Month: October 2021

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You’ll Never Get Rich (1941)

Robert Benchley enlists his friend Fred Astaire to help throw his wife off the scent of his womanizing ways by setting Fred up with Rita Hayworth. Rita is attracted to Fred , but understandably finds both men suspicious. Since the country’s in the middle of a war, all the action then has to move to an Army base after Fred is drafted. I enjoyed it somewhat better than the other Astaire-Hayworth pairing, but it’s also rather lazy in its story telling. There’s two very similar solo dance sequences with Astaire in Army jail. Fred grossly tricks Rita into marrying him. And, there’s a truly bizarre dancing extravaganza involving weird choreography and wedding dress costumes all while dancing on a tank. It’s lovely to see them dance together, but I don’t think I’ll be revisiting either film any time soon.   Musical

Oscar Nominations: Best Music, Original Song; Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture

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I Love You Again (1940)

When William Powell wakes up after being hit on the head, he discovers that had previously been in an amnesiatic state which he has now been literally knocked out of. Suddenly remembering that he is a con artist whose last real memory is from 9 years previous, he decides to continue on with the other life, where he is married to Myrna Loy, to pull off bigger swindles. It’s all incredibly silly and a bit convoluted (they don’t even bother trying to explain what happened 9 years ago nor how he started a new life back then) but there’s still the wonderful Powell-Loy chemistry that makes it worthwhile.

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Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962)

The title of this is no joke. It is an excessively long and exhausting day in the life of the Tyrone family, four lost and broken adults who spend the entire day berating and blaming each other for their own failings and troubles. The acting from Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards Jr., and Dean Stockwell is incredible, but it’s all so very tiring.

Oscar Nomination: Best Actress in a Leading Role

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Dear Heart (1964)

I’m generally not a fan of Glenn Ford, but this film is so wonderfully delightful that I can ignore all previous issues I have with him. Geraldine Page is a middle-aged postmaster visiting New York from Ohio for a postmasters convention. She is overly friendly, completely open, and brutally honest, completely the opposite of Ford’s fiancé. The two have a number of random run-ins in their shared hotel and despite Ford’s reticence, they fall in love. I am a sucker for middle-aged romances and Page is so incredible in her role. I felt like all the random New Yorkers she met, overwhelmed by her purity at first and completely mesmerized in the end.  Romance

Oscar Nomination: Best Music, Original Song

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Dark Victory (1939)

Bette Davis, as a flighty, young heiress who eventually changes her ways after receiving a fatal diagnosis, does what she can with the material here, but the story is exceptionally melodramatic and threadbare. George Brent plays her incompetent doctor who is unable to remove the tumor, then outright lies to Bette about her prognosis, and unethically falls in love and marries his patient. Humphrey Bogart also has a completely unnecessary role as a horse trainer.  Best Picture Nomination

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Actress in a Leading Role; Best Music, Original Score

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Three Comrades (1938)

I’ve found Margaret Sullavan unexpectedly appealing ever since seeing The Shop Around the Corner. Here she is a sick woman in post-World War I Germany who becomes the shared love interest of long-time friends Robert Young, Robert Taylor, and Franchot Tone. There is a lot of chemistry amongst the foursome and I really appreciate that time is spent showing the relationships in every possible pairing. It’s unusual to see a portrayal of Germany between the wars filmed during that time period. While the politics are only lightly touched, there is a sense that the touch is an honest one for at least some part of the population.   Romance

Oscar Nomination: Best Actress in a Leading Role

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Double Wedding (1937)

I really enjoyed how screwbally this Powell-Loy pairing was. Myrna Loy is a no-nonsense businesswoman whose plans are disrupted when her sister, whose fiancé has been all picked out, is encouraged to pursue a career in acting by bohemian William Powell. As expected, hijinks and romance follow suit. Seeing Powell’s trailer house and its set decoration is a delight, especially when the entire cast makes their way into the vehicle for the big day, reminiscent of the stateroom scene from A Night at the Opera.  Romance

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House of Bamboo (1955)

An odd film noir set in post World War II Japan, here we have a gang of ex-GIs staging robberies throughout the Tokyo area. Robert Ryan is the leader of the gang, while Robert Stack shows up to get to the bottom of the crimes after one of the gang members is shot and dies. There’s a lot of chemistry in the interactions between the two, but I particularly enjoyed the big climax at a small amusement park.  Noir

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The Dresser (1983)

There is a very stagey quality to this film about an aging travelling Shakespearean actor and his dresser during World War II. Albert Finney as the actor and Tom Courtenay as the dresser put their all into their performances and it’s often exhausting to watch. It remains riveting as these two men clash and spar, both entirely dependent on each other while also wanting to push the other away.   Best Picture Nomination

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Actor in a Leading Role (2); Best Director; Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

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More About Nostradamus (1941)/Penny Wisdom (1937)

Here I go again combining two short film Oscar nominations together. I highly doubt either of these would ever be considered for nominations in modern times, but we also don’t get to see shorts like these to watch before each movie anymore either. More About Nostradamus is a sequel of sorts to 1938’s Nostradamus focusing on various predictions that could be construed as relating to World War II, making it an odd propaganda piece as well.

Penny Wisdom is a Pete Smith-narrated short about a stupid housewife (this is reiterated multiple times) who is a failure at cooking dinner, so help in the form of advice columnist Penny Prudence saves the day. There are at least a couple of interesting home economics tips thrown in for good measure.

Oscar Nomination: Best Short Subject, One-reel (More About Nostradamus)

Oscar Win: Best Short Subject, Color (Penny Wisdom)

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