topped by his hysterical laugh near the end of the film. Yes, Walter Huston was great. But let’s give some love to Alfonso Bedoya as the Mexican bandit Gold Hat and remember to repeat Senor Bedoya’s line at every opportunity, “Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I DON’T HAVE TO SHOW YOU NO STINKIN' BADGES!" You’ll be glad you did.

THE BIG SLEEP (1946)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

The Big Sleep (1946)

Expectations: I’ve read the Raymond Chandler book. I’ve seen the film, but it has been many years.

After Viewing: Following shamus Humphrey Bogart as Phillip Marlowe around is not for the faint of heart if keeping up with every aspect of the plot is important to you. I say just try to keep up and don’t worry about unresolved plot points. Did she know that guy? Who killed the chauffer? What was their relationship? I don't really know, so just light up a smoke and pour yourself a brandy (even if you have to indulge your vices by proxy) and enjoy the ride.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to… (ta da!) Elisha Cook Jr.! I feel guilty about not giving Elisha Cook Jr. his own award for The Maltese Falcon, so I’ll give it to him here. Elisha doesn’t show up to the second half of the film, and I don’t think I’m giving any plot point away to say he doesn’t make it to the end. In fact, I’m not sure if Elisha Cook Jr. made it to the end of any film he was in. I think it would be interesting to find out the percentage of his screen appearances he survives until the end credits, but I’ll leave that research for someone else.

TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

To Have and Have Not (1944)

Expectations: I know I've had several viewings of the scene where Lauren Bacall says “You know how to whistle don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.”

After Viewing: I honestly thought I had seen this one before, but it quickly became evident that I had not. I guess I had just seen clips of the “you know how to whistle” scene enough times to make me think I had. The movie has a lot going for it including Lauren Bacall’s screen debut, William Faulkner's screenplay, Ernest Hemingway's original story and ace director Howard Hawks. Overall, the movie feels a little like warmed over Casablanca to me: exotic locations, Bacall taking Ingrid’s Bergman’s romantic love interest role, quirky supporting characters, the neutral Humphrey Bogart eventually falling down on the right side of the fight, there’s even a piano player,-Hoagy Carmichael, who performs the memorable song “Hong Kong Blues,” Not that those similarities are necessarily a bad thing.

But the main draw here is Humphrey Bogart. Woody Allen could have easily gotten his inspiration for Play It Again, Sam from this movie. Who wouldn’t want to emulate someone that cool and unflappable? I just wish I could call a woman that gets out of line a “screwy dame” without sounding silly.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Walter Brennan. The Elisha Cook Jr. award probably should be called the Walter Brennan award, as he was probably the definitive supporting actor of this period. He was also one of those fortunate character actors who looked sixty when he was in his thirties and was able to thrive in supporting roles for decades.
“Was you ever bit by a dead bee?”

And no, I will not discuss the “naked pictures of Walter Brennan” scene from Good Morning, Vietnam.

THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Expectations: This one’s easy. This will be about the fourth time I’ve seen this John Huston/Humphrey Bogart/Dashiell Hammett film and like it better each time.

After Viewing: Even though the appeal of Dasheill Hammett’s story is figuring out what the crooks are up to, this film is so much fun to watch, you really don’t mind having been through this movie before.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Syndney Greenstreet. I feel a little bad about not giving this award to Elisha Cook Jr., since I’ve named this award after him. And I do give credit for the fortyish Mr. Cook playing a twenty-year old gunsel. But this film is top heavy with great supporting players. Barton Maclane or Ward Bond-good, but not good enough for the award here. How about the stunning ten second cameo from director John Huston’s dad Walter? Impressive but not good enough. Mary Astor as the femme fatale? I like her character more with each viewing, but not good enough. Okay, Peter Lorre as the effeminate crook Joel Cairo, perhaps? In almost any other film it would be Lorre. But I’ve got to go with Greenstreet as Casper “The Fat Man” Gutman. Rephrensible, but somewhat charming in his own way-and a perfect counterpoint to Bogart.

THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR (1947)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
Expectations: I’m actually surprised this is an entry in the book. When I think of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, I only have a vague memory of the late 1960’s television series with Hope Lange.

After Viewing: This film about a beautiful widow haunted (but in a totally not-scary way) by an earthy (but deceased) sea captain actually has a lot of charm and wit.

Curiosity: Movie fans bemoan and ridicule the strict Breen Code that censored Hollywood films tremendously from 1934 through the early 50's. Yet, despite these limitations, there are plenty of good films from this era. You wouldn't think this would be so. The commentator to this film states (and I'm beginning to agree with) that screenwriters and directors from this era had to learn to be more subtle in their writing and learned to work this limitation for dramatic advantage. The salty sea dog's cursing with the word "BLAST!" gets the point across well enough just as Mrs. Muir's response by angrily typing out a four-letter word (we don't know what the word is, but we get the idea)when she's angry.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…George Sanders. I most recently saw Sanders as the oily boyfriend in Rebecca. He plays a similar part here. I can’t really see him playing anything but a cad. (Though he did later play Mr. Freeze on an episode of Batman). I should also give a nod to screenwriter Phillip Dunne (How Green Was My Valley) as well.

HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

How Green Was My Valley (1941)

Expectations: This was the John Ford film that beat out Citizen Kane and Sullivan’s Travels for best picture at the 1941/1942 Academy Awards. Haven't seen it.

After Viewing: And it is a good film. A sweeping story of 19th century Welsh coalminers. I can see why the Academy picked it over the brilliant but more controversial Kane. Of course, How Green Was My Valley was a little controversial with its pro-Union message.

On the accompanying DVD commentary track by film historian Joseph MacBride, he can’t seem to understand why the unattached minister Walter Pidgeon turns down the advances of the beautiful Maureen O’ Hara. Well, let me explain…Maybe it’s because he puts her on so high a pedestal that he is so afraid of disappointing her. Maybe it's because he feels that his devotion to the community is more important. Maybe he thinks it would interfere with his higher calling to the church, maybe he…Ok, I don’t understand it either.

Note to self: Since this is the second film in a row I’ve watched where a young character has read Ivanhoe, (Shadow of a Doubt’s precocious Ann being the other) I must put Ivanhoe on the top of my reading list immediately! Malcolm Gladwell's latest book will just have to wait!

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Master Roddy McDowall (that’s how he’s billed). Now why wouldn’t I give this to Donald Crisp as the Morgan family patriarch? He did win a supporting Academy Award for this after all. I agree that his performance is memorable. It is also a lead role in my book.* You can almost make the same argument for Master Roddy. In fact, this is one of the few films from this era that I really couldn’t pick out who the star of the film is. I know Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O’ Hara are top billed, but they too are really supporting players in my book. **

* My book is on sale in the lobby.
** My book is still on sale in the lobby.

SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Expectations: The king of directors competition in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die contest is pretty much a slam-dunk in favor of Sir Alfred Hitchcock. There are 18 Hitchcock movies listed. 18! The second place director, Howard Hawks has only 11. (I think I did the math right).
I’m looking forward to watching Shadow of a Doubt as I haven’t seen it and no next to nothing about it.

After viewing: The plot really unravels slowly, but I didn’t mind that. The story gets where its going at its own speed and the slow arc heightens the drama. A good cast (led by Joseph Cotton and Teresa Wright), a good story and a pretty decent director too.

And as I often do when I spot them I must point out a great librarian moment. Teresa Wright has got to get hold of a newspaper article from the local public library that may or may not incriminate her Uncle. But the library has just closed! And what does the kindly librarian do? She lets the distraught young lady in and gets down the newspaper in question and gives Teresa three minutes to find the article she is looking for so the plot can continue. A thoughtful professional, I must say.
Let this be a reminder: If you need to use the public library, please make note of library hours and judge your time accordingly. Librarians have lives too!

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Screenwriter Thornton Wilder. Certainly a big name Hitchcock got to pen the majority of this screenplay, which is well done. But who knows how much is Wilder and how much are the script doctors (including Mrs. Hitchcock). Other memorable supporting players in this film include Henry (Clarence, Angel second class) Travers, Hume (he was actually young once) Cronyn, Patricia (the sweet mother who is slow to catch on) Collinge and daughter Edna May (the smart daughter, whose character has read Ivanhoe, which makes her a better man than I am, Gunga Din) Wonacutt and Wallace (Wasn’t he the one who was going to buy Schlitze the Pinhead a hat with a feather coming out of it in Freaks?) Ford.

GASLIGHT (1944)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

Gaslight (1944)
Expectations: This is a movie I’ve heard about since I was a kid, but have never seen. I know that Charles Boyer tries to drive his wife Ingrid Bergman insane. To what end? I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to watch.

After viewing: A good psychological thriller. And why do movie trailers (Like the one for this film) show scenes from the last parts of the movie? If you show me how it ends, I’m much less likely to want to see it. This was true of trailers in the 40’s and true of movies today. I’m just wondering.

I can see why they gave the Oscar to Ingrid Bergman. She loses her marbles with great aplomb.

And “to gaslight” someone-I imagine comes from the play and subsequent movie (technically movies since there is a British version of Gaslight as well). But does anyone use the term any more? It never really comes up that much for me.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to...Angela Lansbury. Who’d have thought Angela Lansbury was ever a teenager, let alone a teenager with an attitude?

YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

Expectations: I haven’t seen Yankee Doodle Dandy in sometime. My fear is that it will probably come off as a little dated.

After Viewing: Well they certainly don’t make um like this anymore. A very sanitized version of the life of song and dance legend George M. Cohan features his rise and, well his rise and retirement and ends with his triumphant return to Broadway. Much of this biography is told through the music. The section from Cohan’s Broadway production of Little Johnny Jones seems to run about twenty minutes.

I always scoff at people who don’t watch black and white films. I don’t ever see a black and white film and say to myself, “Boy, I wish this had been in color.” Ok, I will make ONE exception. I wish Yankee Doodle Dandy had been in color. I think it would have really enhanced some of many musical numbers.

This movie was also so well timed. It came out right after the U. S. entry into World War II and fans embraced the patriotic fervor of this film. Also, after many years of effort, Cohan finally got a biography on screen that met with his approval. The film was released only a few months before his death in 1942.
And of course, James Cagney as Cohan seems like such a natural choice now, though it is really in contrast to so many of his tough guy roles.

I don’t mean to say I didn’t like Yankee Doodle Dandy. I actually did. I was just struck at times by the lack of conflict in the story. Still recommended, but for enhanced enjoyment, try to view on the Fourth of July or Memorial Day.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. Supporting Player Award goes to...Walter Huston. I also really liked Huston in Dodsworth and Treasure of the Sierra Madre. I don’t think the acting part of the role here is as demanding as those other films, but he proves himself to be quite a good song and dance man playing Cohan’s father. I’d also like to give an honorable mention to Joan Leslie as George M’s Yankee Doodle Sweetheart because she’s just so damn adorable.

THE LADY EVE (1941)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

The Lady Eve (1941)
Expectations: Yet another Preston Sturges feature. I’m a fan of his other films, think he writes snappy dialogue, Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck seem like a winning team. What’s not to like?

After viewing: Peter Bogdanavich calls it "the perfect romantic comedy." I don’t know if I liked it as much as some of the other films of Sturges, but I did like it. The whole Stanwyck coning Fonda-then falling in love-breaking up with hime and returning to extract revenge on him and not even disguising herself and he doesn’t recognize her…and...forget the plot…it’s typical Sturges from that era, which is a compliment. And Henry Fonda can do comedy! And Barbara Stanwyck is alluring and…guess I did like it, though maybe not as much as Mr. Bogdanavich.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to …William Demarest. He has been in every Sturges film I have seen, as well as many other features from this time period. And of course, he was later Uncle Charlie on My Three Sons. And what did all his characterizations have in common? Grumpiness, grouchiness and cynicism. He’s used most effectively here as Fonda’s assistant who doesn’t trust Stanwyck (and rightly so) throughout the entire picture.

PALM BEACH STORY (1942)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

Palm Beach Story (1942):
Expectations: I knew it featured the director-star team (Preston Sturges, Joel McCrea) of one of my favorite movies from the 1940’s, Sullivan’s Travels.

After viewing: I watched this movie after watching about ten Ingmar Bergman movies in a row. (If you aren’t familiar with Bergman, he doesn’t specialize in screwball comedies). The contrast made it seem like the dialogue in Palm Speech Story was speeded up like a 33 1/3 album turned up to 45*.. Anyway, the script was very funny, but as I said, it was so quickly paced, I found myself backing up the tape to get some of the dialogue I missed the first time through. My favorite line goes something like, “Nothing is forever…except for Roosevelt**.” Also look fast for clever sequence going on behind the opening credits.

*Yes, I do realize vinyl references may appear dated.
**Line only funny pre-1945.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to …Frank Faylen. Seems strange to award someone with just one scene in a movie that has such impressive second bananas as Mary Astor, Rudy Vallee, William Demarest, and Franklin Pangborn in it. But when I saw Frank driving that cab halfway through the movie it foreshadowed the cab he would drive four years later in It’s a Wonderful Life and who doesn’t love It’s a Wonderful Life?

REBECCA (1940)

I really enjoyed posting two straight weeks of blogs on Hollywood films from the 1930's, and so for the 1940's I'm going to up the ante and try for three weeks worth. Looking at titles I have left from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, this shouldn't be a problem. As before, I’ll list my expectations for each film going in and state whether these expectations are reached or not. And I’ll once again give each film my Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award because there was such a bounty of great supporting performers from this period and I just like doing it.

Rebecca (1940):
Expectations: Always look forward to viewing a Hitchcock film. Knew this was his only Best Picture winner. Laurence Olivier is usually worth seeing (Unless it’s in something like Harold Robbins’ The Betsy or The Jazz Singer). I knew it was also based on the famous novel of the same name.

After viewing: I had forgotten (or maybe I never realized) this was David O Selznick’s follow up to Gone With the Wind. It appears (and is confirmed by the accompanying commentary track) to be part Hitchcock style and part O. Selznick epic. This competing combination seems to works for the most part.

I honestly don’t recall seeing a movie with Joan Fontaine before, but she is quite fetching and well cast here. Another interesting supporting role is George Sanders as Olivier’s oily voiced rival. However, any fan of Rebecca will probably tell you the showcase role is that of the macabre Mrs. Danvers and Judith Anderson plays it to the hilt.

The overall plot does have some holes in it (As Hitchcock himself points out-Where did the second body come from?) but it isn’t hard to see why Rebecca (The book and the film) has had an enduring appeal.

And the Elisha Cook Jr. supporting player award goes to…Judith Anderson, of course. Though I admit it is tempting to throw a bone to Jasper the loyal cocker spaniel.