TomJH
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Posts posted by TomJH
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Well, the first half of the film has Cooper's character more or less just floating before he is lured into the rackets. In the later scenes, though, certainly after it's apparent that his boss wants his woman, his character then starts to assert more control.
In fact, one of the main obsessions of "Big Guy" Paul Lukas in City Streets seems to be with the women of his underlings and then knocking off those underlings in order to clear the way for him with them.
Since Al Capone reportedly said that City Streets is a more realistic portrait of gangsters than most films, was that his way of saying that gangsters spent a lot of time knocking off each other because they liked the other guy's woman? I guess if you hung out with Big Al it might have been better for your long term possibilities if you had a girlfriend that looked like Huntz Hall in drag (though, perhaps, not so good for your love life).
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James, not for a moment do I try to imply that the Huston-Bogart version doesn't have far more depth than the '31 Falcon. I just think that it's a very interesting film from the viewpoint of its pre-code portrayal of free and easy sex (or, at least, freer and easier than the '41 portrait). And, as I said, while Bogart remains the definitive Spade, I also enjoy the kind of sleaziness that Cortez brings to his interpretation of the role, as well.
Ricardo Cortez often seemed to play rather dislikable, less than honourable, characters on screen, and his Sam Spade is no exception to that rule. Bogart's Spade, while tough as nails, is still fairly honourable, in my opinion and, therefore, more admirable as a character. But that doesn't mean that an oily pre-code Spade like Cortez isn't well worth a viewing. At least, for me.
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lavenderblue and mark, thanks very much for your comments. That was very kind of both of you to say, and, Mark, once you see City Streets, it would be great to read your response to it. Lavenderblue, I gather by your comment that you also really enjoyed the Mamoulian film since you want to see it again.
I'm very grateful to TCM for making City Streets available for us (last night was at least their third broadcast of the film) because it is such a rare little gem to find.
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City Streets, a sophisticated Paramount gangster tale in contrast to the street gritty Warners hoodlum sagas, is a highly entertaining pre-code joy, for me. Hammett's original screenplay is augmented by the highly inventive direction of Rouben Mamoulian and elegant photography of Lee Garmes.
The film has some wonderful touches, I feel. Yes, the casting of people like Gary Cooper and Paul Lukas as gangsters seems a little strange. Then, again, this film was reputedly a favourite of Al Capone, who called it the most realistic of gangster films.
Whether it's realistic or not, it sure is stylish. The casting of jovial, smiling Guy Kibbee as a ruthless mob member works extremely well. Now it may seem like counter casting but at the time this 1931 effort had one of Kibbee's first roles.
I love the scene in which the audience knows that Kibbee plans to bump off boss Stanley Fields, and as you see the shot of the smaller Kibbee walking behind Fields, Garmes' photography gradually has Kibbee's shadow loom larger so that it finally towers over Fields, a (pardon the expression) foreshadowing of what is to come.
Of course, there's also the famous voiceover narrative sequence set in the prison cell, in which there are variations of previous audio dialogues played on the soundtrack as a distraught Sylvia Sidney lies in her bunk at night. (Only Hitchcock had done the same thing earlier in a British talkie, before Mamoulian became the first American director to do so in this film).
Speaking of Sidney, she's really excellent in this film. She would later became something of a specialist in being cast as heroines of the Depression, her large soulful eyes reflecting the sadness of those economic times. Still, part of me would have loved to have seen original casting choice Clara Bow in this role. As Bow showed the following year when she made Call Her Savage, she was a great, spontaneous actress, and, to put it mildly, one smoking hot sexy lady.
Bow and former off screen lover Cooper might have burnt up their scenes together in City Streets. Aside from that lament, however, Sidney's casting is actually one of the highlights of the film for me. As for Cooper, I found him charmingly boyish, unlikely as gangster material, I admit, but quite engaging in his role. Coop never played in a gangster film again, and it's perhaps it's just as well, but his one fling at the genre would be in an impressive, if little remembered, effort.
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I have little doubt that critics of the 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon would probably be a lot more receptive to this pre-code version of the Hammett detective novel if they didn't have the Huston-Bogart version to which they can compare it.
I quite liked Ricardo Cortez as Spade. His smooth oily superficial charm masked a ruthless character completely out for himself. The only person for whom he may have had a little affection (just maybe) was secretary Una Merkel. Everyone else, particularly the women, look out, this man is ready to use you. But let's not forget that Hammett's Spade is not the same romantic knight-of-the-streets that was Raymond Chandler's Marlowe.
Therefore, even though street tough Bogart is clearly the definitive Spade, smooth, oily Cortez worked quite well in his role, I thought. The script does allow glimpses of conscience pangs from Cortez when he visits a weepy Bebe Daniels in prison, only to largely negate that a moment later when we see him smiling at the fadeout. Cortez, ultimately, really is a cold one, not as physically hard or imposing as Bogart but seemingly more shallow as a character. Some may cite that shallowness as just Cortez as an actor but I think it's still effective in the 1931 Spade role.
Yes, the supporting cast here looks like lost opportunities compared to Lorre, Greenstreet and Cook in the '41 version. But then there's Bebe Daniels as Ruth Wonderly (we never do hear the first name in the '41 version, do we?). Being a pre-code film, Daniels has the opportunity to be a lot more sensual than would school marmish Mary Astor in the Huston take on the same tale. Astor gives a more intelligent reading of her role (as does all the cast in the '41 version) but sexy Astor is not. (Yes, I know she doesn't have the opportunity, though I'm not certain that Astor could have pulled that aspect off as well anyway). I am saying, however, that Daniels brings a sensuality to her part lacking in the '41 version, and it adds to her portrayal as a femme fatale.
Unlike some of the other posters' takes on this film, I think that the '31 Maltese Falcon, while clearly no classic, is still quite entertaining, with the inherent advantages to be found by being done in the pre-code period compensating for supporting performances that do not measure up to those in the Huston version. Cortez's snake-in-the-grass charm works well as Spade for me. It's just a different take on the well known Bogart interpretation of the role, and that may take a little getting used to.
Cortez as Spade: a womanizing snake out for Number One.
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Matte paintings and the magic of the movies:
A wonderful feel of an exotic land. The two stars are standing in front of a matte painting of India.
rains[/i]Came+-+ettore.jpg]
Artist Hector Serbaroli painting a statute of Queen Victoria for a matte shot in The Rains Came.
And here's the shot.
Note the painting on the right done by the artist in the white hat.
Here's that same painting in The Rains Came, with two actors and a prop tree in front.
And here's a behind-the-scenes shot on the set of The Rains Came, with director Clarence Brown proudly showing his film's two stars a flag from his old alma mater. While this photo might not be exactly a spontaneous moment it's still interesting to see that they took a little time out while filming the picture's hospital scenes for this shot.
Clarence[/i]BrownTheRainsCameDVDReviewMyrnaLoyTyrone+Power.jpg]
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Arturo, thanks for the note that The Rains of Ranchipur is coming on next week. It's a film I've never seen. Considering how much George Brent gets derided on these threads, it's nice that a few of us acknowledge how very good he was in The Rains Came.
I just wish that his character hadn't gotten pushed to the side so much in the film's final couple of reels, as the story emphasis is then placed upon the film's two top billed stars. Still, I think the final vengeance was Brent's because, in spite of that, he's still, in my opinion, the most charming and nuanced performer in the film.
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*lavenderblue wrote:* {font:arial, helvetica, sans-serif}*Tom, if a poster hadn't read your previous post, one would think you didn't enjoy the film as much as that previous post reads.*
lavenderblue, my first posting reflects the general overall enthusiasm that I feel for The Rains Came, based on its drop dead gorgeous production values. My second posting reflects the fact that its story and characterizations are the least of the film's virtues (though, having said that, the cast is still fun to watch in their roles).
Any film with a shot of Maria Ouspenskaya smoking her cigarette in a long cigarette holder like this is okay with me:
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!
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Now THAT is a character actress!{font}
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lavenderblue and Fred, I don't know how faithful the screenplay was to the Louis Bromfield novel. Quite frankly, while I enjoy watching the cast, I can't say that I find the story to be particularly gripping.
Certain Myrna's character had to pay a double price at the end since the film was made during the production code era. Since 1) her character had been a "bad woman" no matter how ladylike Loy played her and 2) she fell in love with (heavens!!!) "a copper Apollo." Therefore, Myrna was pretty well doomed even if her character did try to reform before the film's end.
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Dothery, I've always been quite fond of The Rains Came, as well.
Lovely exotic sounding music, incredible sets and costumes, and an eye popping cast of stars and character players. And all climaxing with a still impressive special effects display of earthquake and flood. In addition to which, George Brent gives a genuinely charming performance as a cynical man of the world type, the most interesting actor in the film, as far as I'm concerned. (Though you also have the rare opportunity to see Nigel Bruce play a dislikable character).
Above all, though, The Rains Came is great eye candy, with some of the best matte paintings if its era. It's Hollywood's idea of India, and what a great visual treat it is.
Came[/i]flood+scene_opt.jpg]
Even the opening titles are a joy:
rains[/i]came+titles_opt.jpg]
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Clint Eastwood had the courage to take an artistic gamble by casting himself as the mercurial film director based on John Huston in White Hunter Black Heart. I don't think that it was a gamble that quite paid off, though. Eastwood may be larger-than-life but he's not flamboyant, either verbally or in person, like Huston. Still, it's an interesting film for fans of Huston or The African Queen.
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Thanks, NoraCharles. That was my point about the ample screen time given to the Walter Connolly and Roscoe Karns characters in 20th Century. They do provide that Hawks comedy with the saner moments of balance that the film requires so as not to be constantly crazy and a little overwhelming for the viewer (at least this one). Connolly and Karns' performances, including Roscoe's snappy line deliveries, are part of the real gems of that film, which help to make the film a treat for me upon repeat viewings.
And I couldn't agree with you more about Affairs of Cellini, a terrific tongue-in-cheek costume romp. Frederic March is flamboyant as the sculptor/artist/lover but, in my opinion, stops short of giving a ham performance. Ironically, considering our postings here about 20th Century, this is the kind of role that a younger John Barrymore could have played in his sleep.
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*jamesjazzguitar wrote:* *20th is just too much crazy, too much of the time and that really wears one down and thus it gets old quick.*
Obviously one's mood and receptiveness to certain types of comedies, certainly the screwballs (which, as an overall comedy genre, I find to be somewhat dated) will impact your enjoyment of "crazy"comedy. Wheeler and Woolsey, Olsen and Johnson and the Marx Brothers are all an acquired taste, not to mention the Ritz Brothers (there's a taste I never really acquired, outside of their version of The Three Musketeers).
However, I don't want to get away from MissW's theme of hamminess on this thread by vering off into screwball comedy, of which 20th Century is a noteworthy combination of both. Personally, I just love John Barrymore's ham in this film. I think his Oscar Jaffe is an inspired spoof of all theatre eccentrics (I rather suspect that people within the rarefied atmosphere of the theatre may appreciate this film and his performance even more than those of us not exposed to the tempermental antics that take place on the other side of the curtain. Thinking about it, who would be more appropriate casting in 1934 in a spoof of those eccentrics than an actor like Barrymore, regarded as a stage luminary who "sold out" by going to Hollywood).
Yes, it's a pretty crazy, over-the-top comedy which I can understand may simply be too much for some. (Lombard's skill as a comedienne would clearly grow over the next few years but it all started for her with this film).
Don't forget that the film also has two "saner" characters, in balance to Barrymore and Lombard, with Jaffe's henchmen, as played by Walter Connolly and Roscoe Karns. They are both cynical and throwing out verbal zingers indicating that, even though they're loyal to Barrymore's semi-lunatic producer, they also have a proper perspective on his character's antics, as well.
While people remember this film primarily for its two stars, I think that both Connolly and Karns have sizeable screen time, as well, and both make wonderful contributions to (my perception of) the overall merriment of the film. And neither of their characters are quite so crazy as the boss who commands them and is forever ready to "close the iron door" on them or anyone else who gets his hyper back up.
Ultimately, of course, humour is a matter of personal taste. But if you want a prime representation of the type of ham acting that this thread is about, you'll be hard pressed to find a much better one than Barrymore in this film, a performance that is totally appropriate for the film in which it is at the centre.
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Thanks, Dothery for the Tony Galento article. Love that Max Baer quote. Maxsie always had a sense of humour. And, yes, the night Baer fought Louis, Louis did go home early.
Mongo, just so you don't think this is an attempted boxing hijack of your great movie photo thread, I hope you don't mind if I combine boxing and movies together with this shot from the set of The Harder They Fall. Yes, that's Bogie, of course, with Max Baer on the left and Jersey Joe Walcott on the right, both of whom appeared in the film with him.
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Great shot of John Garfield with the former heavyweight champion, Mongo. I realize that Garfield was not physically the largest star in Hollywood but Jim Jeffries really looks HUGE beside him.
Jeffries was a big man, a former sparring partner of Gentleman Jim Corbett's, but not the most scientific of fighters. A big puncher, he used to cover up his head and take shot after shot from opponents who simply couldn't deck the big man before he eventually caught up with them and knocked them out.
Gentleman Jim himself attempted two championship comeback attempts against Jeffries. In their first fight, a 25-rounder, Corbett was boxing Jeffries head off and was miles again on points by the end of Round 22. The only way Corbett could lose was to get knocked out, which is exactly what happened in the next round when Jeffries caught the former champ with a single punch. A few years later the two had a rematch but an older Corbett was knocked out quicker this time, in the 10th.
Jeffries retired as the first undefeated heavyweight champ in 1905, revered for years by old time fight fans. He was talked into a disasterous comeback 5 years later, though, against Jack Johnson, the first black champion. Johnson out-boxed and out-slug the aging Jeffries, prolonging the fight for 15 rounds before the slaughter was ended. Jeffries then retired back to his alfalfa farm once again, never to return to the ring again.
But it showed how much White America believed in the legend of Jeffries, emerging from retirement after 5 years without a warmup fight, thrown in the ring with a cagey boxing genius like Johnson, and expected to win. It was, instead, a grotesque mismatch, and the racially divisive search for the "great white hope" was on in a very ugly time in heavyweight boxing history.
After Johnson eventually lost the crown in 1916 (controversy concerning whether the loss was fixed or not, though it probably wasn't), it wouldn't be for another 21 years that a black man would be allowed to fight for the heavyweight crown once again. And that man would do rather well - his name, Joe Louis. It was a different era from Johnson's however, and Louis would be loved by Americans of all races. Controversy would return in the 60s to the heavyweight crown once again, and, with it, the legend of Muhammad Ali.
Sorry, end of heavyweight boxing history lesson.
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*AHHHH, STABBED IN THE HEART, I'VE BEEN!!! Told that I'm a DRAMA KING!!! Who? Me?*
*I CLOSE THE IRON DOOR ON YOU!*
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*Bogart subtly blowing Steiger off the screen in The Harder they Fall*
A highly arguable statement. I take nothing away from Bogie, who was fine his last role. In contrast to the cool, laid back Bogart acting style, however, Steiger's explosive intensity worked very well in this particular film, I thought. I've never been a Steiger fan but I'm certainly willing to acknowledge that I have found him very good in a number of films, and I would count Harder They fall among them. (The others: On the Waterfront, The Pawnbroker, Doctor Zhivago, In the Heat of the Night, perhaps a few others that don't immediately come to mind).
PS: Sorry, I intended that this comment be addressed to Addison De Witless, not misswonderly.
Edited by: TomJH on May 30, 2013 7:10 PM
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lydecker, I coudn't agree with you more. Ann Sheridan had the best lines in Torrid Zone and that beautiful lady made the most of them with her pungant delivery. Sheridan was also allowed to show a softer side to her character in that film, bringing a slight sense of vulnerability to the role, as well.
One of the film's best one liners occured when Sheridan was in jail, having made friends with bandito George Tobias in an adjacent cell. After Tobias is removed from his cell, because he is about to face a firing squad, he removes a ring from his finger and hands it to Sheridan.
"Here, seniorita," he says, "I will not need this where I am going."
Sheridan accepts the ring.
"Afraid it will melt?" she asks.
I just love that one liner. On paper it may look a little nasty but it doesn't play that way on film. Tobias laughs in response and beautiful Annie has such a look of concern on her face as she says it that you just know it's her way of trying to lighten an otherwise dark moment.
Ann Sheridan, the only co-star of James Cagney during his prime years as a mega star who stole a film from him.
The great Ann Sheridan in Torrid Zone
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Max, the image that you selected from Mata Hari is pure camp. While it's been a few years since I last saw the film, I don't recall her performance as being over-the-top like this posed shot suggests. I stand ready to be corrected on this performance, however, because, as I said, it's been a while since viewing it.
Certainly, though, if you regard her work as "lesser ham" in Camille and Ninotchka, we have different ideas of what constitutes ham acting. Her performance in Camille, in fact, is remarkably subtle and nuanced, in my opinion. She beautifully captures the maturity of a sophisticated worldly woman in that film, in my opinion.
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*lydecker wrote:{font:arial, helvetica, sans-serif}Love him in "Torrid Zone" where he is doing a great combination of Fast Talker and SOB and{font}*
*{font:arial, helvetica, sans-serif}actually seems to be doing a much better job than Cagney in that film where Cagney (who didn't{font}*
{font:arial, helvetica, sans-serif}*want to do the movie) seem to be "phoning it in."*
If Cagney was "phoning it in" in Torrid Zone, I wish more actors would have used that phone line. Cagney had a chemistry with Ann Sheridan in that film that Pat O'Brien would never have had.
Having said that, I do enjoy O'Brien's fast patter performances, and he is good in Torrid Zone. {font}
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TB, as I stated, there may be some later Webb performances that I missed. I don't think, however, that ham applies to any of Webb's 40s work, certainly not the three famous performances of his that I listed.
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An actor to whom the term ham is applied more often than most is John Barrymore. Certainly the term applies to much of his later film work (though not all, look at his understated Louis XV in Marie Antoinette), as well as in the often broad theatrical flourishes to be found in much of his silent screen work.
The early talkies, however (1930-34) managed to allow Barrymore to have some memorable character work before personal demons destoyed both his career and him. Grand Hotel, Topaze and Councillor at Law, for example, all have wonderfully understated sensitive work by the actor that give strong indications of what it may have been that some critics saw in him when he was referred to as "the world's greatest actor."
One of my favourite Barrymore performances is as Svengali, which I've often seen referred to as "ham." I love his larger-than-life theatrical acting here, alternating from comic in the film's earlier scenes to increasingly more bizarre and ominous as the film progresses to, in the film's final moments, surprisingly sympathetic.
I've resented the term ham applied to this particular performance because I regard the word as probably intended as a putdown. I suppose it depends upon the context of the sentence in which it is stated. To me, his Svengali is grand and, as I stated earlier, larger than life. Unlike some of his later work, Barrymore has control of this performance, in my opinion, and makes a memorable impression. He's also great fun to watch in a Svengali-like followup, The Mad Genius.
Where Barrymore was a deliberate ham and it never worked better was when he played Oscar Jaffe, the conniving, egomanical Broadway producer, a lampoon on all stage-related eccentrics, in Hawks' happy screwball comedy, 20th Century.
Barrymore-[/i]Svengali-1931.jpg]
Svengali: The eyes have it in this scene.
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I don't understand why anyone would call Clifton Webb a ham. A priggish, supercilious type, yes. Perhaps some may regard some of his performances as being caricatures. But looking at some prime Webb performances such as those in either Laura or The Razor's Edge (drama) or Sitting Pretty (comedy), while his characters' idiosyncracies may seem extreme, I would never accuse the actor himself of overplaying them. Quite the contrary, his Waldo Lydecker performance, for example, is a wonderfully self contained performance.
When Webb is at his best, such as in those three films mentioned above, for example, I quite appreciate him as an admirably restrained actor even if I want nothing to do with the prickly characters that he is playing. Possibly people are thinking of Webb performances that I haven't seen when they call him a ham. From what I've seen of the actor, however, his acting style is pretty well the same in all his roles, except that some are played for more humourous effect.
Webb hardly belongs along side the likes of a Charles Laughton or Robert Newton or John Barrymore when it comes to ham, or, for that matter, as has been pointed out by MissW and others, the body language hammy feet shuffling, staring off into space mannerisms of some method actors.
An earlier poster also listed Greta Garbo as a ham. Sorry. I'm lost again on including this understated actress as one (with the possible exception of her Grand Hotel performance).
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There's been some talk on this thread of Kirk Douglas being a ham. Truth is, I always thought of ol' Kirk as being an intense actor rather than an over-the-top one.
But if you think Kirk's a ham then let's not forget his great screen twin brother, Burt Lancaster. Look at some of those teeth flashing exuberant physical performances that he gave, particularly in the '50s, Crimson Pirate, Vera Cruz, The Rainmaker. I get a kick out of Lancaster in all these films (in Vera Cruz he borders on self parody) but what a huge slice of sizzling bacon fat he is in them.
Film Noir Fridays: Can't Hardly Wait !
in General Discussions
Posted
*Andy wrote about City Streets: {font:arial, helvetica, sans-serif}And then there's that final scene, with Cooper and Sidney driving off into the sunset, with the birds flying above the sea, on what must be the most deserted highway in America, and what do we hear?{font}*
*DIE MEISTERSINGER!*
Paramount must have liked that shot, a combination of flying birds (seagulls?) and classical musical. A year later they used it again as the final image in another Gary Cooper film, A Farewell to Arms, this time to the accompaniment of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde. In fact, I think they may have even lifted the same footage that was used in City Streets for it.
In the first film the birds represented freedom while in the second it was the end of the war.