Its that time: Christmas in Connecticut or France ?

Some seasonal viewing: a '40s Hollywood christmas tale, or a recent French look at another dysfunctional family during the holiday season ?

CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT: Released the last year of WWII in 1945 (I was born that December), the film is full of subtle patriotic gestures and holiday nostalgia but never sinks to sentimentality. Stanwyck is sexy and sassy as always and is a lot of fun here. She is a cooking columnist who's built up this whole image of living on a small Connecticut farm with husband and baby cooking all these marvelous delicacies. Trouble is she's unmarried, childless, writes her column from her apartment in New York and doesn't know how to boil water. But her writing is a hit with the public. Trouble comes when she's hijacked into cooking a home Christmas dinner for a war hero sailor played by Dennis Morgan who gets to sing a couple of songs as well. Her publisher Sidney Greenstreet likes the idea so well that he invites himself to the dinner. So with borrowed farm, baby, and Reginald Gardiner who'd like to make it real with Stanwyck she tries to brazen it through. S.Z. Sakall adds a great deal of Hungarian malaprop & double-entendre humor in support as Babs' true source of culinary talent & Una O'Connor is hilarious as Gardiner's obnoxious Irish housekeeper. A nice treat then.


A CHRISTMAS TALE: Fancy another French family dysfunction drama? Rather like Assayas's SUMMER HOURS (reviewed at French label), only this one is two and half hours long in the company of some unsumpathetic people as the Vuillard family gathers: parents Junon and Abel, a daughter Elizabeth and her son Paul, Henri and a girlfriend, Ivan, his wife Sylvia and their young sons, and cousin Simon. Six years before, Elizabeth paid Henri's debts and demanded he never see her again or visit their parents' home. Paul, at 16, has mental problems and faces a clinical exam. Junon learns she needs a bone marrow transplant if she's to live beyond a few months: thus the détente bringing all together. Two family members have compatible marrow, but the spats, fights, cruel words, drunken toasts, and somewhat civilized bad behavior threaten all; plus Junon may simply refuse treatment.

It turns out to be an overly long and incredibly talky dysfunctional family drama, by Arnaud Desplechin, led by a chilly Catherine Deneuve as the dying matriarch (such a contrast to her sunny role in the delicious POTICHE (yes, also reviewed recently at French label). She's dying of a rare kind of cancer, and the spectre of that eventuality plus the proximity of brothers and sisters who haven't seen each other for a while and have scores to settle puts everyone in a reflective mood. It rather strikes home if you too have brothers and sisters who do not see or have much contact with each other .... Melvil Poupaud (so effective in Ozon's TIME TO LEAVE - yes, its at the french label) scores as the youngest son.



We also of course have the perennial IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE with Jimmy Stewart running through Bedford Falls in the snow as he gets his life back, and THE MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (the Maureen O'Hara-Natalie Wood one) and '54's WHITE CHRISTMAS though how many times can one watch that? and of course theres always those recent christmas perennials like ELF and BAD SANTA and GREMLINS. I was pleased to catch up with favourites Lee Remick and Angela Lansbury in the glutinously sentimental tv film A CHRISTMAS STORY: THE GIFT OF LOVE from 1982, and dear Loretta in CHRISTMAS EVE one of her final roles in '85, as the rich old lady with not long to live re-uniting her family, assisted by ailing Trevor Howard. If that does not get you crying for christmas nothing will ! Perfect viewing anytime though, and particularly at this time of year, is the 1952 film of the play THE HOLLY AND THE IVY, a perfectly British treat with Ralph Richardson, Margaret Leighton and Celia Johnson all sublime (and yes see Richardson, Leighton or Johnson labels for review); and let's not forget the lovely if rarely seen HOLIDAY AFFAIR from 1949 with Janet Leigh having to choose between Robert Mitchum or Wendall Corey! It should be a holiday staple too.

A '30s rarity: Employees' Entrance

EMPLOYEES’ ENTRANCE. Another of those snappy pre-Code melodramas like William Wellman’s MIDNIGHT MARY or FRISCO JENNY, this is by Roy Del Ruth and not quite in that league, but is another of the 9 films radiant young Loretta Young made in 1933.

This is about life in a big department store as tyrant manager Warren William (?) rules with a rod of iron firing anyone who displeases him. Loretta is the shopgirl who sleeps with the boss to get a job, then she and young Wallace Ford (yes he was young and quite attractive, for those who only know his older self) fall in love and marry in secret as William (who does not believe in marriage or relationships and does not really like women) has an unspoken yen for Ford whom he is grooming to be a ruthless as he is. Things come to a head when he wants Ford to move in with him as he again picks up Loretta at the annual dance. Quite intriguing with a lot of undertones maybe not realised at the time. Loretta of course is the perfect depression heroine, as mentioned before, as per label.

Loretta

A fabulours 1934 shot of Loretta Young - one of the most prolific stars of the '30s and '40s. She did 9 films in 1933 alone, and began as a teenager in the '20s. Her career was really over by the time I began cinemagoing,(her last film was in 1953), but she also had a major career in television with her popular tv series.

Loretta became an iron butterfly later on - there are several amusing jokes about her religious side and her swear box, but back in the '30s she was incredibly lovely in films like MIDNIGHT MARY, LADIES IN LOVE, the typical depression waif in Borzage's MAN'S CASTLE with Spencer Tracy (they had a romance but as both were Catholic could not divorce and re-marry), ZOO IN BUDAPEST, De Mille's THE CRUSADES in '35 and CALL OF THE WILD with Clark Gable, they had a location affair which resulted in a daughter which Loretta adopted. There were also seveal with Tyrone Power, and THE BISHOP'S WIFE in '48 with Cary Grant and David Niven, and her Oscar-winning role in THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER in '47. More at Loretta label. One of the most fascinating stars then.

John Kobal's 1985 book "People Will Talk" contains a lengthy interview with her which is quite fascinating as Loretta looks back over her career and life: On the studio system: "I have no regrets, but I regret its passing for those working today, because it is virtually impossible to become a lasting star. In what we call the good old days, there were never less than 20 or 30 fabulously important stars in the business at any one time. Well you can't name that many today. And those stars worked all the time. Now they tell me two thirds of the theatres are closed all over the country. In those days they were all jammed full. I think television also has a great deal to do with it because it's so easy to turn it on at home and it's free. But still to me the calibre of the motion picture, when you get a picture that is good, it does make money. Of course now they say its just coining money. Yes, it is, at a little theatre that holds 300 people. But not at the Music Hall or at the Roxy, where you had to fill it five times a day with 3,000 people."

1934 cigarette cards - a selection .....

Double click images to enlarge...

1930s: Loretta, the depression waif ...

It has been fascinating over the last few years to discover the early work of Loretta Young [1913-2000], whom I knew as a great lady in her later films like THE BISHOP'S WIFE. Her movie career was really over before I began my cinema-going in the mid-'50s and I never saw her television series, so really she became one of those forgotten 1930s stars, but now seeing those early titles like MIDNIGHT MARY or LADIES IN LOVE is a revelation.

Loretta was a true child of the movies, first appearing aged 4 and several in her early teens. She was a prominent lead by the 1930s, co-starring with Jean Harlow in PLATINUM BLONDE in 1931. In 1933 alone she starred in 9 titles - talk about being busy! - in classic titles like the dreamlike ZOO IN BUDAPEST, Borzage's great MAN'S CASTLE where she is the ideal depression waif involved with Spencer Tracy in their shanty town. William Wellman's MIDNIGHT MARY shows her at her most glamorous (when she was 20) in this racy Pre-Code romance with Franchot Tone.



I was totally entraced with her in the 1936 LADIES IN LOVE, probably the first of those Fox '3 girls sharing an apartment and looking for love' movies, set in an idealised Budapest, where she is teamed with the young Tyrone Power - they make a beautiful couple, and compared to her co-stars Constance Bennett (left) and Janet Gaynor, Loretta looks surprisingly modern, dressed simply in black or white, and has some nice line readings, as the girl who falls hopelessly in love with unattainable aristocrat Power.



It seems she and Tracy had a serious romance while making MAN'S CASTLE (above) but as both were Catholics and he was already married, they had to part. She then had a romance on the rebound with Clark Gable when they made CALL OF THE WILD in 1935, which resulted in the birth of a daughter, whom she adopted. De Mille's THE CRUSADES in 1935 is another excellent film of hers from this era, along with titles like RAMONA, SUEZ, CLIVE OF INDIA and others with Power like CAFE METROPOLITAN and SECOND HONEYMOON (that recent Ty Power box set of 10 films included several with Loretta).


Above: ZOO IN BUDAPEST and THE CRUSADES.

While her earlier movies like MIDNIGHT MARY or THE HATCHET MAN in 1932 (where she and Edward G Robinson are Chinese!) are quite racy, Loretta grew more staid as she got older, becoming a prominent Catholic {she was famous for her swearbox - was it Mitchum who said "here's $5, now f**k off"?). She is an ideal nun in the 1949 religious saga COME TO THE STABLE. Her '40s roles include THE STRANGER with Welles, RACHEL AND THE STRANGER, THE FARMER'S DAUGHTER (for which she won the 1947 best actress Academy Award) and the perennial THE BISHOP'S WIFE with Cary Grant and David Niven in '48. Again, it is always a pleasure to see Loretta, particularly in those early 1930s movies.

She was one of the first stars to cross over to television with her successful long running series (there are box sets available, I got one which also include her fascinating home movies). She returned as a very charming old lady in two nice television movies: CHRISTMAS EVE with an equally frail older Trevor Howard in 1986, where she wants to re-unite her warring relatives before she dies, and LADY IN THE CORNER in '89 where she is the magazine owner fighting off a takeover by a pornographer! Naturally, Loretta saves the day. She was still lovely posing for "Vanity Fair" in 1999, the year before her death.

Glamour (3): Some stunning '30s portraits + 2 '60s.

Carole Lombard, 1935 / Garbo, 1929 / Loretta Young, 1931 / Erroll Flynn, 1935 / Gary Cooper, 1931 / Marlene Dietrich, 1934 - and Susan Hayward, 1961 / Romy Schneider, 1963.

Some choice Pre-Code movies

That Pre-Code era of the 1930s is well documented now, when Hollywood was turning out lots of racy movies between 1929 and '34 which are quite suggestive and even flaunt nudity - that locker room scene (above) from the 1934 title SEARCH FOR BEAUTY would be unimaginable in the '40s or the '50s (no nudity in the locker room in PICNIC!). The Pre-Code era flouted censorship and pushed the boundaries when producers and directors found ways to suggest topics which sold tickets during the Depression era. The self-censoring Production Code by the movie industry (to avoid further regulation) came into operation in 1934 which immediately toned down the likes of Mae West ... as Code chief Joseph Breen had the power to veto any film. Without his seal of approval movies could not be shown and studios fined if they violated the Code, which of course encouraged movie makers to suggest what could not be shown. Here are some of my particular favourites:

MIDNIGHT MARY is a terrific snappy little thriller from William Wellman in '33, with Loretta Young at her loveliest as the girl (she is shown as a child of 10 with clever use of camera setups) who becomes involved with gangsters and society guy Franchot Tone. Its sheer delight.

FRISCO JENNY is another Wellman from the same period, a darker tale with Ruth Chatterton as the San Francisco madam working her way up high society, giving up her son - its almost like MADAME X - who defends her in court at the end, not knowing who she is. Its hardboiled and tough, just like Jenny herself.

THE HATCHET MAN is an amazing little thriller from '32, also by Wellman, with Edward G Robinson and Loretta Young both playing Chinese in a tough tale of a Tong executioner and the girl he falls for.

MAN'S CASTLE from Frank Borzage is the quintesstial Depression tale with a lot of poetic realism as Spencer Tracy and Loretta (as the ideal depression waif) try to rise above the shantytown slum around them. Tracy and Young did have a romance during the film, but both being Catholics, it could not last. Loretta was one of the most prolific stars of the '30s - with 9 movies in 1933 alone! She is a recent discovery for me as her cinema career was over by the time I started movie-going in the '50s and I never saw her television series but just knew her from her strait-laced '40s persona. Back in the '30s though it was a different story, she is also terrific in ZOO IN BUDAPEST and De Mille's THE CRUSADES.

BABY FACE must be one of the best known pre-codes as Barbara Stanwyck brazenly works her way up to the executive suite by snaring all those hapless men en route. The tagline went: "She climbed the ladder of success, wrong by wrong"!

BED OF ROSES is another delightful 1933 title by Gregory La Cava, with Constance Bennett perfect as the girl on the make as she and a pal, ex-hookers, leave prison and determine to fleece some more suckers. Joel McCrea is the nice guy she falls for on his riverboat. It's very suggestive as it shows her blackmailing the rich guy and causing mayhem until she realises what she really wants ...

SEARCH FOR BEAUTY by the (unknown to me) Erle Kenton must be one of the most visually clever films of the pre-code era. It shows con artists duping Olympic athletes into appearing in their porn magazine and shows ladies blatantly focusing on the crotches of the swimmers, as young Buster Crabble and an uncrecognisable Ida Lupino star, and there are no inhibitions in the locker room.

A good starting point for Pre-Code films is the box-set "Pre-Code Hollywood", which has 6 interesting items: Tallulah Bankhead in THE CHEAT, Dorothy Arzner's MERRILY WE GO TO HELL with Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney; Randolph Scott and Cary Grant in HOT SATURDAY with Nancy Carroll, Claudette Colbert in TORCH SINGER, the aforementioned SEARCH FOR BEAUTY and all those semi-naked chorus girls in MURDER AT THE VANITIES by Mitchell Leisen, which got into circulation just before the Code came into force! There is also the "Forbidden Hollywood" series.
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LADIES IN LOVE may not be Pre-Code as such, being 1936, but its one I like a lot now and was a terrific discovery last year. Probably the first of the Fox '3- girls-sharing-an-apartment-and-looking-for-love' movies it is set in Budapest and teams up Loretta Young, Constance Bennett and Janet Gaynor, with a young Tyrone Power and Paul Lukas in support, as well as Simone Simon. The others may look dated now, but Loretta is lovely and quite modern here, nicely dressed in black and white outfits, with interesting line readings and just being very appealing. [This was just after Loretta's CALL OF THE WILD with Clark Gable which resulted in her having his baby (on the rebound from her romance with Tracy) which she later adopted; Loretta was later one of Hollywood's most prominent Roman Catholics].