TopBilled

THE CARPETBAGGERS (1964)

SAIGON (1948)

THE GHOST GOES WEST (1935)

BREAKTHROUGH (1950)

PHFFFT! (1954)

Angela Lansbury

The Addams Family

Sonny Tufts Next: had gray hair at a young age

Wilford Brimley

Henry, Gloria

NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY (1968)

There are a few titles TBA.

James Mason Next: had trouble with the I.R.S.

EAST SIDE WEST SIDE (1949)

schedule of films thursday november 3 the seventh veil (1945) the desert fox-- the story of rommel (1951) the man in grey (1943) east side west side (1949) madame bovary (1949) the return of the scarlet pimpernel (1937) friday november 4 the wicked lady (1945) hotel reserve (1944) thursday november 10 bigger than life (1956) the pumpkin eater (1964) georgy girl (1966) lolita (1962) cry terror! (1958) friday november 11 the decks ran red (1958) forever darling (1956) the story of three loves (1953) thursday november 17 lord jim (1965) the last of sheila (1973) the verdict (1982) the mackintosh man (1973) inside out (1975) friday november 18 the sea gull (1968) thursday november 24 north by northwest (1959) a star is born (1954) odd man out (1947) the prisoner of zenda (1952) julius caesar (1953)

A great choice. James Mason was previously Star of the Month in 2003.

Today's neglected film is from 1935. It has aired twice on TCM. I had recorded this one when it aired on TCM in 2014 (they have not broadcast it since then). I put VICTOR VICTORIA, a loose Hollywood remake, on the same disc. Interestingly, this sharp British production was itself a remake of a German title, VIKTOR UND VIKTORIA (1933). I think you have to be a fan of exuberant musical numbers. You also have to be a fan of Jessie Matthews and her husband Sonnie Hale in order to enjoy this film. The duo’s eccentric over the top stage performances are often manic, and to be honest, are probably an acquired taste. But they also know how to skillfully play the story’s more tender dramatic moments. They are at their best in the early segment where their impoverished characters meet and come up with the idea for a very original act. He has lost his singing voice due to a bad cold bordering on laryngitis, so she fills in for him. His routine usually consists of him appearing before a music hall crowd as a bawdy impersonator. So when she substitutes during his illness, she becomes a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman. A short-cropped haircut helps fools people. The clever ruse works and their act is a large success. The travel from England across the European continent. Several times they bump into a glamorous princess (Anna Lee, who does some fine supporting work) and a self-absorbed prince (Griffith Jones). Of course, this leads to a quadrangle with outrageous mishaps occurring. They’re all decidedly heterosexual here which means they all have a morally correct ending at the film’s conclusion, after Matthews’ masquerade is exposed. Favorite bit is a swimming scene along the Riviera. Jones needs to determine if the object of his desire has male or female anatomy. When he realizes she’s actually a she and not a he, then he is able to pursue her. But the first thing he does upon learning her true gender is to apologize! The 1982 remake by Blake Edwards features dialogue using the words ‘gay’ and ‘homosexual.’ It allows the male part of the act (Robert Preston) to be openly gay. So maybe that later version gets a few extra points for being a bit more daring, but this 1935 British production is also quite risqué. And a whole lot of fun to watch.

Don Ameche

Francis Lederer

Liked all the images posted yesterday. two thousand five hundred sixty-sixth category Receiving a medal or award THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) COOL RUNNINGS (1993) LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (2006)

Roper, Stanley -- played by Norman Fell on TV's Three's Company

THE TRAIN ROBBERS (1973) Next: THE TRAIN (1964)

THE GOLDEN GLOVES STORY (1950)

LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (1962)

Bette Davis Next: another Warner Brothers contract player in the 1930s