RAMBLES Part II

[JackFavell]

Wow!

 

Bronxie - that is great! I have been dithering over Heathcliff and Cathy, wondering all during this discussion if they could have switched roles would they have been happier? Now I know someone else feels that way too. (MissG will kill me if I compare it to Gun Crazy so I won't.)

 

*DEEP VALLEY* SPOILERS

 

I just watched *Deep Valley* with Dane Clark and Ida Lupino, which also has *Wuthering Heights* overtones. I just loved this movie - except for the ending. It wasn't bad, I just wanted a different outcome for the characters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These photos don't do justice to how beautiful Ida Lupino looked in this movie. It was so nice to see her loose and imperfect and natural. She was gorgeous.

 

The cast was just right, with *Henry Hull* and *Fay Bainter* spot on as Ida's hate filled parents. Their love story mimics Dane's and Ida's in a way. I find it fascinating that Ida's running away forces her parents to confront their demons. In a way, she sets them free. She has always tried to be the buffer between them, to keep their anger at each other from boiling over. They don't even see one another, but send Ida to communicate between the two.

 

Fay's character is an invalid, though it is clear that she really has simply abdicated all responsibility in the world because her husband once hit her. She is passive agressive to the nth degree. Hull is mad that he has to carry the load of the entire household on his shoulders, and his guilt over having hit his wife makes him despise even looking at her. When Ida runs away, they are forced to face themselves, their own failings. It is touching how they tentatively test the waters. He brings her a tray of food. She dresses for the first time in years and comes downstairs. They actually try - they start to help one another. The anger just melts away. The two realize that without each other, they have no one. These two actors are just incredible, adding unwritten dialogue and nuance to the film in a big way. Fay Bainter could read one listing in a phone book and make a treasure of it.

 

Their angry and bitter relationship sets up Ida's own story - why she hates violence, and wants Dane the escaped convict to give up his gun, and also why she is drawn to Clark in the first place - he is kind to her dog, and is berated and beaten for it while working on the more modern equivalent of a chain gang. She understands what it is to be trapped. She longs for love and tenderness just as he longs for freedom and open spaces. The two are flip sides of a coin. She even mimics Cathy's line in *Wuthering Heights* - "For a minute, I thought I WAS him."

 

These two leads are simply wonderful together. Ida and Dane have such chemistry! I was on the verge of tears just watching them work together. You would think the two intense personalities would clash or make for emotional overload, causing you to back away from the movie, but it works just opposite of that, drawing you closer and closer to the lost pair. You can physically feel the sparks and electricity of two lonely souls meeting, two who really understand each other.

 

This is now my favorite Ida Lupino role. She is so very beautiful here, never more so. She is so relaxed while playing this role! She has a lot to do, and she seems relieved that she had a director who kept her busy running here and there. She does her strongest character work ever at the beginning of the film - stuttering and stammering in quiet frustration (it wouldn't be Ida without frustration), and as soon as she meets Dane, my goodness, she fairly glows. It's almost indecent how the two play against one another. And her stuttering around her family is perfectly done, never put on. She held my attention throughout, from the way she hurried to get breakfast at the beginning, until her quiet sadness the very end. She totally carried the movie on her slim shoulders. I believed that she was that naive girl, which I wasn't expecting - I mean it's Ida! She can't possibly play naive like that! But then she did it and I never once even thought that she was "acting".

 

Dane Clark is pretty variable for me, I love him as a character actor - his war movies and his part in *A Stolen Life* are great, and his appearances on TV always really impressed me as a kid, but some of his lead roles I can't get into. Here, he is wonderful. The scene where he finally throws away his gun out of love for Ida is brilliant, he is so open and soft and scared you want to cry. I wanted him to watch out - you know he is at his most vulnerable without his hard shell to protect him. And the later scene when he is caught in the barn loft, with Wayne Morris downstairs and he realizes that he could have killed Ida is heartbreaking.

 

Ida and Dane just vibrate with love and their scenes are so romantic, always set apart from other people, and the outdoor scenes at the little cottage are filmed beautifully, with light streaming through the trees and into open doorways. The two lovers are like Romeo and Juliet, and as I said before, the love and longing is palpable, it's hanging in the air around them. I began to think that this was filmed in the same place as *Trail of the Lonesome Pine* and *Shepherd of the Hills*, it was so rural and gorgeous. The feeling *Jean Negulesco* , the director evoked in those outdoor locations is of bees on a spring day, heavy and sensual, like love, and yet somehow also innocent, pure.

 

I wanted so badly in the end for the two to get away! I was sure that Fay Bainter was going to help them - I longed for that scene, but it did not happen. I thought that the way love softened everyone in the movie would make a difference in Fay, and in the ending. But if there is anything we know from the movies, it is that Dane and Ida just aren't meant to be happy in this lifetime.

 

Edited by: JackFavell on Sep 27, 2010 3:35 PM

[Bronxgirl48]

Ooooh, Jackie, I could kick myself for missing DEEP VALLEY! Your beautiful review and those evocative photos make me realize what I missed. I've always regarded Dane Clark as a sort of minor-league John Garfield, or Garfield's younger brother, a strutting little guy usually from Brooklyn, filled with post-WW II urban angst, and I like him, but haven't really seen much of Dane's work. I actually can see some of Ida's beauty here. (Lee Grant was lucky, though, seeing Lupino in person, and declaring her so much prettier and more delicate than on the screen)

 

As for Cathy and Heathcliff, seeing it for the third go-round didn't make it any easier to figure those two out, let me tell you. The last time I watched, I tried putting Vivien Leigh in stilted, egg-shaped-face Merle's place, and Cathy became more vivid in her indoor/outdoor conflict. (but then I guess we might not have had our dear Scarlett) And now I think the best performance is Hugh Williams as Hindley. (He's rather good-looking, too...)

 

I'm watching GUN CRAZY now. "She ain't the type to make a happy home".

 

Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Oct 3, 2010 12:24 AM

[redriver]

I've never read the novel so have only this film adaption to go on.

 

How Green Was My Bronxgirl!

 

The book is beautifully written. The language is like a delicious meal. But I still don't understand what motivates those crazy kids! As for crazy kids, I enjoyed GUN CRAZY again last night. That's a very well filmed little story. Somebody remarked that it wasn't a big hit at the time. Does this surprise you? I'm willing to bet the best movies this year aren't big sellers either. We may not even hear of them.

[JackFavell]

> {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote}

> Ooooh, Jackie, I could kick myself for missing DEEP VALLEY! Your beautiful review and those evocative photos make me realize what I missed. I've always regarded Dane Clark as a sort of minor-league John Garfield, or Garfield's younger brother, a strutting little guy usually from Brooklyn, filled with post-WW II urban angst, and I like him, but haven't really seen much of Dane's work. I actually can see some of Ida's beauty here. (Lee Grant was lucky, though, seeing Lupino in person, and declaring her so much prettier and more delicate than on the screen)

 

I wish you had seen *Deep Valley* ! I really loved it. And I love when I have a new old movie to love.

 

I never thought of Clark as Garfield's little brother, though apparently, that is how he was thought of in Hollywood too. Garfield "lite". The only reason I didn't is that I saw Dane first, before I knew of Garfield... and I saw him as a character actor on TV shows! The first time I saw him in a classic film, I was stunned - he was so good looking as a young man. You capture his dynamic magnetism with your words, as usual. I guess I like angst! Then of course I saw John Garfield and forgot all about Dane's angst.

 

> As for Cathy and Heathcliff, seeing it for the third go-round didn't make it any easier to figure those two out, let me tell you. The last time I watched, I tried putting Vivien Leigh in stilted, egg-shaped-face Merle's place, and Cathy became more vivid in her indoor/outdoor conflict. (but then I guess we might not have had our dear Scarlett) And now I think the best performance is Hugh Williams as Hindley. (He's rather good-looking, too...)

 

Ugh! I can't think of him as good looking, though I suppose he is - The performances I like most right now are Flora Robson's and Miles Mander's (you can tell I like him, because almost all of my posts have been about the bookends of the film where he gets to look befuddled most of the time. For me, the grandest moment in the picture is when he is trying to close the window and he is touched by Cathy's ghostly hand and sees her through the window. WOW! I just love the way he looks at his trembling hand, and then runs his other hand through his hair in disbelief.

 

LOOK at this! I found it while trying to find a photo of Miles at the window with his hand outstretched.....

 

http://www.owlpen.com/miles_mander.shtml

 

What is it with these character actors and their glamorous lives outside of Hollywood lately? I keep reading about how they were all pilots. Amazing.

 

> I'm watching GUN CRAZY now. "She ain't the type to make a happy home".

 

I enjoyed the intensity of *Gun Crazy* a LOT. I hope you liked it! I can be a ruthless killer for ninety minutes! I never noticed before that Bonnie and Clyde has an homage in the rushes too. Or is it corn.... oh it doesn't matter.

[OllieTSB]

SKYSCRAPER SOULS. OK, now who put me up to that one?!! Was that you, MissG?

 

Or is it some other evil entity, bent on bringing out my latent Blanche Dubois Syndrome, always knowing I could be counted on to watch any strange Warren William film?

 

I hate it when I'm so predictable!

 

I haven't seen it all, but the film uses some attractING points - they have this matte painting of the Manhattan skyline illustrating a rather puny-by-comparison Empire State Bldg overshadowed by this 3-block-long monolith - a "real" skyscraper!

 

This clip is shown to separate four or five major scenes, a fade-to-black then re-lighting the next scene from across that monolith's massive doors.

 

Great fun. The City Of New York couldn't pay to get that kind of hype now. I keep expecting Raymond Massey and H. G. Wells to come along, marching arm in arm.

 

And it has the obligatory pre-code Women Changing Blouses scene, too. And Warren William, doing his best Republican-Demagogue character, wandering from Blonde to Brunette. Life is such a struggle!

[MissGoddess]

Isn't *Skyscraper Souls* a fun one? Well, it's rather serious and tragic, too. But

I love the banter between Maureen and that guy who played Tom and was chasing her, I don't know

the actor.

 

Tom: "Come on, let's go get married."

 

Maureen: "I thought you said you wouldn't marry me on a bet."

 

Tom: "I lost the bet!"

 

Funny stuff. And when she smacked him once, then he smacked her and

she smacked him back TWICE. My kind of girl!

 

Maureen was so beautiful at that stage. Perfect little piquant face. So was Myrna in *Penthouse*.

 

In SS, I liked the story of the jeweler who was so besotted with the blonde tramp. That was a sweet story.

 

SS reminds me of *Grand Hotel*.

[MissGoddess]

I wonder what CineMaven thinks of *Winter Meeting*. I know she's a big Bette fan.

I have always liked this oddball film, with the oddest thing being Jim Davis' casting

yet I really LIKE Jim Davis here. Who cares if he can't act very well, he looks so

good in that uniform and I love his voice so I'm happy. I like John Hoyt's "Clifton

Webb" character, he has some good lines but mostly I enjoy his discomfort around

Janis Paige who is so delightful. I adore her character. She's so beautifully transparent

in her shallowness.

[JackFavell]

Of course, I missed *Winter Meeting*, but I was impressed with all the little eddying smaller stories of *In This Our Life* - Hattie McDaniel and Ernest Anderson were GREAT, really superb, as was Charles Coburn. I'd never seen this one before and I really liked it. I thought it was more pot-boiler than it actually was. I've decided that Olivia de Havilland is a very fine actress.

 

Goddess, can you recommend *The Scapegoat*? have you seen it? I have never seen it, but I love Alec Guinness.

[CineMaven]

:-) Hi there Miss G. - I wonder what CineMaven thinks of Winter Meeting. I know she's a big Bette fan.

 

I am. That I am. But I totally forgot it was Bette's birthday, and didn't watch a lick of TCM this morning. Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Bad TCM Fan! Bad girl! I think I might've passed on "Winter Meeting" though. Yeah, in fact I know I would have. I think I saw it once so many many years ago. I have a sinking feeling that I stick to just a core group of Bette films, even though I am a big fan. Want to see more of her 1930's films. I start getting scared of Bette 'round 1948. (Please don't make me watch her and Robbie Montgomery. Please??)

 

I have always liked this oddball film, with the oddest thing being Jim Davis' casting yet I really LIKE Jim Davis here. Who cares if he can't act very well, he looks so good in that uniform and I love his voice so I'm happy.

 

Hmmm... I know THAT's right! I wonder if he crossed paths with Barbara Bel Geddes in those days. I'll give Jock Ewing this, he certainly was a big hunk o' handsome in this film. And later as a more mature gentleman as well.

 

..Janis Paige who is so delightful. I adore her character. She's so beautifully transparent

in her shallowness.

 

Awwww. I like the sound of that.

 

:-) Jackaaaaay Favell, hi there - Of course, I missed Winter Meeting, but I was impressed with all the little eddying smaller stories of In This Our Life - Hattie McDaniel and Ernest Anderson were GREAT, really superb, as was Charles Coburn. I'd never seen this one before and I really liked it. I thought it was more pot-boiler than it actually was. I've decided that Olivia de Havilland is a very fine actress.

 

I've seen "In This Our Life" many a times since I was a teenager. Sorry I didn't have it on in my background this morning. So glad you enjoyed it. You & I were just singing the praises of the great Olivia DeHavilland, weren't we? She never seems to go over the top. Well modulated voice, and such quiet beauty, sweet eyes and smile. Bette without a doubt is the queen. I bow to her. She burns up the screen, chews up the scenery and all - round relishes her bad girl role in this. There's a scene in a roadside bar that I've read had a lot of stars doing cameos in it.

 

But what always struck me is Parry (Ernest Anderson) quiet, wanting to be a lawyer. Not a stereo-typed role for 1942. And you know what else struck me? Well...if you look at the last ten minutes of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" when Bette (Baby Jane Hudson) is cracker-

jacked out of her mind on the beach while Crawford (Blance Hudson) lays dying, Bette goes over to an ice cream truck to buy an ice cream cone. And the man who serves her the ice cream, is Ernest Anderson. That's no accident.

 

That's Bette Davis being a friend.

 

Ooooh, I'm so glad you liked that movie.

[kingrat]

The Scapegoat is really an Alec Guinness movie, and he's quite good in a double role. Bette Davis plays a supporting role as the drug addict mother of the French Alec Guinness. The role is probably no longer than her cameo in Phone Call from a Stranger. She's good, and she has the climactic speech in the film.

 

However . . . Davis and Guinness did not get along. When the director had a heart attack, Guinness directed the rest of the film. I'll bet he directed Bette's big scene, she's kept in long shot and doesn't get the full value of her starring moment. This weakens the climax of the film, but I'd guess this is Guinness' revenge on Bette.

[CineMaven]

Isn't "Skyscraper Souls" a fun one? Well, it's rather serious and tragic, too. But I love the banter between Maureen and that guy who played Tom and was chasing her, I don't know the actor.

 

I'm starting to watch my recording of it. Is it my imagination or does Anita Page remind you of Kim Novak? Everyone looks young in the early 30's...look at Gregory Ratoff and Wallace Ford. Oh the banter's flying furiously left and right.

 

Norman Foster's some guy who starred with Ginger Rogers in "Rafters" which has been on TCM. He looks like a slim attractive version of Tom Ewell. I loved the clipped accent of Veree Teasdale and Warren Williams. (He's reminding me of John Barrymore. What's going on with me?) Maureen O'Sullivan's like a delicately beautiful China doll.

 

I love the 30's.

[MissGoddess]

No, sorry Jackie, I haven't seen *Scapegoat* but I've read the novel it's based on,

if it's the one I'm thinking of (DuMaurier). And I have also read about those off screen

tensions kingrat mentioned in his post.

[JackFavell]

Thanks very much for the info, kingrat and Goddess. I was stupid and ran out to the grocery store while The Scapegoat was on. I could kick myself! Where is my brain lately?

 

Edited by: JackFavell on Oct 5, 2010 11:28 PM

[JackFavell]

Mava - Bette dancing around to a phonograph record after just killing someone is so ...evil, and kind of slatternly. She's wonderful with her bigger than big eyes.

 

I have to admit I was not really paying a lot of attention to *In This Our Life* at first, though I had wanted to see it for a long time. But when Perry came onto the screen I did a 180 - his voice caught me, so quiet. I thought he was Sir Lancelot for a minute, because his voice was in that same range, so I sat down and watched. He was wonderful. Very sweet, and I loved that his character was not stereotyped, like you said. It was so unusual, he was just talking normally, like a real person, and I was spellbound by him. He chatted about wanting to do something where he could be his own man. I realized that this movie was special. I was so relieed that he got a job with George Brent, because I didn't want him to disappear from the story. Later on, in his scene in jail, we see only his eyes between the bars of the cell, and all he can say is, "it's no use." and "They don't want the truth."

 

I really marveled at Olivia. At her best, she has a quiet presence that you think is kind of weak. But underneath it is a will of iron. She is superb at thinking, working things out. That is what I gained from this movie, so thanks, John Huston! I realized she had been doing this in every role I had seen her in, I just never noticed it, because she was so demure languid. She made it look easy. I found her pain and heartache over Dennis Morgan (who was also very good) terribly real. There is something way below the surface in Olivia - it's _dark._ They tapped into it when she played Melanie, Wyler certainly got it in *The Heiress*, and it shows up here too, only briefly. I don't think I have to mention *The Snake Pit*.

 

But to me the best scene in the whole film was the one where Hattie McDaniel talks to Olivia, tells her about how Perry was inside all night, that Bette phoned that she was taking the car. Olivia, unknowing, tells Hattie that she must tell the police. Hattie lowers her eyes, and does not speak for a minute. Oh, my heart just died right there, watching her. Then she looks up and lays it right on the line, no holding back, very factual, very calm, very sad. They don't believe people like us." Is this the first time anyone ever said such a thing in the movies? It must be. I may have the line wrong, but Hattie was incredible in that scene, and I loved de Havilland's instinctive response - "I believe you."

[Bronxgirl48]

> {quote:title=JackFavell wrote:}{quote}

> > {quote:title=Bronxgirl48 wrote:}{quote}

> > Ooooh, Jackie, I could kick myself for missing DEEP VALLEY! Your beautiful review and those evocative photos make me realize what I missed. I've always regarded Dane Clark as a sort of minor-league John Garfield, or Garfield's younger brother, a strutting little guy usually from Brooklyn, filled with post-WW II urban angst, and I like him, but haven't really seen much of Dane's work. I actually can see some of Ida's beauty here. (Lee Grant was lucky, though, seeing Lupino in person, and declaring her so much prettier and more delicate than on the screen)

>

> I wish you had seen *Deep Valley* ! I really loved it. And I love when I have a new old movie to love.

>

> I never thought of Clark as Garfield's little brother, though apparently, that is how he was thought of in Hollywood too. Garfield "lite". The only reason I didn't is that I saw Dane first, before I knew of Garfield... and I saw him as a character actor on TV shows! The first time I saw him in a classic film, I was stunned - he was so good looking as a young man. You capture his dynamic magnetism with your words, as usual. I guess I like angst! Then of course I saw John Garfield and forgot all about Dane's angst.

>

> > As for Cathy and Heathcliff, seeing it for the third go-round didn't make it any easier to figure those two out, let me tell you. The last time I watched, I tried putting Vivien Leigh in stilted, egg-shaped-face Merle's place, and Cathy became more vivid in her indoor/outdoor conflict. (but then I guess we might not have had our dear Scarlett) And now I think the best performance is Hugh Williams as Hindley. (He's rather good-looking, too...)

>

> Ugh! I can't think of him as good looking, though I suppose he is - The performances I like most right now are Flora Robson's and Miles Mander's (you can tell I like him, because almost all of my posts have been about the bookends of the film where he gets to look befuddled most of the time. For me, the grandest moment in the picture is when he is trying to close the window and he is touched by Cathy's ghostly hand and sees her through the window. WOW! I just love the way he looks at his trembling hand, and then runs his other hand through his hair in disbelief.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's very strange, but I find myself attracted to the way Williams plays Hindley, not of course the character itself. (although....oh, no, what am I saying?) I'll have to get my thoughts clearer on this subject, and get back to you.

>

> LOOK at this! I found it while trying to find a photo of Miles at the window with his hand outstretched.....

>

> http://www.owlpen.com/miles_mander.shtml

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jackie, this is absolutely fascinating!!! Who would have thought Miles had such a flavorful biography? Marrying an Indian princess...and kicking the bucket (much too soon) at the Hollywood Brown Derby... I too love the bookends in WH, and I really appreciate Mander's performance -- he's not just some bumbling, hapless fool wandering into that maelstrom, but a gentleman with very strong opinions, attitudes, snobberies. He's sarcastic, and I'm amazed at the dismissive look he shoots Leo G. Carroll, lol. I like Lockwood's bewilderment, too. When the shutters fly open and we hear "Cathy's Theme", I immediately start to cry, and Ellen's story hasn't even begun yet. But I'm already awash in Kleenex.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

>

> > I'm watching GUN CRAZY now. "She ain't the type to make a happy home".

>

> I enjoyed the intensity of *Gun Crazy* a LOT. I hope you liked it! I can be a ruthless killer for ninety minutes! I never noticed before that Bonnie and Clyde has an homage in the rushes too. Or is it corn.... oh it doesn't matter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I absolutely ADORE Peggy Cummins as Annie Laurie Starr. It's a great performance. I've got real problems with John Dall, however. With all due respect to the recent passing of Arthur Penn, I've never quite understood the appeal or success of BONNIE AND CLYDE, and think GUN CRAZY is far superior in every way. Need to watch it again and contribute my thoughts in Noir.

[molo14]

*_Jackie wrote:_* *but I was impressed with all the little eddying smaller stories of In This Our Life - Hattie McDaniel and Ernest Anderson were GREAT, really superb, as was Charles Coburn. I'd never seen this one before and I really liked it. I thought it was more pot-boiler than it actually was. I've decided that Olivia de Havilland is a very fine actress.*

 

 

I took some screencaps of this film about a year ago and this may be my only chance to put them to some use.

 

*_CineMaven wrote:_* *You & I were just singing the praises of the great Olivia DeHavilland, weren't we? She never seems to go over the top. Well modulated voice, and such quiet beauty, sweet eyes and smile.*

 

Such moderation and nobility could grow tiresome, or even grating but Olivia always pulls it off. She never let's it cross that line. It might be one reason why I enjoy her Miriam in *Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte* so much.

 

 

I have always found *In This Our Life* interesting because it is the only film I can think of, from this era, that is set in my hometown of Richmond. It is never specifically stated but it is strongly implied. The film is based on a Pulitzer Prize winning novel of the period by the same name. The book was written by Richmond native Ellen Glasgow and was her final novel. Both the novel and the author are all but forgotten today.

 

Southern moss doesn't grow in Richmond, but tobacco was certainly King in the city at the time. The Fitzroy's reek of the cities West End elite. The South Side, where Davis' Stanley wanders (and where I grew up) was wild and decidedly working class, separated from the rest of the city by the James river. Even to this day there are still people in the West End who speak smugly of never having had the need nor inclination to cross over the river.

 

_*CineMaven wrote:*_ *Bette without a doubt is the queen. I bow to her. She burns up the screen, chews up the scenery and all - round relishes her bad girl role in this.*

 

I've read conflicting stories of the filming. It's been said that Davis had wanted to play Roy and also that she didn't think Huston was up to the task at hand. Her "full throttle" performance as Stanley may have been her way of making a statement. She definitely sinks her teeth into the role.

 

 

_CineMaven wrote:_ *But what always struck me is Parry (Ernest Anderson) quiet, wanting to be a lawyer. Not a stereo-typed role for 1942. And you know what else struck me? Well...if you look at the last ten minutes of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" when Bette (Baby Jane Hudson) is cracker-*

*jacked out of her mind on the beach while Crawford (Blance Hudson) lays dying, Bette goes over to an ice cream truck to buy an ice cream cone. And the man who serves her the ice cream, is Ernest Anderson. That's no accident.*

 

*That's Bette Davis being a friend.*

 

From what I've read, She was instrumental in getting Ernest Anderson the role of Parry.

 

 

As for Hattie McDaniel, one of my favorite parts is early in the film, when she brings Roy back down to earth with a single word. No. She gets a rare chance to add a little something extra with some understated poignancy in her one key scene opposite de Havilland's Roy later on in the film.

 

 

Nobody talks much of this film. Glasgow hated the treatment her novel was given. I've always thought it was pretty entertaining. What a great cast! Also the folks at Warner Bros. knew how to pack a lot of story into a little over ninety minutes and keep it moving.

[JackFavell]

Bronxie -

 

I am going to have to go back and watch Wuthering Heights again, just for Hindley - I must admit I gloss right over him on my way to Cathy and Heathcliff. I just hated him so much, I never thought of looking at the actor's work before. Time to check him out!

 

 

Awesome caps, Molo! Wonderful! Hattie can speak volumes with one look.

 

I didn't realize that the story took place in your home town! Oh, my, there are still some tensions there, I guess. My town is like that too, the haves have so much more than the have nots, and if you accidentally drive through one of the higher class sections of town here, people stare at you. It's an uncomfortable feeling when you know you aren't wanted there. I am lucky to live in the historic district, where people are a little more down to earth.

 

I really thought the scene where Olivia finds out about Dennis Morgan's death was exceptional - the way she bends over as if she had been struck in the stomach, all the time trying to keep from cracking up ... her insistence that he is not dead....all that made me really enjoy her understatement.

 

I always wonder about her relationship with Bette - Olivia had her deep down strength, but somehow they always seemed to get along, never seemed like rivals. At least, I've never heard anything to the contrary. And I remember her saying that years later she went to see Elizabeth and Essex with Bette, and Bette admitted that Errol was very good - so they must have been friends at that point..

[CineMaven]

Prof. Favell, go on YouTube and see if you can find a "THIS IS YOUR LIFE" with Bette Davis. DeHavilland appeared as one of the guests and their appearance together seemed warm. I recall something like this (and I'm really paraphrasing badly)...DeHavilland saying something like she was so afraid of Bette back then and Bette saying no, saying maybe she behaved badly because she was so darned jealous of DeHavilland's beauty.

 

I recall something like that.

 

DeHavilland's no threat to Bette. Bette was the queen of Warner Bros. Bette's popularity was unparalleled in the 40's. I believe DeHavilland knew that. And I think Bette knew in DeHavilland there was a consummate actress. It worked out for both women. I'll betcha they had a healthy respect for each other, and good laughs on the set. (Remember in "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte") when DeHavilland smacks Davis' character? Ooooh DeHavilland was so mean. And that melo-dious dulcet voice just dripped with venom.

 

Looks like the girl had it in her if she had to unleash the hounds...

 

Edited by: CineMaven on Oct 6, 2010 8:55 AM...DeHavilland finished the job Davis started by suing the studio (and winning) to not have those contracts extend past seven years with the suspensions, ending their virtual indentured servitude.

[JackFavell]

Much as I hate Ralph Edwards, I will suffer through him to see these greats chatting!

 

de Havilland really was awful in HHSC! I love it.

 

I like that Bette was able to champion a few of her female co-stars - de Havilland is one, and Mary Astor is who I really think of. Astor said Bette gave her the confidence she needed in her acting, because she had always felt like she didn't know what she was doing. I think Bette saw something in Astor and de Havilland that was not threatening, and yet, they were both very professional. But you just said that.

[brackenhe]

Bette Davis is my favorite actress of all time, but that wasn't always the case. I was a young girl when Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? was released and since I hate horror films (which I guess it's not really) I thought that's all she was capable of doing. Then came Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, which I have since seen as an adult, but she seemed like she made movies I just couldn't get into. I didn't know what I was missing. (I think I might have also seen The Nanny sometime in the 1960's and she was plain scary.)

 

Thanks to TCM for helping me discover her qualities. You know what films turned me around? Not her more famous films but In This Our Life & All This, And Heaven Too--polar opposites as far as characters she played. I was blown away by her range. Now, I've probably seen at least 60% of her films (sometimes I just miss them or am turned off by her co-stars. I agree with Maven--I can't really get into June Bride even though I like Montgomery. From what I've seen of that movie, both seem bored.) But when she's on her game, she's infinitely fascinating. She may not have had any faith in Huston, but her turn as Stanley Timberlake is great. She plays her as if she's on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and while some may see it as scenery chewing, I see it as a realistic portrayal. I saw myself (during a difficult time in my life) in her character. For the record, I never ran down a woman and her little girl, but did a lot of things, in retrospect, I would never do now. But enough about me. This is about Miss Davis.

 

Even in some of her earlier fluff films, she seems to make all the right choices for the characters she played. She may have run all over her male co-stars, but to me she seemed to bring the best out of some of her leading men. Most of them held their own against her, probably because she, or the characters she played, demanded it. And she seemed to let other woman have their moments as well, such as Mary Astor in The Great Lie or Olivia de Havilland in several roles. In fact, I'm thinking that being around Davis made Olivia change from an "alright" ingenue to a great actress, because I can see Davis' influence in some of de Havilland's great, award winning/nominated films, like The Heiress (I could totally see Davis in that part 10 years earlier.)

 

Yeah, I know she could be a pill but I love her so much.

[JackFavell]

That was wonderful, helenbaby! I love the idea that Davis inspired or influenced de Havilland to deeper darker performances.

 

Edited by: JackFavell on Oct 6, 2010 10:14 AM

[CineMaven]

My aunt and I saw Bette Davis at Town Hall interviewed by John Springer a ton of years ago. She said she played more good girls than bad girls in her career. Funny how we mostly remember her 'bad girls.' They're so much more fun. I guess with all the movie stars we like, we come to them at different times of our lives.

 

I think the thing with Bette Davis is that she supremely believed in herself. Think of where she came from and what she came from. Plain, middle class background. Nothing grandiose. Yankee upbringing. Think about Crawford, Stanwyck, Clara and all those girls who came into Hollywood in the 20's, the 30's. Not a Paris Hilton in the bunch. Just plain ordinary girls. At first Hollywood called Bette a little brown wren...they didn't think she was sexy enough. Pretty nondescript, by Hollywood standards. But she persevered. She believed she was good..and then believed she deserved better. I love the Meryl Streep tribute to her on TCM b'cuz I remember coming home from school and seeing the 4:30pm movie and Bette'd be on. I guess I loved Bette at first b'cuz that same aunt I referred to above, used to love her and would go to the movies (in the 40's) to see her...and I idolized my aunt.

 

But I came to my own conclusion about Bette as I grew up. And when I'm in tough situations where confrontation is necessary, I pull out some mental images of Bette Davis or Barbara Stanwyck at their most fiery and then I go in. I've heard, like you, Mary Astor say Bette was a big factor in her career and practically gave her "The Great Lie." HA! I'm sure Miriam Hopkins would say differently. Benevolent volcano indeed.

 

I liked what you said here Helen:

 

"She may have run all over her male co-stars, but to me she seemed to bring the best out of some of her leading men. Most of them held their own against her, probably because she, or the characters she played, demanded it.

 

She and Barbara Stanwyck shared a couple of male co-stars: Fonda, Brent, Cagney, Flynn among others. And a good actress knows that she looks good if she helps her co-stars to look good.

 

I like to think that there's a little bit of Bette Davis in all us gals at one time or another. What a great legacy for her, that we might sometimes use her strength to help us get through the night.

[JackFavell]

That was lovely, Mava.

 

teardrop falling,.

[brackenhe]

I only wish I could summon up the ....courage to act like those dames that Miss Stanwyck & Miss Davis played. It would have saved me from lots of stuff throughout the years.

[JackFavell]

Oh, that This is Your Life episode was so worth it! How gracious Bette was, and how honest.

 

I loved how Olivia rushed up to hug Bette! How very sweet they were together. I also loved seeing Bette and William Wyler together - somehow, I think I've seen that bit of the show before somewhere. Victor Buono is one of my favorite TV actors from my childhood - he was always suave and he was soo funny on this show, I would love to sit down with him and Bette and just absorb the repartee.....

 

And the woman who did Bette imitations was a riot.

 

Thanks, Mava.

 

Edited by: JackFavell on Oct 6, 2010 2:37 PM