HotToastyRag Reviews

Ragtime (1981)

Completely takes you back in time

[10/10 · 29 May 2024]

For the life of me, I don't understand why Ragtime didn't make a full sweep of the Academy Awards in 1981. I also don't understand why the Broadway musical wasn't a high enough of a success to make up for the production costs. I also don't understand why the musical was not turned into a film version in recent years, given the upswing of musicals, for it would certainly sweep the award season. It's a story that hits home and has stayed relevant since E. L. Doctorow wrote the novel. Flawlessly weaving in fact and fiction, overtness and symbolism, Ragtime is a masterpiece. It is upsetting to watch, absolutely, but there are many upsetting movies that become classics and make it to the top slots of must-see lists.

There are three social circles in Ragtime: the white affluent suburbanites, the Jewish immigrants, and the black lower class. The characters in the three circles end up entwined in each other's lives, with dramatic consequences for all involved and for future generations. It'll make you think and talk about it afterwards, so it's no wonder that new and old faces alike were drawn to be a part of the cast. James Cagney was drawn out of retirement for his final role to play the mayor, and while it is sad to see him very old and bloated from medication, it's still nice to see him after a twenty years' absence. Keep a lookout for Pat O'Brien, Kenneth McMillan, Moses Gunn, Brad Dourif, James Olson, Debbie Allen, and Donald O'Connor in a brief stint as Elizabeth McGovern's dance teacher. Mainly, you'll see Mary Steenburgen as the matriarch who sets the ball in motion for the entire plot, Mandy Patinkin as an immigrant who quickly discovers the American dream, Howard E. Rollins as the most tragic character who believes he'll be treated fairly no matter the color of his skin. Elizabeth plays a showgirl with a very funny nude scene that won her an Oscar nomination; she argues with her lawyer while completely naked to show that her character is so money hungry and used to showing her body that she doesn't think to cover up. Howard's character has a great emotional range and tugs on your heartstrings even when he's in happy scenes. Mary gives a surprisingly subtle performance that tells the audience exactly what she's thinking when she's not saying a word.

The costumes are breathtaking, and the art direction and lighting (as well as Milos Forman's pace in his direction) truly transports the audience to the turn of the century. This is a beautiful movie to watch, but if you don't know the story ahead of time, you will not find it very beautiful as it unfolds. I had already read the book twice as well as practically memorized the musical by the time I'd seen the film. The latter set a very high bar, but Randy Newman's music did not disappoint me. In his near dozen different themes, there were several tunes that reminded me of the songs in the musical - written later, of course. Keep your Kleenex box handy and step back in time to 1906.

White Heat (1949)

Classic and complex

[8/10 · 28 May 2024]

In James Cagney's most famous prison movie, White Heat, you'll see a very complex villain whom you love to hate and hate to love. Cagney played countless bad boys in his time, but his character Cody Jarrett is the type to have been written in modern times. For 1949, it's quite shocking. He's not just a gangster with a moll on the side or a jailbird who can't walk the straight and narrow. He's mentally ill; some would argue he's physically ill as well because of his persistent headaches, but I believe those are manifestations of his mental problems. Unlike many gangster characters of the silver screen, he has a wife - not just a loose floozy he covers in furs. But instead of loving his wife, Virginia Mayo, fiercely, his devotion belongs to his mother, Margaret Wycherly. Margaret is as tough as any mobster head honcho, even tougher than her son. Jimmy's compulsion to please her and make her proud is clearly abnormal, especially because he's middle aged and has a family of his own.

White Heat is not a feel-good film, but if you haven't seen it, definitely rent it. (Have The Strawberry Blonde on hand to get you in a better mood.) It's a classic that deserves its place on the must-see lists, and Cagney puts his heart and soul into the part.

Taxi (1931)

Cute early Loretta Young flick

[7/10 · 28 May 2024]

"You dirty rat!" comes from the film Taxi - except, like Clark Gable's famous line, it is often misquoted. The real line is, "You dirty, yellow-bellied rat," but the shorter one has become Jimmy's catchphrase. Much as Bette Davis's "What a dump" line comes from a forgettable film, Taxi isn't his greatest. It's actually pretty cute, but it's not as famous as The Strawberry Blonde and doesn't feature fabulous acting like Love Me or Leave Me.

Jimmy stars as a taxi driver fighting for the rights of his fellow oppressed coworkers. When Guy Kibbee is killed (indirectly) for standing up for himself, his daughter Loretta Young turns her back against the protestors. It's understandable why she doesn't want any more violence and bloodshed, and she initially dislikes Jimmy for wanting to continue the cause. But, since it's Hollywood, their meet-cute soon turns into a romance.

I'm not a Loretta Young fan, but she's awfully cute in Taxi. When she was younger, she was pretty, and paired against the charming, bad-boy Cagney, she got to rattle off some cute banter that made her more likable. Instead of her usual "holier than thou" image, she was just another 1930s dame in a cloche hat. George Raft was also in a bit part in Taxi as a dance contestant. It's fun to see him in his early dance roles, just as it's fun to see Cagney dance before he won his Oscar for playing a song-and-dance man.

A Lion Is in the Streets (1953)

Excellent political drama

[7/10 · 28 May 2024]

James Cagney starts A Lion Is in the Streets as a traveling salesman, but his character and the film get progressively more complex. He acts like a fool, but when the local schoolteacher, Barbara Hale, catches his eye, he makes up his mind to woo her and get serious. What follows is a very dramatic trajectory involving politics, scandal, murder, and honor.

This drama has been compared to All the King's Men, but I liked it much better. It wasn't as predictable, and it had much better acting. Yes, James Cagney got to use every bit of his signature high energy, but he had a lot of layers to his character (rather than the one-dimensional crooked politician of Broderick Crawford). His main philosophy was that everyone could be manipulated in some way or other, and he spent his time figuring out which way worked for which people.

You'll see many different sides to Jimmy, from romancer to hero for the downtrodden to corrupt bigwig to sensitive friend. Which is the real Jimmy, or is any of them? Is he merely self-serving and all his faces are fake? Check out this excellent and obscure drama to find out. If you like it, check out The Last Hurrah, another well-acted political drama that's better than All the King's Men by leaps and bounds.

My Man and I (1952)

Daring for its time

[7/10 · 10 May 2024]

Don't read the online synopsis of My Man and I; it's inaccurate and will have you waiting for an event than never happens. Instead, just go into it knowing it stars Ricardo Montalban as a Mexican-American who gets some bad breaks. He's an extremely hard worker, has a constant positive attitude, and keeps a letter from the President, congratulating him on his recent citizenship, as his most prized possession. He's also pretty cute, so it's no wonder Claire Trevor makes a play for him even though her mean husband (Wendell Corey, who else?) has hired Ricardo for some farm work. An affair would get both of them in enormous trouble, so it's a good think he (almost literally) kicks her out of bed. He's drawn, instead, to Shelley Winters, a depressive alcoholic who keeps pushing him away. His charm wins her over eventually, but she's no good. Can she give up her tramp-y ways for a handsome, upstanding citizen?

I'd definitely recommend this obscure romantic drama, if only to respect its daring storyline at the time. Ricardo has two blondes fighting over a place in his bed, and in one scene, when he plants a big kiss on Shelley, she moans - what happened to the Production Code? There are some clever cuts away from the couple's smooches, like following his hat as it rolls across the floor, but I can't help but wonder if the studio thought those camera angles were necessary because audiences weren't ready for interracial kisses. In any case, this movie tried to make audiences ready, and even though it didn't do well at the box office at the time, we can still appreciate him - I mean the movie - now that the romance is no longer a big deal.

Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949)

Great salute to Duryea

[7/10 · 10 May 2024]

Dan Duryea only had a few years in Hollywood before Richard Widmark came on the scene and took all the good roles, and in Johnny Stool Pigeon, he pulled out all the stops to make audiences loyal to him instead of the newer blond bad boy. It was a very good performance, and I hope he had a lot of fun playing the title character.

Against his better judgment, he agrees to work with the police in exchange for his freedom. He hates Howard Duff, the federal agent who helped put him behind bars in the first place, but he has to work closely with him to plan a huge drug bust across the Mexican border. Shelley Winters goes with the pair, and while Dan is smitten, she only has eyes for Howard. Poor guy!

Check out this exciting crime flick to find out if she ever changes her mind. It's a great salute to Dan Duryea, and the story has some twists and turns you won't see coming. Plus, you'll probably recognize the mute, menacing villain even though he doesn't reveal his distinctive accent: young "Anthony" Curtis.

A Death of Innocence (1971 TV Movie)

Interesting point of view

[6/10 · 9 May 2024]

When Tisha Sterling gets arrested for first-degree murder, her devoted parents Shelley Winters and John Randolph drop everything in their small town and head for the big city. They're completely out of their element, and they entrust a successful, expensive attorney, Arthur Kennedy, with Tisha's fate. Arthur believes Tisha and her boyfriend (also charged with her) are guilty, but Shelley can't accept that. She thinks of her little girl as just that: a sweet, innocent little girl. It turns out, however, that Tisha's life in the city has drastically changed her. For example, when Tisha requests to speak to her mother after the first day of the trial, Shelley thinks she'll break down in tears, ask after her siblings, or admit something. Instead, Tisha asks for another outfit so she can look nice for her boyfriend.

The ending is a bit abrupt (no spoilers here), but the journey getting there is interesting. All the characters (even Arthur) could have been fleshed out more, but it's a brief television flick, so don't expect much substance. It has a point to get across, and it definitely does that.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When Shelley goes through her publicity interviews, there are flashing lightbulbs and handheld camera angles, and during the first five minutes of the trial, the camera tilts back and forth. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Cry of the City (1948)

Great screenplay

[7/10 · 6 May 2024]

Although you've probably never heard of it, Cry of the City is a very good crime drama from the 1940s. It stars two rival Italians on opposite sides of the law, Victor Mature and Richard Conte. I'm sure you can guess which is the policeman and which is the criminal. Victor plays his character in a very interesting way, rather than the one-dimensional, stereotypical "good cop". He shows tenderness to Richard's mom, calling her "Mama" and eating her home cooking when she offers. He's sterner with Richard's younger, impressionable brother, and he gives him tough-love advice on how not to waste his life. With Richard, he's tough and treats him like the cop-killer he is. There's absolutely nothing "immature" about Victor's performance in this movie.

Richard, although definitely The Bad Guy, somehow has enough screen presence to make the audience care about him and hope he changes his ways. He has a young, innocent girlfriend (a teenage Debra Paget) whom he hopes to escape to South America with, and we hope he makes at least one decent decision throughout the movie so he can deserve her. He has a devoted mother as religious as Debra, and a kid brother who worships him; will he revert to the strong family values he was obviously raised with? Probably not, since it's Richard Conte - but you never know.

There's a lot to appreciate about Cry of the City, not the least of which is the screenplay. Gritty for the time period and full of opportunities for lessons or double crosses (whichever path the character wants to take), it's an interesting story with good acting. You'll see a sinister and creepy scene with Hope Emerson, and a young Shelley Winters showing her street-smarts in her brief appearance.

Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972)

Shelley must have had fun

[7/10 · 3 May 2024]

Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? Is one of those 1970s thrillers that starred middle-aged actresses who couldn't get other roles. Everyone from Bette Davis to Barbra Stanwyck made these movies, but the two I watched with Shelley Winters were far better than the usual of this subgenre. Some might say it's just because I like Shelley, but I'd argue that Bette was my favorite actress of the silver screen. If I were going to cut a bad movie slack, you'd think it would be for her. Shelley maybe just lucked out and picked two good ones, or perhaps her brand of playful brashness worked well in the roles. She seemed to not take herself seriously and yet still have respect for the film. She also didn't play her characters with straight dramatics, so perhaps the audience didn't pity her and think, "How has she sunk this low?" Instead we thought, "She's having fun!" Whatever the reason, give her a shot in Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? And What's the Matter with Helen? And spare yourself from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

Shelley plays a rich lady who sponsors an elaborate Christmas party for a group of orphans. She takes a liking to Mark Lester and his sister Chloe Franks and keeps them in her house after the other kids return to the orphanage, and Mark starts noticing similarities between her and the witch from "Hansel and Gretel". Although she is in her dumpy, "Poseidon Adventure" phase, Shelley's personality in the first hour of the movie is different than usual. She's very warm and loving towards the children, providing a bountiful Christmas for them and enjoying their enjoyment of her generosity. Even her tone of voice is softer, especially when she talks to the children. However, this is a thriller, and after the first hour, she does turn back into Shelley Winters.

Personally, I thought Mark overreacted and was a pot-stirring brat - but that, I'll admit, was probably just because I like Shelley. She was mostly nice to them, but there was that business with the hatchet. . . In any case, this is a funny, fun romp that isn't too scary and can be enjoyed with lots of popcorn (or Christmas cookies) on a rainy afternoon.

Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)

Cagney's tour-de-force

[8/10 · 3 May 2024]

One of the great stars of the silent film era, Lon Chaney, was brilliantly brought back to life by James Cagney in Man of a Thousand Faces. His story was unique and intriguing, and Cagney couldn't have been any better. In one of the great travesties of the Academy Awards, he wasn't even nominated for this role. What does it take? Not only did he recreate several of Lon Chaney's famous roles, but he learned sign language, aged decades, and dealt with personal tragedies and triumphs.

When Chaney brings his bride (played by Dorothy Malone) home to meet his parents, she's shocked to discover they're both deaf. She worries their unborn child will be born deaf, and Chaney takes offense to her attitude towards his loving parents. They stay married, but they don't have a good relationship, mostly due to her coldness, paranoia, and temper. Later, Chaney transitions from vaudeville to Hollywood. Starting off as an extra, he reads the bulletin board of the roles needed for the day, then makes up his face to get the job. Taking on a plethora of ethnicities, he gains the attention of studio bigwigs - and the rest is history.

If you know about the silent era (and Chaney's films), you'll be extremely entertained to see Cagney as Quasimodo and the phantom of the opera. From clown to little old lady, he transforms and shows the audience a true tour-de-force. My favorite part is the recreation from The Miracle Man, in which Cagney/Chaney starts out completely crippled on the ground and rises up one joint at a time. It's, well, miraculous. At the Hot Toasty Rag Awards, we love to right the wrongs. James Cagney won for Best Actor of 1957.

The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941)

"Mustard!"

[9/10 · 1 May 2024]

I can't believe neither Bette Davis nor James Cagney liked the comedy they made together, The Bride Came C. O. D. - it's delightful! Funny, clever, and cute, and all wrapped up in the charm of the silver screen, there's nothing to dislike about it. True, it's not a vehicle for great dramatic acting, but it's very good.

Bette plays a frivolous society dame about to elope with Jack Carson, a silly bandleader who only speaks in rhymes. Her father, Eugene Pallette, wants to stop the marriage, so he hires James Cagney, a private pilot, to fly Bette back to Texas and away from Jack. Jimmy pretends to aid and abet the elopement to get Bette in the plane, and he distracts Jack and goes airborne without him. But what's supposed to be a simple abduction goes terribly wrong. From plane crashes to cactus pricks, ghost towns to cave-ins, Jimmy and Bette never have a dull moment while they're waiting for either Jack or Eugene to rescue them.

Part of the reason why this movie is so great is the high energies of both leads. It's an over-the-top comedy, and since both Bette Davis and James Cagney naturally have an "affected" style of acting, their talents fit right into the script. Jimmy is a playboy with a very large black book; when the girls start to get too clingy, he just pulls out a photo of his wife and kids. "Hello old timer, hiya sweetheart," he coos to his children, making the homewreckers understand why they can't, in fact, wreck his home. Bette's idea of a hard day is getting a chip in her nail polish, so when she wails over every little mishap, it's to be expected. And although they start off the movie hating each other, when they're forced to rely on each other for survival. . . We've all seen Six Days, Seven Nights, right? We know how adventure breeds romance, but it doesn't make it any less charming. And Bette has the best comeback to a kiss I've ever seen in a movie! After Jimmy gives her a smackaroo, she recognizes a familiar taste from his mouth (so revealing during the Production Code) and shouts, "Mustard!"

Blood on the Sun (1945)

Doesn't help post-war race relations

[4/10 · 30 April 2024]

Japanese-set movies immediately following WWII weren't very popular. If you decide to skip the James Cagney drama Blood on the Sun, you'll survive. It's not his finest hour, and besides a very impressive and extremely exhaustive fight scene towards the end of the movie, there's nothing really notable about it.

Jimmy plays an American reporter who stumbles upon a plan for the Japanese to take over the world. I don't know how Hollywood thought making this movie could possibly be good for race relations in America. In any case, the Japanese are the bad guys here. They want to take over, and they kill Wallace Ford, another reporter, who finds out about it. Then, when Jimmy finds out about it, they try to buy him off. I guess they can't try to kill the lead actor until the end of the movie. Jimmy has integrity (the first reporter ever!) and he refuses. He's soon joined by Sylvia Sidney (ridiculously cast as an Asian character), in their quest for truth and justice.

It might sound good, but it's not the best. It doesn't feel good to have a one-dimensional movie about Japanese villains, and Sylvia's casting is just silly. At least Philip Ahn is in the movie, but why couldn't Hollywood just cast an Asian female costar?

Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)

James Cagney classic

[7/10 · 21 April 2024]

Angels with Dirty Faces is not only one of James Cagney's most famous movies, but it's also one of the quintessential gangster flicks of the silver screen. It features the Dead End gang, a group of tough, street kids who showed audiences that not everyone grew up in a loving family like Andy Hardy. By today's standards, the kids are rather irritating, but back in 1938, they served an important purpose.

But before they show up on the screen, we see two other kids: young James Cagney and Pat O'Brien. They're best friends as youths, but take very different paths as adults. Jimmy becomes a thug; Pat a priest. As grown-ups, Jimmy is a role model to the Dead End kids, which drives Pat crazy. He wants to help the kids learn good morals, and competing against true gangsters like Humphrey Bogart is hard enough. Fighting with his best friend is even tougher. Ann Sheridan, of course, is a good girl who sees the potential in Jimmy and hopes he can stay out of trouble long enough to settle down.

I won't spoil anything, but the ending of this movie is extremely memorable and tough to watch. It'll make instant James Cagney fans out of new folks in the audience, and it'll probably make even the tough guys reach for the Kleenex box. If you like this one, check out another James Cagney classic, City for Conquest. It also starts with boyhood friends who take different life paths and also costars Ann Sheridan.

South Sea Sinner (1950)

Shelley is a doll

[5/10 · 21 April 2024]

Shelley Winters is so cute in South Sea Sinner! I know, you probably don't associate the word "cute" with Shelley Winters, but before she settled into her middle age body type, she was actually young and attractive. She plays a saloon singer (with Liberace as her pianist) in the tropics, and when she prances around in crop tops and sarongs, and you can see her tiny waist - yes, she had one once!

As for the plot, it's not the strongest part of the movie. The one-liners and Shelley's fun energy are far better. There's a love triangle with Macdonald Carey and Frank Lovejoy, not to mention all the other men who try to get into her dressing room after her performances. In fact, she has to hop from town to town because she disturbs the peace too much, if you know what I mean. After a scuffle where the men are literally fighting over her, Frank (a doctor) examines her for surface injuries. He tries to insult her by calling her a pushover and suggesting that she can be talked into anything by anyone. She puts on her Mae West attitude and agrees, "I give in real easy. Make me an offer sometime." As she leaves his stateroom, she looks over her shoulder and tells him to look her up next time he's in town. "You still haven't checked my reflexes." With a smirk in her eyes and a slight parting of her lips (which she taught to her former roommate, Marilyn Monroe), she comes across as a whole bundle of fun - so much different than her persona in her later years that later became her legacy! If it weren't for her tone of voice, you might not even recognize her from the movies she made decades later.

If you're just looking for a good movie, stick with A Patch of Blue. But if your goal is to see Shelley Winters before she became Shelley Winters, rent this one and Frenchie. She wears a "dress" embroidered with question marks (and with a matching tattoo on her chest); the question is clearly not "yes or no?" but "when?"

To Each His Own (1946)

Long-suffering mom tearjerker

[6/10 · 21 April 2024]

For the life of me, I can never remember the differences between To Each His Own and In This Our Life unless I look them up. The former stars Olivia de Havilland (and although she's in the latter, Bette Davis is the lead) as a volunteer to keep London safe during WWII. She's single and finds purpose in helping her people and her country, but when she was younger, she felt differently. Cue the flashback. . . Twenty years earlier, in the first World War, Olivia had her choice of beaus and chose John Lund, even though she knew he was a pilot and in danger. Their one night of passion resulted in an unwanted pregnancy - what do you think she did?

Believe it or not, this movie, made during the Production Code, skirted around the subject of abortion. It discussed an "operation", but you can probably guess whether or not Olivia went through with it or decided to keep her baby. To find out the story, you'll have to watch this classic which won her her first Academy Award. It is a definite melodrama, one that could have suited Bette Davis or Joan Crawford just as well. I thought some of the plot twists were a bit too convenient, but if you like these types of "long suffering mom" tearjerkers, you can give it a try and see what you think.

The Snake Pit (1948)

Olivia's finest performance

[7/10 · 19 April 2024]

Before The Snake Pit, I didn't really like Olivia de Havilland. I thought she was just the dizzy love interest in Errol Flynn flicks, and I couldn't understand why she won two Academy Awards. But then I saw The Snake Pit. It's such a contrast from her usual, smiling, contained performances. There's one scene where she locks herself in a bathroom, afraid of the asylum workers capturing her and forcing terrible treatment on her. They lure her out by telling her her husband is there for a visit, and her trust is betrayed as they hold her down and tie her in a strait jacket. She screams and fights, finally breaking free and running through the halls of the hospital, calling for help. I didn't know she had the acting chops for such heavy dramatics! At the Hot Toasty Rag Awards, I proudly cast my vote for her. What a tour-de-force!

Not only was her performance powerful and emotional, but it stands the test of time. It would have been easy to play the film as a melodrama, but her intricacies added quietness and realism to a very dramatic character. Watching it almost eighty years later, it's not one of those old movies that make you cringe at the dated acting style. Instead, you watch it and ask, "Why didn't she win the Oscar?" Then, you learn she won the Rag, and you feel a lot better.

There's a very famous moment from The Snake Pit, one that has since been mimicked ad nauseum, but Anatole Litvak's 1948 film contains the original. When Olivia accepts her fate in the insane asylum, her narration compares it to being tossed into a snake pit. Litvak zooms out from above, and we see the dancing, twitching, patients turn into writhing snakes at a distance. It's an incredible effect, and even though many, many more movies have been made about asylums, this image will live forever as the most visceral comparison.

Light in the Piazza (1962)

Great acting by mother and daughter

[7/10 · 19 April 2024]

I'd seen the stage musical before the original 1962 movie, so I already knew the story of Light in the Piazza. If you haven't, you'll see a really interesting mother-daughter dynamic unfolding on the screen. Olivia de Havilland and Yvette Mimieux are vacationing in Italy and having a wonderful time seeing the sights - but then they see a couple of really great sights: Rossano Brazzi and George Hamilton. George is immediately smitten with Yvette's beauty, innocence, and appreciation of the little things. Olivia is an overprotective mother, and she tries to put a stop the romance. But when she gets to know George's dad, Rossano, she starts to see things differently.

There's a twist to the plot that I won't spoil, but if you look up the movie online, you'll read about it in the first sentence or two. If I were you, I'd go into it without knowing anything. It'll give you a reason to watch it twice, to fully appreciate everyone's performances. Both women completely nail their characters, from the overt to the nuanced. Yvette is beautiful and open, without inhibitions or judgment. When she cries, it's as if it's the first time she's ever felt pain before. Olivia is strong and cautious, a difficult dichotomy. She's completely believable as a mother who will do anything to stop her child from getting hurt. Though it's a bit of a heavy drama that will spark discussions afterwards, I'd recommend it. You'll see some great acting and pretty scenery (not only the guys - it was filmed on location!).

It's Love I'm After (1937)

Leslie Howard has energy!

[8/10 · 19 April 2024]

Leslie Howard and Bette Davis must have had a blast making It's Love I'm After! They shucked their normally dramatic personas and played a pair of dueling divas. While onstage performing Romeo and Juliet, they try to upstage each other and mutter insults in each other's ears. Offstage, they bicker and scream, but is it a sign of true love? Bette wants to get married more than anything, but Leslie has kept putting it off. He's philandered with a different woman in every city, and when he vows to be faithful and honest, his dresser Eric Blore doubts it but starts keeping score of his good and bad deeds on a notepad.

At the exact moment he's promised to marry Bette, there's a knock on his dressing room door. Patric Knowles comes to ask a favor: He's not a fan of Leslie's, but his fiancée Olivia de Havilland is. Olivia idolizes Leslie so much that she refuses to marry Patric. Together, Leslie, Eric, and Patric come up with a plan: Leslie will visit the pair over the weekend and prove to be such a heel, Olivia will get over her idolatry and marry the decent fellow. When he makes yet another excuse to Bette about their postponed elopement, she's far from thrilled!

Believe it or not, that's just the beginning! In this fast-paced, hilarious flick, you barely have time to catch your breath between laughs. It's my favorite Leslie Howard performance, since he's so energetic and egotistical - very different from his other roles. He's unexpectedly funny in his flippancy, and it's great that his two costars let him take center stage. He's a far cry from Ashley Wilkes in this movie, and he received his only Hot Toasty Rag nomination for it.

Chances are you've never heard of It's Love I'm After, but if you like the cast, don't normally like Leslie Howard, or enjoy witty, theatrical humor (Leslie throws a temper tantrum about eating kippers for breakfast), check it out. Once you do, you won't be able to resist quoting, "Don't tell me! ... Tell me," when you've forgotten something.

Hold Back the Dawn (1941)

A bit melodramatic

[6/10 · 19 April 2024]

Set in a border town, Hold Back the Dawn deals with the issue of immigration by marriage. When Charles Boyer can't get into the United States legally, he waits it out by staying in Tijuana and talking to other immigrant-hopefuls. He meets Paulette Goddard, who shares that she married an American to get into the country. When he comes across an innocent and oblivious schoolteacher, Olivia de Havilland, on a field trip with her students, he decides to seduce her and follow Paulette's lead.

I don't know why Olivia was singled out and nominated for an Academy Award for this performance; it was another simpering, mildly stupid character like Melanie Wilkes. Besides being incredibly naïve (which only translated, to me, as vapid), she really didn't do much acting. It was Charles who had layers to his character and had to alter his emotions for different scenes. As it is the Hot Toasty Rag's motto to "right the wrong", we nominated Charles in 1941 instead.

Hold Back the Dawn isn't my favorite story, but it does have a unique angle: Charles's behavior is wrong. It's not considered admirable to do anything and everything to get into the United States. I basically found the beginning slow, the ending melodramatic, and Olivia's character silly. Besides that. . .

The Dark Mirror (1946)

Is that Olivia or the other one?

[7/10 · 19 April 2024]

Wouldn't it be convenient, if you were arrested for murder, to be able to say, "It wasn't me; I have a twin!"? In The Dark Mirror, witnesses see Olivia de Havilland fleeing the scene of the crime, but when it turns out she has a twin, she can't really be identified. Both twins have alibis, so neither one can be arrested. In comes Lew Ayres, a psychiatrist anxious to study the pair of twins. In an incredible example of trick photography (which I still can't figure out to this day), they talk to each other in the same frame, and even touch hands! Olivia's "split personality" is very effective; throughout the movie, I kept thinking, "Is that Olivia or the other one?" Some might find this movie predictable, since it has an "evil twin" plotline, but I liked it. It was exciting, and Olivia got to have a lot of fun acting as two different ladies. If you like this one, check out Bette Davis's turn as twins in A Stolen Life.

Wild River (1960)

Strange romance, but good acting

[7/10 · 15 April 2024]

Wild River has a strange story, but if you're a Jo Van Fleet fan and want to see her in a solid character role, you can try it. She stars as an eighty-year-old stubborn woman (still in her 40s in real life) living in the sticks who refuses to vacate her home even though it's not safe anymore. It's on the Tennessee River banks, and not only does she risk the floods every year, but she's also standing in the way of building a dam for the safety of the other town's residents.

Montgomery Clift is a northerner, and when he's sent down to make sure the building of the dam goes smoothly, he encounters a massive culture clash with the residents - not to mention endless arguments with Jo. Jo lives with beautiful Lee Remick, her granddaughter, but the strange part of the story is the romance between Lee and Monty. She's a barefoot hick who doesn't even use proper grammar, and even though she's a natural beauty (she doesn't wear a speck of makeup in this movie), I doubt Monty would really want a relationship with her. His work takes up all his energy, and he wouldn't want to upset Jo any further by sleeping with her granddaughter. But few movies get the green light without a romance, so I understand the addition to the story.

As usual, Monty's conflicted expressions work well in the role, and Jo is a pro who knows how to take a large bite out of her elderly characters. It's fascinating to see Lee on retrospect; later in her career, she played classy and cultured (The Competition), a complex alcoholic (Days of Wine and Roses), a Swedish politician (The Farmer's Daughter), and the devil's assistant (Damn Yankees!). In a role where she has to count on her fingers and toes, she's quite different.

Interspersed in this drama are racial tensions and a battle of one against the world - everything you'd expect from an Elia Kazan film. The supporting cast includes Jay C. Flippen, Barbara Loden, and Bruce Dern in his film debut. If you like this one, check out 1984's The River.

The Search (1948)

Very sweet film

[7/10 · 15 April 2024]

I'm a notoriously hard sell with films about children, but I was captivated and charmed by The Search. A young Czechoslovakian boy, Ivan Jandi, starred as one of the children in post-WWII Europe who lost their families and were taken in by American organizations in the reconstruction effort. He spoke no English and learned all his lines phonetically, working with the director and his costar Montgomery Clift. You'd never know he has no idea what he's saying - his emotional delivery was very convincing! It's a heart-wrenching performance from a non-actor, and he was rewarded with a Juvenile Oscar (and a Rag, too).

At the time, it was bravely directed by Fred Zinnemann, who shot on location in the ruined cities of Germany. American audiences weren't used to seeing the damage our bombs had done, and it was quite sobering to watch art imitating real life. When we see Monty and Ivan walking around the rubble, it's not fake stones or set pieces. Everything is real, just as there were really tons of displaced children we tried to help after the war. There are sweet moments in this movie, as the two leads bond even with a language barrier; but there are also heavy moments, too. Ivan has a tattoo on his arm, and even though he managed to survive a concentration camp, he still has upsetting obstacles to overcome.

For a unique post-war story that quite literally hit home, I'd definitely recommend The Search. It won the Golden Globe for Promoting International Understanding, a wonderful category that unfortunately no longer exists. Even if you're tough on child actors and prefer to watch movies about "real people", give this one a chance. It's very sweet.

Red River (1948)

Great classic

[7/10 · 15 April 2024]

I'd seen City Slickers a dozen times (or more) before watching Red River. The famous "yee-haw!" scene quoted in the Billy Crystal comedy was immortalized, and I was so excited to see the black-and-white original. It's a very exciting classic documenting the most quintessential cowboy activity: a cattle drive. John Wayne is heading a wagon train with his pal Walter Brennan, but when they're ambushed by Indians, there are very few survivors. Even the Duke's girlfriend, Coleen Gray, gets killed! He finds a new purpose by raising an orphaned preteen, Mickey Kuhn, and starting a cattle ranch. As the years pass, Duke gets more successful but hardens his heart against everyone besides the boy - who grows up to be Montgomery Clift. So if you see still photos from this movie with a gray-haired John Wayne, it's because the movie spans a couple of decades.

The cattle drive is wonderfully engrossing, and all the varied characters will find places in your heart. Even crusty Wayne is easy to root for, as you hope he remembers what's really important in life and softens up a bit. Monty is very young and handsome, so it's no wonder he has a romance as a side plot (with western veteran Joanne Dru). You'll also see the familiar faces of Noah Beery, Harry Carey Sr. And Jr., John Ireland, and if you keep your eyes peeled for the dance hall girl, you'll see Shelley Winters for a minute.

While I don't like the ending of the movie, it's a western I'll definitely recommend. It's an enjoyable ride with wonderful music taking you along the way. It's unusual for Dimitri Tiomkin to write a western theme, and he was rewarded with a Hot Toasty Rag! For an must-see John Wayne double feature, pair this with Hondo.

The Portrait of a Lady (1996)

Similar to 'Dangerous Liasons'

[3/10 · 14 April 2024]

Written and directed by Hollywood's greatest feminist, Jane Campion. The Portrait of a Lady arguably lives up to its title. I didn't like it, but then again, I'm not its target audience. One of the most memorable scenes is when the women are out in nature and one of them has to urinate. They all trot into the woods and form a circle around the one who has to pee to protect her privacy. The one in the middle squats, and everyone giggles. I understand Campion wanted to show a truly feminine moment when all women literally gather around each other and share a uniquely girly activity. While I'm glad the girl-time wasn't some other bodily function, I still found the famous scene overrated.

The rest of the story hasn't anything to do with female hygiene - thank goodness! Nicole Kidman plays a woman of independent means who becomes prey to the cold, calculating Barbara Hershey and her male companion, John Malkovich. If you liked John in 1988's Dangerous Liasons, you'll like his extremely similar character in this. In fact, The Portrait of a Lady reminded me very much of Dangerous Liasons. This type of plot isn't my favorite, and I'm very surprised that a noted feminist would choose to glorify one woman deliberately turning against another. Shouldn't stories be made about women sticking together and rising above unnecessary cruelties to get ahead (or at least equal) in a man's world? The good points to the movie are the costumes and art direction, but besides the background eye candy, I really can't recommend this one.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There are sudden tilts of the camera that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Larceny (1948)

Exciting noir

[7/10 · 13 April 2024]

Much different from his nice guy Mr. Gailey in Miracle on 34th Street the previous year, John Payne plays a villain in Larceny. This fun film noir features John and Dan Duryea as con artists who pick the innocent, pious widow John Caufield as their next target. They plan to swindle her into investing in their "charity", and John puts on the moves to help cloud her judgment. Meanwhile, Dan's girlfriend, Shelley Winters starts to get jealous when it seems that John's judgment gets clouded - she's got a crush on him and doesn't want Joan to take him away. While she still seems new to the screen, Shelley does assert a memorable presence. She's a tough moll with great one-liners to rattle off. She finds a photograph of another girl in John's wallet and gets upset. John insists she's his kid sister, and Shelley replies, "If she's your kid sister, I'm a boa constrictor in high heels." John admits she is, and when she slaps his face, he slaps her right back. Talk about exciting!

If you've seen all the popular noirs too many times and are in the mood for something new, check out Larceny. Dan is always a fun, slimy bad guy, and John gets to show a different side to him. Joan is as sweet as Shelley is salty; try to figure out who he's going to pick!