"The Throb of Manhattan"

ITS ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER, 1955, may well be my very favourite musical (after A STAR IS BORN and THE BANDWAGON of course) - it and those sophisticated musicals from 1957 [LES GIRLS, FUNNY FACE, SILK STOCKINGS, THE PYJAMA GAME, bits of PAL JOEY] are my perennial favourites, ever since I saw them as a child at Sunday afternoon matinees - BRIGADOON was another but it it not quite in that league, but I prefer them to the over-hyped SINGING IN THE RAIN or AN AMERICAN IN PARIS both of which show Kelly at his most grating (of course, as per Musicals label, I also love ON THE TOWN, MY SISTER EILEEN, KISS ME KATE, SWINGTIME, GYPSY, LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT among others...)

Good to see that ITS ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER is being revived by the London National Film Theatre in their season on MGM musicals - it cries out to be seen on widescreen, using as it does, multiple images when our 3 wartime buddies reflect on their lives now. It seems to have been a troubled shoot, co-directors Kelly and Stanley Donen fell out, Kelly and Charisse don't have any number together, she has one marvellous dance number "Baby You Knock Me Out" at the gym (where, as Pauline Kael put it, "Cyd Charisse is benumbed until she unhinges those legs") wearing that terrific Helen Rose ensemble, and Gene has the very inventive roller-skate number and of course when the 3 guys dance with the dustbin lids, so it is all very innovative, just as original musicals were dying, it was mainly films of Broadway shows after this.

It is the perfect mid-century story of 3 wartime buddies meeting up 10 years later in 1955 and realising that they don't like each other much now, and indeed Kelly and Dailey don't much like themselves either. Gene is mixing with hoods and managing a dumb boxer, while Dan Dailey has risen to "Executive Vice-President" level in advertising and is sick of the advertising game as he lets rip in his terrific solo number "Advertising-wise". Cyd Charisse is the television researcher who stumbles across the 3 wartime buddies and realises their reunion is ideal for her television show "Midnight with Madeline" for "The Throb of Manhattan" spot where saccharine stories are featured. This is the early days of live television and the movie is a splendid satire on those artificial tv hostesses like Madeline and her diva tantrums. Dolores Gray is stupendous here, and has one of the best numbers ever "Thanks a lot but no thanks" which is a delirious treat with that ritzy gown and that killer line:"I've got a man who's Clifton Webb and Marlon Brando combined"!. Then hood Jay C Flippen and his goons invade the studio where the live broadcast is being made, as they are after Gene who has thrown the fight once he realised his boxer has been bribed to lose it. Cyd gets the hoods to confess on live air, Madeline has a hit show, the 3 buddies realise they are still friends after all. It's a perfect conclusion as Cyd joins Gene and the the guys back at the bar where they vowed to meet up 10 years previously.



Choreographer Michael Kidd is ideal as the family man, Dailey has one of his best roles (apart from his father in THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS), Cyd and Gene sparkle as they spar with each other, and Dolores steals the show. What's not to love? It is a dark, sometimes bitter take on ON THE TOWN a decade later as the 3 buddies meet again - by 1955 though Sinatra had gone on to solo projects and was "difficult" and Jules Munchin was not a name enough. Produced of course by Arthur Freed, with songs by Andre Previn, script by Comden and Green; perfect entertainment then, but see the widescreen version, not panned and scanned! The DVD includes a fascinating 'Making-Of' chronicling the fallout between Kelly and Donen, and several out-takes including a terrific inventive (that word again) deleted number between Kelly and Charisse "Love is Nothing But a Racket" which has been unseen for far too long, and Michael Kidd's solo spot with some kids, but Gene did not want that included, after his number with kids in AN AMERICAN IN PARIS! Essential stuff then.

I met Gene at a recording of an interview of his for the BBC in 1975 - Donen of course went on to direct several of my enduing favourites: those Audrey Hepburn films like TWO FOR THE ROAD and CHARADE, Kendall in ONCE MORE WITH FEELING, Peck and Sophia ideal in ARABESQUE, and the marvellous BEDAZZLED with Pete and Dud and Eleanor Bron in 1967. We won't mention STAIRCASE or LUCKY LADY!

Back to the delirious '50s: WOMAN'S WORLD

WOMAN'S WORLD. For me this 1954 Fox movie is the '50s in aspic. Its a fabulously entertaining variation on the '3 girls sharing an apartment and looking for love' genre that Fox and director Jean Negulesco did so well (HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, 3 COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN, THE BEST OF EVERYTHING) - here the 3 girls are married and visiting New York - cue great views of 50s Manhattan - as Clifton Webb, the head of a motor company, has to choose a new general manager and the wives are being vetted too to see if they are suitable material for company events.



The 3 couples are out-of-towners Cornel Wilde and ditzy (or is she?) June Allyson, sophisticates on the point of divorcing Lauren Bacall and Fred McMurray, and ambitious Van Heflin and Arlene Dahl who will go to any lengths to get her man the position. The gals get to wear to some marvellous frocks, Allyson and Bacall play their usual personas so the unknown quantity here is Dahl who steals the film - particuarly when she enters in that green clinging sheath with a divine little fur-trimmed bolero which she knowingly removes as she puts the make on Clifton and lets him see how grateful she will be if Van is the man. June spills coffee on her cocktail dress so she can get to be alone with Clifton's all-wise sister Margalo Gilmore (who is advising him), while Bacall gets the measure of Dahl: "have a cookie, cookie"!

Finally, once the manager is announced (right man, wrong wife - but that is soon rectified) they can all eat dinner! Clifton is in his element here and even seems to be (can it be possible in '54) a coded gay as he is not married and seems devoted to his general managers. Whatever, its an absolute treat to see anytime, a nice contrast to that other '54 star-studded executive drama EXECUTIVE SUITE.



Its one of a dozen or so '50s movies I simply adore - not classics like EAST OF EDEN, SUNSET BOULEVARD, ALL ABOUT EVE or A STAR IS BORN, but simple splashy, star-studded entertainments where fabulous gals wear fabulous clothes and live the high life, or the most delirious costume epics [more on them at Glamour label]. As well as WOMAN'S WORLD, bring on THE OPPOSITE SEX, DESIGNING WOMAN, LES GIRLS, THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE, HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE, THE BEST OF EVERYTHING, JUPITER'S DARLING, ITS ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER, QUENTIN DURWARD, MOONFLEET, THE PRODIGAL, THE EGYPTIAN ... i enjoyed all those as a kid, and still do now.
Next: People We Like: Clifton Webb, the films of Jean Negulesco.

Cyd's green gloves, and shoes, and handbag ..

Bliss it is to watch THE BANDWAGON again, on the big screen. It is my favourite musical after all, as per label. Now though one could focus more on the decor and the costumes. Cyd Charisse has a terrific wardrobe here (like Grace Kelly in TO CATCH A THIEF). I was particularly taken with Cyd's dark green dress with those green gloves, green shoes and handbag - perfect for her first meeting with Astaire and in that red room. She actually has a lot of marvellous handbags here. Then of course there is the simple white outfor for "Dancing in the Dark", the sensational red dress for the "Girl Hunt", and just seen briefly that very Minnelli yellow dress with the splash of red. Divine!

1957

1957! What a great year to be 11 and starting to going to movies on one's own or with friends and family. That whole decade 1954 - 1964 was my first decade of moviegoing [which nicely co-incides with that fascinating mid-century era of cinema as the modern movie world began circa 1960, or so it seems to me], which I started aged 8 in Ireland in '54 and then I was 18 in '64 newly arrived in London. As per my post on 1954 (label) JOHNNY GUITAR was the first movie I was taken to, which was so vivid and exciting for me, followed by various westerns and A STAR IS BORN. I was also taken during 55 and 56 by my parents to see those hits like THE KING AND I, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, TRAPEZE, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS etc, but 1957 marked the year I was allowed to start going on my own - our small town in Ireland had 2 local cinemas which changed programmes several times a week and had lots of revivals and double features. As we did not have television in Ireland then (it did not arrive until the early 60s) we saw lots of movies on the big screen. Ideal!


It was a great year for muscials and sophisticated entertainments. For me particularly those gems like Cukor's LES GIRLS, Donen's FUNNY FACE, Minnelli's DESIGNING WOMAN [Peck and Bacall above in that perfect 50s interior], and musicals like THE PYJAMA GAME (Doris at her peak and that sizzling "Steam Heat"), WHAT LOLA WANTS, PAL JOEY and Fred and Cyd in SILK STOCKINGS. I discovered Sophia Loren in BOY ON A DOLPHIN and LEGEND OF THE LOST where she and John Wayne were super in this sahara western, Gina in THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, Lee Remick made a terrific debut in A FACE IN THE CROWD. Deborah Kerr as Sister Angela and Robert Mitchum as the marine were terrific in Huston's HEAVEN KNOWS MR ALLISON and of course Kerr and Grant in AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER.

THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI was the big hit, and that western GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL with Burt and Kirk at their peak, Disney's OLD YELLER, Elvis in LOVING YOU and JAILHOUSE ROCK. I remember a particular Hollywood magazine I had with stories of the hit films RAINTREE COUNTY, THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL, TAMMY, FUNNY FACE, LOVING YOU and rushing to see those movies. It was that great era for stars like Doris Day, Elizabeth Taylor, Kim Novak, Janet Leigh, Burt, Kirk, Rock, Tony Curtis, Peck, Clift, Deborah Kerr, Jean Simmons, Susan Hayward, Kay Kendall, Jeffrey and Tab Hunter, Natalie Wood, Sandra Dee, Joanne Woodward, Shirley McLaine, Anita Ekberg, Jayne Mansfield in WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER, James Stewart in a western I liked NIGHT PASSAGE with Audie Murphy and Brandon De Wilde, and of course anything with Audrey Hepburn or Marilyn.



It was also the year of those great dramas like 12 ANGRY MEN, SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, THE WRONG MAN and PATHS OF GLORY. I later discovered Anna Magnani's great performance in Cukor's WILD IS THE WIND and caught up with Antonioni's IL GRIDO, Fellini's CABIRIA and those two essential Bergmans: THE SEVENTH SEAL (bottom) and WILD STRAWBERRIES as well as finding out about films like KANAL or THE CRANES ARE FLYING with the arrival of magazines like "Films and Filming", more serious than the usual "Picture Show" or "Photoplay" or the Hollywood fan magazines (usually with Marilyn on the cover or the latest on Liz or Debbie).



The more rubbish movies of the year which we liked included the hilariously awful THE STORY OF MANKIND and Hedy Lamarr as THE FEMALE ANIMAL. Stanwyck had 2 good westerns TROOPER HOOK and 40 GUNS. (I have reviewed several of these on here already, 50s label). Jeff Hunter and Robert Wagner were the James Brothers for Nick Ray in THE TRUE STORY OF JESSE JAMES. Pat Boone starred in APRIL LOVE. Preminger offered SAINT JOAN which became a resounding failure. SOMETHING OF VALUE was a good Hudson drama set in Africa with Sidney Poitier, Dana Wyner and Wendy Hiller.



There was another SISSI film with Romy Schneider and English cinema came up trumps with dramas like WOMAN IN A DRESSING GOWN (that was Yvonne Mitchell, left above), Stanley Baker in the tough HELL DRIVERS with young Sean Connery and Patrick McGoohan on their way up, Peter Sellers scored in THE NAKED TRUTH, and the Rank Organisation came up with some hits: Dirk Bogarde and Baker again in CAMPBELL'S KINGDOM a Hammond Innes adventure set in Canada (but filmed in the Italian dolomites), Belinda Lee heading the cast of the period drama DANGEROUS EXILE, Stephen Boyd and Tony Wright in the wartime drama SEVEN THUNDERS, and Tyrone Power and that great cast (including Boyd again) in the Shepperton tank all at sea for SEVEN WAVES AWAY (or ABANDON SHIP!).


Fox also came up with some heavyweights from some best-sellers: Power, Ava and Flynn heading THE SUN ALSO RISES, Lana leading PEYTON PLACE and yes Boyd again, with Joan Collins in ISLAND IN THE SUN - Harry Belafonte's theme song was one of the hits of that great year!, and their great ensemble of contract players, led by Joanne Woodward, Jeff Hunter and Patricia Owens in NO DOWN PAYMENT. Fox also gave us the film of Steinbeck's THE WAYWARD BUS with Joan (Collins) and Jayne which is a very rare movie now, but I caught it a while ago. (1957 label)
It is probably heresy but one '57 movie that just does not do it for me is LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON which I finally saw a while ago; liking Audrey, Cooper and Wilder as I do I was looking forward to this but for me it was like a failed souffle, though I see Wilder's intention of re-creating 'the Lubitsch touch', and far too long too!

Soon: 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964 (I have already done 1954, 1960, 1962.

Movies I love: Minnelli's Designing Debutante

"Watch out for the ravioli, Greg"!

I have written here previously [as per labels below] on those terrific '50s treats like Cukor's LES GIRLS, or Minnelli's DESIGNING WOMAN, THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE and the like. We did not have television when I was growing up in Ireland in the '50s (it did not arrive until the early '60s) so from 1957 onwards (when I was 11) we just had the cinema for our doses of glamorous people wearing great clothes and doing exciting glamorous things ....
here are some nice new images of Greg and Lauren and Dolores (just before she tips the ravioli into his lap) in that swellegant '57 treat DESIGNING WOMAN, and Rex and Kay (those Balmain gowns!) and Angela in '58 THE RELUCTANT DEBUTANTE (Angela was also great that year in THE LONG HOT SUMMER with Orson, Paul & Joanne, Lee Remick & Tony Francoisa) - and Kirk and Cyd in 1962's TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN.