I Just Watched...

[Swithin]

Soul Kitchen (2009), a German movie about a Greek guy in Hamburg who runs a trashy restaurant which ultimately becomes fashionable. So much goes on in this movie: it's a hodgepodge of situations in the seedy (yet somewhat trendy) side of Hamburg: crazy relationships, sex, violence, crime, cuisine, and a very odd assortment of characters. A roller coaster, really, but kind of enjoyable and ultimately endearing. Also features a rather excruciating but apparently successful cure for a slipped disc.

 

[LawrenceA]

The Cowboy and the Lady (1938) - Routine culture-clash rom-com from United Artists, producer Samuel Goldwyn, and director H.C. Potter (along with William Wyler and Stuart Heisler). Society girl Mary Smith (Merle Oberon) is sent to Palm Beach by her presidential candidate father to keep her out of sight and out of trouble. She meets and falls in love with rodeo cowboy Stretch (Gary Cooper), and the two impulsively marry, but it soon becomes apparent that they come from very different worlds and they're not sure either can fit into the other's. Also featuring Walter Brennan, Patsy Kelly, Harry Davenport, Henry Kolker, Fuzzy Knight, Mabel Todd, Emma Dunn, Walter Walker, Hank Worden, and Berton Churchill.

Despite my best efforts, I wasn't able to get into this much. I like both stars, but the situations they were in just didn't interest me, and I didn't get a lot of chemistry between them. The capable supporting cast does what they can, but they don't have much to work with. This is another routine romance that may appeal more to fans of the genre, but for me was rather undistinguished. It did win an Oscar for Best Sound (although I'm not sure why), and it was also nominated for Best Score (Alfred Newman) and Best Song ("The Cowboy and the Lady").   (6/10)

Source: TCM.

[LawrenceA]

The Divorce of Lady X (1938) - Enjoyable British romantic comedy from Lion Films and director Tim Whelan. London barrister Logan (Laurence Olivier) is forced to share a hotel room with Leslie (Merle Oberon) when they place gets overbooked. Nothing transpires, and they go their separate ways, only for Logan to have a new client arrive a short time later. The client, the wealthy and powerful Lord Mere (Ralph Richardson), wants to divorce his wife after he's learned that she recently spent the night in a hotel room with another man. Based on the details, Logan is convinced that he was the other man, and things get more complicated when Leslie returns to see him. Also featuring Binnie Barnes, Morton Selten, J.H. Roberts, Gertrude Musgrove, H.B. Hallam, and Lewis Gilbert.

I found this Technicolor effort to be a real delight, witty and sophisticated without being too stuffy. This is also the earliest role that I've seen Olivier in where I liked him. I wouldn't normally associate him with comedy, but his timing is very good here and he excels playing the flustered Logan. Oberon is good, too, and lovely to look at as usual. Richardson pitches his characterization just right, as he'd often seemed too theatrical up to this point in prior films (although still enjoyable). Some of the dialogue will strike today's ears as more than a little sexist, but I got past it.   (7/10)

Source: TCM.

[LornaHansonForbes]

I caught SKYLARK (1941) last night.

It was a more cerebral, less madcap redux of THE AWFUL TRUTH starring Claudette Colbert, Ray Milland and Brian Aherne and it was really interesting.

the very clever script used a few techniques that challenged the viewer- ie some characters were never named or introduced, but instead revealed all you needed to know via their dialogue and interactions with the leads. also a few of the plot points were revealed via cryptic dialogue- in one scene Colbert informs Milland "Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in 1865" and I was all what the Hell? but then it's revealed that she is referring to the wife of a very important client of her husband's who feels that she is entitled to receive Colbert's personal chef as some sort of a VIP Gift.

the standout scene (and one for which the film likely was selected to represent Paramount in the sound category at the Oscars that year) featured the couple fighting on a subway train, and the various patrons butt in, with many of the Men on the car defending Colbert while the women (naturally) attack her for being ungrateful. Throw in a couple of very wise statements about how none of this matters in the world of 1941 from an intellectual on the train and this was one of those timeless scenes as relevant today as it was then. (a fair amount of references to the War were worked in to the script.)

there were also a couple of other scenes where the spectators to the couple's bickering or wooing acted as meta-commentators, mirroring the discussions the audience of SKYLARK would likely be having on their way out the door.

as solid as the script and actors were, the real star WAS THE SETS. This thing must have cost Paramount a FORTUNE, from the gorgeous Country Home with a tiered garden entry and MASSIVE live Oak to the subway scene to a cruise ship...really eye catching set pieces all around.

of course, everyone in this movie IS RICH AS ALL GET OUT- it's the kind of film where a couple suddenly remembers that they own a summer house a year after their divorce, and they can afford to keep their butler (the same one from CLUNY BROWN) on staff after the husband loses his job...but- y'know, it works.

it reminds me of an anecdote Jon Waters told during his commentary on the DVD release to MOMMIE DEAREST, when watching films with Divine, Divine would always stop them if they were about poor people. "Stop this movie"- Divine would say. "I want to watch a movie about rich people!"

This thing was HOLLYWOOD through and through and I recommend it highly.

[TomJH]

10 hours ago, LawrenceA said:

The Cowboy and the Lady (1938)

Lawrence, did you not at least enjoy the imagination and execution of the scene in which Cooper pantomimes living in a house not yet constructed and serves tea to some guys (who seem mesmerized by his pantomiming) and all sit on imaginary chairs? When a woman then comes along and hollers at them they all fall flat on their butts. That was the one moment of creativity in Cowboy and the Lady that I found quite amusing. It doesn't redeem the overall forgettable ordinariness of the film, of course, but I thought Coop was effective in that scene.

[LornaHansonForbes]

Oh!

one other thing about SKYLARK that I forgot to mention....I paid attention and throughout the film, BOTH SIDES OF COLBERT'S PROFILE were visible.

so, if she did adapt her infamous "only shoot me from the left(?) side" policy, it must've been instituted after this.

[TomJH]

11 hours ago, LawrenceA said:

The Cowboy and the Lady (1938)

The other thing is that Cooper enjoying making comedies, though the results on screen are decidedly uneven. At least he has Desire and Ball of Fire to his credit. In fact, he insisted on making the light hearted Ball of Fire after all the dramatics of his Sergeant York and Meet John Doe films.

[speedracer5]

45 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

Oh!

one other thing about SKYLARK that I forgot to mention....I paid attention and throughout the film, BOTH SIDES OF COLBERT'S PROFILE were visible.

so, if she did adapt her infamous "only shoot me from the left(?) side" policy, it must've been instituted after this.

Thanks for the great write-up about Skylark.  I recorded this film last night, but haven't watched it yet.  I had to work from home last night (as I do every Monday night), so I opted to "watch" i.e. listen to, I Was a Male War Bride. I also recorded a couple other films from Claudette Colbert night.  In addition to Skylark, I recorded Bluebeard's Eighth Wife, Tomorrow is Forever (which I've seen before and really like) and It's a Wonderful World. 

[LornaHansonForbes]

I'm REALLY HOPING BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE shows up ON DEMAND. it's a LUBITSCH joint I have not seen.

It was on too late for me (had to pinch myself to stay awake thru SKYLARK- and NOT BECAUSE IT WAS BAD- but because with thE miserable winter weather in my neck of the woods, I've been going to bed really early since the beginning of January)

[Hibi]

I couldnt remember if I'd seen this or not. (Skylark) I tuned in 15 mins in and realized I HAD seen it. It was ok. Started out well, then sagged towards the end. So Claudette decides Milland is for her after riding in a boat? Well, ok.....

[Hibi]

1 hour ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

I'm REALLY HOPING BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE shows up ON DEMAND. it's a LUBITSCH joint I have not seen.

It was on too late for me (had to pinch myself to stay awake thru SKYLARK- and NOT BECAUSE IT WAS BAD- but because with thE miserable winter weather in my neck of the woods, I've been going to bed really early since the beginning of January)

 

Wish I could get into that habit (going to bed early). You didnt miss much with Skylark. It was ok, but nothing great. I recorded Bluebeard. I've never seen that one!

[Hibi]

3 hours ago, speedracer5 said:

Thanks for the great write-up about Skylark.  I recorded this film last night, but haven't watched it yet.  I had to work from home last night (as I do every Monday night), so I opted to "watch" i.e. listen to, I Was a Male War Bride. I also recorded a couple other films from Claudette Colbert night.  In addition to Skylark, I recorded Bluebeard's Eighth Wife, Tomorrow is Forever (which I've seen before and really like) and It's a Wonderful World. 

 

Oh, NO! It started well before this! Were there any close-ups on the right? Maybe that was the sticking point.......

 

Sorry,  I meant this for Lorna's post and it got on yours!

[LornaHansonForbes]

3 minutes ago, Hibi said:

 

Oh, NO! It started well before this! Were there any close-ups on the right? Maybe that was the sticking point.......

NO, I DON'T think** there were rightside close-ups, so maybe you're right and that was the sticking point....

 

 

**and we all know how GREAT my memory is.

[Hibi]

4 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

I caught SKYLARK (1941) last night.

It was a more cerebral, less madcap redux of THE AWFUL TRUTH starring Claudette Colbert, Ray Milland and Brian Aherne and it was really interesting.

the very clever script used a few techniques that challenged the viewer- ie some characters were never named or introduced, but instead revealed all you needed to know via their dialogue and interactions with the leads. also a few of the plot points were revealed via cryptic dialogue- in one scene Colbert informs Milland "Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in 1865" and I was all what the Hell? but then it's revealed that she is referring to the wife of a very important client of her husband's who feels that she is entitled to receive Colbert's personal chef as some sort of a VIP Gift.

the standout scene (and one for which the film likely was selected to represent Paramount in the sound category at the Oscars that year) featured the couple fighting on a subway train, and the various patrons butt in, with many of the Men on the car defending Colbert while the women (naturally) attack her for being ungrateful. Throw in a couple of very wise statements about how none of this matters in the world of 1941 from an intellectual on the train and this was one of those timeless scenes as relevant today as it was then. (a fair amount of references to the War were worked in to the script.)

there were also a couple of other scenes where the spectators to the couple's bickering or wooing acted as meta-commentators, mirroring the discussions the audience of SKYLARK would likely be having on their way out the door.

as solid as the script and actors were, the real star WAS THE SETS. This thing must have cost Paramount a FORTUNE, from the gorgeous Country Home with a tiered garden entry and MASSIVE live Oak to the subway scene to a cruise ship...really eye catching set pieces all around.

of course, everyone in this movie IS RICH AS ALL GET OUT- it's the kind of film where a couple suddenly remembers that they own a summer house a year after their divorce, and they can afford to keep their butler (the same one from CLUNY BROWN) on staff after the husband loses his job...but- y'know, it works.

it reminds me of an anecdote Jon Waters told during his commentary on the DVD release to MOMMIE DEAREST, when watching films with Divine, Divine would always stop them if they were about poor people. "Stop this movie"- Divine would say. "I want to watch a movie about rich people!"

This thing was HOLLYWOOD through and through and I recommend it highly.

 

I agree about the production values. And Colbert's clothes too! (was it Irene? I missed the credits) I liked Brian Aherne (Milland was a drag). Wasnt Aherne marred to Joan Fontaine? (I think) Too bad they didnt have kids. They would've been beauties.......

[Hibi]

Check out the reviews of Skylark on imdb. HILARIOUS!!!

[LornaHansonForbes]

1 hour ago, Hibi said:

 

I agree about the production values [of SKYLARK]. And Colbert's clothes too! (was it Irene? I missed the credits) I liked Brian Aherne (Milland was a drag). Wasnt Aherne marred to Joan Fontaine? (I think) Too bad they didnt have kids. They would've been beauties.......

I am pretty sure it was Brian DONLEVEY who was married to LA FONTAINE, but I get him and Aherne a little confused too, it's easy, they were physically similar but had rather different personas on screen. both were thick and mustached and one-time supporting actor nominees (in the same year, 1939).

there is a gentleness about Aherne that I like a lot; I have a sneaking suspicion he was, ahem, a gentleman's gentlemen, but if I'm wrong don't flay me alive. he is wonderful in JUAREZ (for which he got that nomination.)

I feel you on MILLAND, he was a prrrrick in this, albeit a handsome one. I always reserve harsh judgment for Milland though because he is the only thing I like about THE LOST WEEKEND, and I think he is amazing in it.

I agree the end sagged, but what kept my attention besides the SUPERB production values (I'll say it again, ANYONE interested in set design should see this movie)- was what an unusual film it was at heart and how ingenious the script was in many ways.

honestly, it played a little bit like a parody of the romantic comedy genre, a send-up and spoof, a deliberately over-the-top and excessively whimsical film, but one that makes no apologies for it...

i read it was a stage play (with Gertrude Lawrence!) before the film was made, and it keeps the theatricality of the supporting characters acting as a Greek chorus of sorts, making meta comments on how ludicrous the goings on are, but the RAPID scene changes and-again- STUNNING sets and costumes don't make you think of it as stagey.

again- it's a very unusual film (and a very conventional one as well.)

**I also add I laughed out loud more than once during it, more often along with the sentiments of the supporting "chorus". again, anyone thinking of checking out SKYLARK, - stay with it at least until the subway car scene, that was some great screenwriting.

[LornaHansonForbes]

oh my!

tisn't very highly rated on imdb, is it?

nonetheless, i still say it's worth seeing.

[LornaHansonForbes]

...and i enjoyed Claudette's Michael Jackson cosplay at the start of the film.

(you know, something simple you wear around the house. A morning gown, a frock really...)

[LawrenceA]

11 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

I am pretty sure it was Brian DONLEVEY who was married to LA FONTAINE, but I get him and Aherne a little confused too, it's easy, they were physically similar but had rather different personas on screen. both were thick and mustached and one-time supporting actor nominees (in the same year, 1939).

Wha...? 5'8" dark haired fireplug Brian Donlevy, and 6'3" thin, fair-haired Brian Aherne were physically similar? Yeah, they were both white guys, but that's about it.

Brian Donlevy

Brian Aherne

[Hibi]

16 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

...and i enjoyed Claudette's Michael Jackson cosplay at the start of the film.

(you know, something simple you wear around the house. A morning gown, a frock really...)

 

LOL! I missed the beginning this time around. I didnt realize this was based on the play Skylark that Gertrude Lawrence starred in........

[Hibi]

12 minutes ago, LawrenceA said:

Wha...? 5'8" dark haired fireplug Brian Donlevy, and 6'3" thin, fair-haired Brian Aherne were physically similar? Yeah, they were both white guys, but that's about it.

Brian Donlevy

Brian Aherne

 

LOL! And he WAS married to Joan Fontaine during this time period.........(just looked it up!!)

[LawrenceA]

The Duke Is Tops (1938) - Musical comedy from Million Dollar Productions and director William Nolte. Ralph Cooper stars as Duke Davis, a theatrical revue producer who's about to lose his biggest attraction, singer Ethel Andrews (Lena Horne), to a more lucrative Broadway contract. Duke ends up out on the road with snake oil salesman Doc Dorando (Laurence Criner), while Ethel discovers that the bigger stage may not be all that she thought it would be. Also featuring Monte Hawley, Willie Covan, Neva Peoples, Vernon McCalla, and Edward Thompson.

This was 20-year-old Lena Horne's film debut, and while she's still a terrific singer, her acting is that of a beginner. Cooper and Criner are both good, and have some funny bits, but the film is so low-budget that it undermines many of the scenes with amateurish supporting players and cardboard sets. The music is good, and the dancing is even better. Star Cooper was the host of Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater for over 50 years.   (5/10)

Source: Mill Creek DVD, part of the 50 Classic Musicals box set.

[LawrenceA]

Four's a Crowd (1938) - Lackluster, somewhat irritating screwball comedy from Warner Brothers and director Michael Curtiz. When newspaper owner Patterson Buckley (Patric Knowles) decides to shut down operations, ace reporter Jean Christy (Rosalind Russell) goes to former editor-in-chief Bob Lansford (Errol Flynn) for advice on how to get Patterson to change his mind. Bob isn't really interested until he learns that Patterson is dating Lorri Dillingwell (Olivia de Havilland), the granddaughter of John P. Dillingwell (Walter Connolly), the latter of whom Bob needs for a lucrative contract. Soon everyone gets entangled in romantic complications. Also featuring Melville Cooper, Hugh Herbert, Franklin Pangborn, Herman Bing, Margaret Hamilton, Joseph Crehan, Gloria Blondell, Frank Faylen, and Carole Landis.

The manic, everyone-yelling tone of this one just annoyed me to no end, especially Walter Connelly and his incessant shouting, with his high, wheedling voice. I kept hoping Errol would punch him in the face. Speaking of Flynn, he does his best Cary Grant impersonation, but doesn't seem totally comfortable in such lightweight fare. Knowles has all of the charisma of a loaf of Wonderbread, while Russell seems to just be going through the motions. Olivia seems to be having fun. If only the script were funny rather than overly caffeinated, I might have, too.  (5/10)

Source: TCM.

[shutoo]

I Wouldn't Be in Your Shoes (1948);   The noir-ish mystery opens with Don Castle on death row; his 'thoughts' make up the story. Castle and his wife, Elyse Knox, are an out-of-work dance team living in a one room dumpy apartment. One night, he tosses his shoes (with 'built in taps') at crying alley cats, and the shoes vanish...but someone later places them at their door. The next day,  Castle finds a wallet full of bills on a city street and Knox insists they keep it.  An old man has been murdered, and the only clue is the distinctive print of Castle's custom made tap shoe..what are the chances that the money he found was the loot stolen during the crime?  Okay, that's stretching things a bit...Of course, he's arrested, we see a few clips of the trial. Knox goes back to her dime-a-dance job, and on Christmas Eve decides to do some sleuthing herself with cop Regis Toomey.  Toomey knows her from the dance hall, and has a thing for her when he starts doing the leg work the cops should've done before (?). Yes, he finds the obvious killer...but then there's a twist..and another..and if you've seen enough movies, you'll figure it out before Knox does. It's pure B from Monogram, but the stark prison scenes are effective, and the performances are pretty good. The plot is too conviently contrived to be really effective. Not great..not bad...but fairly entertaining. source: terrarium                                                                                                                  

[LawrenceA]

Give Me a Sailor (1938) - Very minor comedy from Paramount Pictures and director Elliott Nugent. Bob Hope stars as Navy sailor Jim Brewster, a continuous rival of his brother, fellow Navy man Walter (Jack Whiting). Jim has a plan to steal Walter's girlfriend Nancy Larkin (Betty Grable) by helping Nancy's sister Letty (Martha Raye) win Walter's affections. However, since it's Bob Hope and Martha Raye, things don't go according to plan. Also featuring Clarence Kolb, J.C. Nugent, Bonnie Jean Churchill, and Nana Bryant.

This was Hope and Raye's third film together in 1938, and their first as the leads. Hope's character in all three was more of a shady crook than the lovable coward he'd later become. Raye steals most of the scenes by sheer volume. One plot twist, involving Raye inadvertently winning a "Most Beautiful Legs" contest, is doubly humorous in light of Grable's impending pin-up immortality.  (5/10)

Source: Universal DVD, part of the Bob Hope: Classic Comedy Collection.