Top 5 - Comedies

As much as I adore musicals, and westerns, and romantic dramas, I love me a really good funny movie.  One that makes me erupt in loud guffaws and break out in joyous tears.  Sadly, there are darn few of those anymore - most of today's comedians seem to go for the lowest common denominator (Yes, I'm talking about you, Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler).  So today's edition of Top 5 focuses on my favorite movie comedies.

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) - A group of motorists witness a car over a ledge.  As they go to the scene to check it out, they discover Jimmy Durante who has been ejected and is just a few moments away from kicking the bucket.  Before he does, he tells them about a treasure in loot that he has hidden "Under the big W."  From there, it's every man for himself as they try to outrun and outwit each other and be the first to find the buried treasure.  The movie stars the great Spencer Tracy, and every comic then known, with a host of others in cameo performances. It's flat-out hysterical. I love it.

One, Two, Three (1961) - Written and directed by Billy Wilder, this satire is about Coca-Cola's man in Berlin at the beginning of the 1960's. He's assigned to keep tabs on the boss's daughter, who has just eloped with a communist from East Berlin. Can he fix the situation before his Boss arrives? 

The movie stars Jimmy Cagney as the Coca-Cola exec, and Horst Buchholz as the communist. The dialog is spoken at break-neck speed, and hilarity ensues, with all sorts of jokes skewering communists and capitalists alike.  Make sure to pay attention for some small tributes to movie history, too.  You will definitely laugh out loud.

(Special note: With this one, it helps to have some understanding of history and of the Cold War)

To Be or Not to Be (1942) - Jack Benny and Carole Lombard star as married Jewish actors Josef and Maria Tura.  She rendezvous with a young military officer during his Hamlet soliquoy, at which point they become aware of a Nazi plot to overthrow the Polish resistance. Then they must use all of their acting skills to defeat a Nazi spy. It's pointed social satire and hysterically funny.  It's a pointed and hysterical satire of the Nazis. Director Ernst Lubitsch had a long career spanning from Silents to Talkies, and of all his comedy classics ("Ninotchka", and "The Shop Around the Corner" among them), this is his comedy masterpiece.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) - The title of this movie alone  should let you know that you're in for something.  In it, an insane Air Force General sets off the process for nuclear war, while various politicians and military personnel from both sides try to stop it.  Sounds deadly serious - I mean how could a movie about nuclear war be funny, especially if it's directed by Stanley Kubrick, right?  Wrong. This movie is flat out hysterical.  For one thing, it has the great Peter Sellers, playing four different parts, and for another, it has Slim Pickens putting on his best rodeo.  Political, satirical, and very very funny.

(Tip: Watch for a young James Earl Jones as a member of the flight crew.)

The More the Merrier (1943) - It's World War II, and there's a housing shortage in Washington, D.C.  Jean Arthur has an apartment and puts half of it up for rent. Charles Coburn (in an Oscar-winning performance), with a little trickery, rents it, then proceeds to rent half of his half to Joel McCrea, without telling Arthur.  All sorts of awkward situations occur, as the three try to maneuver around each other. While all this is going on, Coburn is also trying to play matchmaker for the other two - it also has one of the steamiest scenes of a movie from that era, and how it ever made it past the production code, I'll never know.  Funny, funny, funny, and my favorite Jean Arthur movie.  

(Tip: Aside from the aforementioned steamy scene, watch for the one where Jean Arthur is explaining the next morning's schedule to Charles Coburn. Hysterical!)

Classic Character - Joan Blondell

During the decade of the 1930's, if there was anyone who epitomized the brassy blonde, it was Joan Blondell.  No dumb blonde this one, she was fast talking, smart, and funny, and always a step ahead of you.  And while she was big in the 30's, her career spanned over 40 years.  I happened on a few of her movies recently, and she is definitely deserving of the title "Classic Character".  Check her out in these:

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) - Joan shares an apartment with a group of chorus girls. Their composer neighbor Dick Powell is in love with Joan's roommate Ruby Keeler. Unbeknownst to them, neighbor boy is heir to a family fortune, and his interfering brother, played by Warren William, comes to New York to try to bust up the romance.  He thinks that Joan is Ruby, and this begins an elaborate case of mistaken identity. A very funny movie, and she's great in it.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) - notable for being the first picture directed by Elia Kazan, it's the sentimental story of a young girl growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1900's, and the challenges faced by her and her family. Joan plays Aunt Sissy, sister to Mother Dorothy McGuire. Although adored by her niece and nephew, her sister doesn't consider her the finest example, as Sissy has had 3 different husbands, all of whom she has called "Bill". It's a terrific role, filled with humor and understanding. I think it's her best work.

The Cincinnati Kid (1965) - Steve McQueen is a young card-playing phenom, who wants to be the greatest poker-player ever. Edward G. Robinson is the grand old man of the game, and Joan Blondell is Lady Fingers, well-known in New Orleans, and a supporter of The Kid. It is she who will end up dealing the hand in their final confrontation.

Irene Dunne

So TCM has been having it's "Summer Under the Stars" this month. Each day is dedicated to one particular star, and the other day it was Irene Dunne.  While I've always enjoyed her movies, I really gained an appreciation for her with this line-up.  And there's a few I'd like to call out:

Consolation Marriage - 1932 (No Known Photo)

She and Pat O'Brien are both jilted by their "True Loves", so go to the nearest speakeasy to drink away their sorrows.  They meet, realize they like each other, and become terrific friends.  Several months in to the friendship, they decide to marry for convenience, and have a seemingly happy, maybe not passionate, marriage.  A few years later, the True Loves return to tempt them away from each other.  And it's here where they learn what True Love really is.  It's not one of her notable films, and it may be hokey, but I call it out, as it's a terrific early example of naturalistic acting. Prior to this, acting in sound pictures was pretty stiff.  But here the actors are natural and actually appear to be enjoying each other.

Theodora Goes Wild - 1936

One of the great yet unappreciated screwball comedies.  Irene plays an uptight New England lass, who's from the most prominent family in town - who just happens to be the pseudo-named author of the country's most scandalous novel.  Her secret is discovered by Melvyn Douglas, and he proceeds to blackmail her into hosting him. If she doesn't take care of him, he'll spill her secret.  Along the way they fall in love, and just when she thinks love will conquer all, she discovers that he has secrets of his own.  She then turns the tables on him - HILARIOUSLY!

The Awful Truth - 1937

Here Irene is paired with Cary Grant. They play a married couple who are in the process of a divorce, because he thinks she's been indiscreet.  While waiting the 60 days for the divorce to be final, they both undermine each other's new relationships, with hysterical results.  Eventually they realize they may not want to be divorced after all.

Tip: watch for the scene where she drops in on his society girlfriend's dinner party, pretending to be his drunken sister.

A Guy Named Joe - 1944 (No Known Photo)

Irene stars as a flyer in the Women's Air Service.  She's pining for her lost love, Spencer Tracy, when she meets flyer Van Johnson. Tracy also happens to be Johnson's guardian angel, so there's a love triangle.  By the end of the picture, she learns to let go of the past love and move on with the new.  Notable for being one of the few instances in films of the time where the lead actress was nearly 20 years older than her leading man.  And also for being Steven Spielberg's all-time favorite movie.

Night of the Iguana

Ok, so admittedly I'm not a fan of most Tennessee Williams movie adaptations.  They're typically super serious, super neurotic, super self-important, and super talky (although, I can appreciate the occasional Brando "Stella! Hey Stella!" or Elizabeth Taylor "Maggie the Cat is alive!" impression).  So when "Night of the Iguana" came on the other day, I was pretty tempted to skip it.  I saw it once years ago, and it was SERIOUSLY all of the above.

But the thing is, I'm the world's biggest fan of Deborah Kerr. So how could I not watch, at least for a few minutes, right?  Well, let's just say that few minutes turned into watching pretty much the entire picture.  Shot on location in Mexico, it's really a story of a group of lost souls, trying desperately to hang on to whatever goodness is still in them.  And while I still say that Tennessee Williams is just too much, my opinion has changed of this one.  For one thing, it has plenty of atmosphere. And for another, it is seriously Deborah Kerr's best work ever.  I've seen enough plays and movies to know when acting is good, and man - she was good in this.  Really, she should have gotten nomination #7 for this one.  And not only that - it's Ava Gardner's best work ever. She was known more for being a beauty, but she was seriously underrated as an actress.

That said, I'm not a huge fan of Richard Burton - he's always trying to make his diction too precise, and he never knew the meaning of the word subtle.  And my opinion doesn't change here.  Really - the picture belongs to Deborah Kerr and Ava Gardner, in the last great parts of their careers.  What a note to end on!

Word to the wise: If you do decide to watch this - make sure the kids are not in the room. This one's for grownups.

Bourne Legacy

I haven't been to the theater much this summer - but if you're looking for a cool action movie, I have to recommend "The Bourne Legacy".  Granted, it's not about Jason Bourne, and it doesn't have Matt Damon.  But it's the continuing story of the Treadstone program, and when someone starts picking off operatives, Jeremy Renner comes to the rescue. Along the way he picks up scientist Rachel Weisz.  They go from New England, to Boston, to DC, to Manila, trying to unravel the conspiracy and save each other's lives.  There's plenty of action, and Jeremy Renner is pretty dreamy (Matt who?).  And how can you not love a picture that puts Stacy Keach back in theaters?

Summer of 2012

Ok, so I've been very remiss at keeping up with my "all movies all the time" blogging, so we'll play a little catch-up by talking about some key movie experiences and thoughts from the summer of 2012:

To start off - Is it just me, or have we lost quite a few film luminaries this summer?  Andy Griffith, Ernie Borgnine, Celeste Holm, Richard Zanuck, Marvin Hamlisch - and I'm sure I'm leaving out some more.  I might just mention some of my favorite performances and contributions from each of the above, may they rest in peace.

 Andy Griffith was known mostly as a TV star. But in the mid-1950's, he had quite a career going for himself in the movies.  A couple of cases in point - "A Face in the Crowd", and "No Time For Sergeant's".  In the former, he was a country boy who overnight becomes a TV star, and before long starts believing his own press, to the point where he becomes what he rails against on his show.  Andy Taylor he ain't, and he should have gotten a nomination for it.  In the latter, he plays an innocent and idiot bumpkin who goes into the service and gets in one ridiculous scrape after another.  This was the character that became the precursor to TV's Gomer Pyle.

Ernie Borgnine was not the handsomest of actors.  But he had heart, and you loved him, even when he was playing a baddie, as he did quite often. But check him out in one of my all-time favorites, "Marty".  Here he's a homely, lonely, lovelorn butcher, who meets a homely, lonely, lovelorn teacher played by Betsy Blair. They connect, and he realizes that "You and me, we're not such dogs as we think we are." Heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once, and impressive enough to earn him the Oscar.

Celeste Holm was originally a Broadway star. Casual fans may not know that she was the original 'Ado Annie in "Oklahoma".  But she later won an Oscar for a terrific film, "Gentleman's Agreement", the first of the post-war message movies, about a reporter (played by Greg Peck) who wants to know what it's like to feel discriminated against, so he pretends to be Jewish.  Celeste is his friend and fellow reporter. And she's fabulous.  Or, if you're looking for her in lighter fare, I personally adore her in "High Society", the musical remake of "The Philadelphia Story".  She and Frank Sinatra are reporters sent to cover Grace Kelly's society wedding, and get more than they bargain for.

Richard Zanuck was the son of one of the original Hollywood Moguls (Daryl F. Zanuck).  In the mid-60's, he took over for the old man as Head of Production of 20th Century Fox. He greenlit and produced such pictures as "The Sound of Music", along with "The Sting", "Jaws", and later, "Driving Miss Daisy".  Not a bad track record.

Marvin Hamlisch - composer extraordinaire.  A true prodigy, he composed the music for "The Way We Were", "Ice Castles", "The Spy Who Loved Me", "Sophie's Choice", and a host of others.  His music was THE sappy soundtrack for movies in the 70's and early 80's.  And oh yeah, he arranged the music for another little picture "The Sting".  (See, you're humming "The Entertainer" right now, aren't you?)

The Way

Had some time last week to sit down and watch "The Way", starring Martin Sheen.  It's the story of a father, who has a difficult relationship with his son (played by Sheen's real-life son, and the film's director, Emilio Estevez), made even more so when his son decides to chuck it all and go off hiking around the world.  Shortly after leaving, the son is killed in an accident while hiking the El Camino de Santiago in Spain.  The father goes to retrieve his son's remains, and on the spur of the moment, decides to hike the El Camino himself, in memory of his son.  Along the way, he meets an interesting cast of characters, all walking the El Camino for their own reasons.

I really loved this movie.  That said, Sheen's character is not necessarily loveable. He's angry at himself and his son, he's bitter, and he's not very nice to anyone around him. But his journey helps him to come to terms with his feelings, and ends up drawing him closer to his son, to his hiking comrades, and to his lapsed Catholic faith.  It's as if hiking "the Way" ends up helping him find his way.  

It's a terrific performance, and a thoughtful, quiet, beautiful film.  I highly recommend it.