Dark Victory (1939)

Released in 1939, Dark Victory is a Warner Bros. film starring Bette Davis, George Brent and Geraldine Fitzgerald. I had seen the movie before, years ago, and remembered that it had impressed me, so I was curious to find out if I would still find it as wonderful as I had then.

Well, let me just say, I was glued to the TV and cried like a baby. I was not disappointed.  



Bette Davis stars as Judith Traherne, a young, carefree Long Island socialite with a wild streak and an indulgent lifestyle. 

Judy has been feeling poorly for a while now - headaches, dizzy spells, double vision - but she stubbornly refuses to seek help.  A scare while racing her horse and a tumble down the stairs lead Judy's friend Ann (Geraldine Fitzgerald) to call the family doctor, Parsons (Henry Travers).

Judith is uncooperative, refusing to admit that there is anything the matter with her. Still, Dr. Parsons is worried and feels that she requires a specialist.  He visits fellow colleague Dr. Frederick Steele (George Brent), a brain surgeon who has just closed his practice so he can move to Vermont and devote his time to brain cell research.  Dr. Steele is reluctant to meet the patient, but Dr. Parsons' obvious concern finally convinces him to see her.

Judy is cavalier, even rude, during her meeting with Dr. Steele, responding to his questions with answers intended to shock.  But Steele isn't fooled - he can see that she is scared and it's this fear that is driving her to pretend everything is fine.  He calls her out on it and his directness helps her accept that she is ill and needs help.

"I'm accustomed to a reasonable quantity of tobacco and alcohol..."

Judy is tested thoroughly and the results are not good: she has a malignant brain tumor, just as Steele had suspected.  She agrees to surgery to remove the tumor and puts on a brave face.  Steele performs the surgery and, although Judy survives the procedure, it is not a true success.

The doctors were unable to remove all of the tumor and it will grow back over time. A second surgery is impossible. Judy  has only months to live.  

Dark Victory is filled with emotion - tragic, hopeful and quietly powerful. Many of its most potent and poignant moments can be attributed to a single expression - Davis could say more with one look than many actors could with a hundred words.  

Davis' role as Judith Traherne was her own personal favorite and garnered a nomination for a Best Actress Oscar, but she and the film were up against tough competition that year and the award instead went to Vivien Leigh for her role as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind.  The film was nominated for Best Picture (but lost to Gone With the Wind) and the score, which was composed by Max Steiner, also received an Oscar nod.  In fact, Steiner received two nominations that year for Best Original Score, one for Dark Victory and the other for Gone With the Wind, but the award went to Herbert Stothart for The Wizard of Oz.

Overall, the supporting cast is good.  George Brent’s Dr. Steele is self-possessed and kind, the perfect steadying influence on Judy.  I was particularly touched by his performance during the scene where he explains his reasons to Ann for keeping Judy’s prognosis from her.  It was evident even then that he had already fallen in love with Judy.  I was surprised to discover that Brent appeared in many films - thirteen of them - with Bette Davis.  I remember him best for his role in The Spiral Staircase.

I loved Geraldine Fitzgerald in this film  – her performance as loyal, caring Ann is fantastic.  She embodies the ideal friend. It was a real treat for me to see Fitzgerald once again as a young woman - I am a rabid fan of The Golden Girls, so I see her two performances in that show as an elderly woman often.  She was a wonderful actress all throughout her career.  In fact, her role as Anna in the Mother's Day episode of The Golden Girls earned her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Comedy Series.  (I adore that episode!)

Henry Travers has a small role as Dr. Parsons and he is solid, as usual.  Humphrey Bogart's part as Irish stablemaster Michael O'Leary seemed unnecessary to me.  I don't know if it was just the role or if it was Bogart's performance, but I felt the film would have been better without his role.  (And I'm a Bogie fan, so that's saying something.)  Another notable part was that of Alex, one of Judy's society pals, played by a very young Ronald Reagan.  The role was one of his earliest and one he apparently hated.

So, I guess all I can say is: if you like Bette Davis (and crying your eyes out), watch this movie!  It is, simply put, beautiful.

Roberta (1935)

I'm a big Ginger Rogers fan, so it's surprising me to that this was the first time I had seen Roberta (1935).  Irene Dunne gets top billing for this film, so it isn't a true Rogers/Astaire musical, but it should have been, considering that the two of them contribute the best parts of the film.

The first scene opens on a ship headed for Paris.  John Kent (Randolph Scott), a former college football hero, is traveling there with his good friend Huck Haines (Fred Astaire), a bandleader who has booked a gig in the city for his dance band, the Wabash Indianians.

Unfortunately, when their client (an excitable club owner played by Luis Alberni) discovers that they're a dance band - not a band of American Indians - he fires them immediately, despite their attempt at changing his mind with a fun, creative performance in which Huck plays the "organ".

Randolph Scott as John and Fred Astaire as Huck

Astaire et al performing The Pipe Organ Number

Now in Paris with no job, the group has nowhere to stay and no idea what to do next, until John reveals that his aunt Minnie (played by the fabulous Helen Westley) lives in Paris - and happens to be the famous, wealthy dressmaker "Roberta".  He thinks maybe she can help the band land a gig, so he pays her a visit at her dress shop.

Helen Westley as Aunt Minnie

There John meets Aunt Minnie's assistant Stephanie (Irene Dunne).  He is instantly charmed by her and she seems to think he's pretty adorable, too.

Irene Dunne as Stephanie

While John is talking with his aunt, he meets Countess Scharwenka (Ginger Rogers), a fiery Polish nightclub entertainer who has taken Paris by storm.  Wanting to impress John, she tells him she can get his friend's band a job at her nightclub - assuming they're good - so, since Huck and the Indianians happen to be at Roberta's, he forces her to hear them play right then.

Huck and the Wabash Indianians perform Let's Begin

To Countess Sharwenka's dismay, she discovers that John's friend the bandleader just so happens to be an old boyfriend of hers - and the one person in Paris who knows her true identity: not as a Polish Countess, but as Lizzie Gatz, a small town girl from Indiana.

Lizzie convinces Huck to keep her identity a secret in exchange for a gig for his band at the nightclub where she performs.  (She manages to get it for him, too - even though her boss is the same nightclub owner that fired the band when they first arrived in Paris.)

Lizzie and Huck renew their friendship and reminisce about old times.

Then Lizzie, as Countess Scharwenka (Polish accent and moxie galore) performs I'll Be Hard to Handle, my favorite song of the film:

A wonderful dance number follows:

Meanwhile, John grows more and more interested in Stephanie, but he hasn't quite gotten over Sophie (played by gorgeous Claire Dodd), a girl who just recently dumped him because she felt he wasn't sophisticated enough for her.  Huck thinks that Sophie is a self-involved snob and John is probably better off without her, anyway.

Things seem to be going swimmingly...and then Aunt Minnie suddenly passes away.  Everyone knows Minnie intended to leave the shop to Stephanie (who, we find out, has secretly been the shop's head designer all along), but because she didn't leave a will, the shop goes to her next of kin, John.  John has no interest in running the shop by himself, so he and Stephanie agree to a partnership.  All the while their attraction continues to grow.

Unfortunately, Sophie learns about John's inheritance in a recently published newspaper article and decides she wants her old country bumpkin boyfriend after all, so she heads to Paris intent on winning him back.

What little plot that follows is mostly uninspired and contrived, with only the Rogers/Astaire song-and-dance scenes to save the film.  Ginger Rogers looks positively gorgeous in every scene and she is hands-down my favorite part of the movie.

Rogers and Astaire sing one of my favorite duets of all time, I Won't Dance, followed by a fantastic tap solo performed by Astaire.

Irene Dunne, who is usually so smart and funny and striking on screen, is dreadfully boring in this film. Anyone would have been with the lackluster lines she was given.

I did enjoy listening to Dunne sing - she performed four solos in the film, all beautiful ballads, and three of them were written by genius composer Jerome Kern: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Yesterdays and Lovely to Look At.

Irene Dunne performing Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

The song and dance numbers were definitely the best scenes of the movie, but another highlight for me was the fashion.  There are a TON of glamorous dresses in this movie, so that was fun to watch, especially then-unknown Lucille Ball in a non-speaking role as one of the fashion models.

Overall, Roberta is a cute movie.  Lots of laughs (courtesy of Rogers and Astaire), musical numbers and beautiful gowns kept me entertained, but the silly plot kept getting in the way.

Rogers and Astaire make it worth a watch, though!

Pride and Prejudice (1940)

Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice, first published in 1813, is pretty much universally considered to be her most beloved novel.  Personally I like Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility best, but Pride and Prejudice is without question my favorite Austen story to watch.  I put on the BBC's 1995 mini series every few months or so - it's a tough one to beat!


That being said, when Turner Classic Movies recently aired the 1940 film adaptation, I knew I had to watch it.  Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier?  Yes, please!  And just as I'd hoped, I had a lot of fun watching this version of Pride and Prejudice (1940).

Set in early 19th century England, the story follows Miss Elizabeth Bennet (Greer Garson), the intelligent, vivacious and witty second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, played by Edmund Gwenn and Mary Boland.  She lives with her family in their modest country house just outside the neighboring village of Meryton.

Greer Garson as Elizabeth Bennet

Mr. and Mrs. Bennet

The Bennet Sisters

The film opens in a dress shop in Meryton, where Mrs. Bennet and her two eldest daughters, Elizabeth (Garson) and Jane (Maureen O'Sullivan) are shopping for new gowns.  Through the shop's window, they witness the arrival of an elegant carriage and its three impressive inhabitants, two gentlemen and a lady.

Mrs. Bennet and her daughters soon learn very good news: the gentlemen, Mr. Bingley (Bruce Lester) and Mr. Darcy (Laurence Olivier), are both wealthy and single, and as we all know: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

Laurence Olivier as Mr. Darcy

Mr. Bingley, they learn, has just rented Netherfield Park, a long-vacant estate in the area, and he has brought his sister Caroline (Frieda Inescort) and his good friend Darcy to stay with him for a while.

Mrs. Bennet, thinking of her five unmarried daughters, hauls Elizabeth and Jane out of the dress shop and into their carriage, frantic to get home to her husband so she can share this news with him and urge him to call upon their new neighbors and - fingers crossed - set in motion the events that will lead to a wedding (or two).

Their neighbor, Lady Lucas (Marjorie Wood), who has also just learned the news, rushes after Mrs. Bennet, hauling her own unmarried daughter Charlotte (Karen Morley) into their carriage and rushing off toward home to speak to her husband.

The ensuing race scene is one of my favorites of the film.  No, this does not happen in the novel and yes, it is silly and implausible, but it surprised me and made me laugh, so I ignored my inner critic and just enjoyed it!the critic in me.

The Bennet girls eventually do meet the newcomers when the village gathers at a ball.  Mr. Bingley, amiable and kind, is an immediate favorite with his new neighbors, particularly Jane.

Miss Bingley and Mr. Darcy, however, do not make a favorable impression.  Mr. Darcy especially is seen as proud and haughty, even insulting Elizabeth when he tells Mr. Bingley he will not dance with her because he "is in no humor tonight to give consequence to the middle classes at play". Of course, he has no idea Elizabeth is within earshot when he says this and, although she laughs it off, the damage has been done.

Elizabeth meets another young man at the dance: Mr. Wickham (Edward Ashley Cooper), a militia soldier stationed in Meryton.  She likes Mr. Wickham immediately and, already halfway to hating Mr. Darcy, is shocked and disgusted when Wickham tells her of the terrible wrong he suffered at Darcy's hands.

Soon after, Mr. Bennet's cousin, Mr. Collins (Melville Cooper) arrives at Longbourn for a visit. The Bennet family has never met Mr. Collins and Mrs. Bennet is predisposed to hate him, as he will inherit their home and land upon Mr. Bennet's death.  Her feelings are soon changed, however, when Mr. Collins, who is looking for a wife, makes it clear that he would be willing to marry one of the Bennet girls in the hope that this gesture will smooth out any ill feelings toward him.

Unfortunately for Elizabeth, Mr. Collins settles on her.  (But only after learning that Jane is already practically engaged to someone else.)

Another ball brings Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy together again when Darcy saves Elizabeth from Mr. Collins, who has been chasing her around all day.  This, followed by a little light flirtation (during a darling scene in which Elizabeth trounces Darcy at archery),  goes a long way toward changing Elizabeth's opinion of him.  Unfortunately, her family's less-than-model behavior and Darcy's snobbery clash and he turns on her again.

Mr. Darcy "schools" Miss Elizabeth on archery

The film goes on to reveal secrets, scandals, surprise marriage proposals and a twist at the end that is nothing at all like the book and likely angered its fair share of Austen fans.  I enjoyed this version of Pride of Prejudice, even with the changes and omissions.  It is far from a faithful adaptation of the novel (which is set around 1813, NOT 1830-something as in the film), but I was pleasantly surprised by the passably authentic language and overall I found the movie fun to watch.

Greer Garson is beautiful in this film, as always.   Her face was always so expressive - for me, she dominates every scene, in this movie and every movie she's in.  She was 36 years old when they made this film, so she was considerably older than Elizabeth Bennet is in the novel, but Garson's sparkling screen presence made me forget all about that.

Laurence Olivier's Darcy was a bit wooden at times, as if he was going for "proud and rigid" and fell a touch short.  I thought the scenes that allowed him to be a little flirtatious or tender were better suited for him.  He seemed romantic then and Olivier excelled at romantic.

Overall, the supporting cast was great with Ann Rutherford as Lydia Bennet, Heather Angel as Kitty Bennet, E.E. Clive as Sir William Lucas and Edna May Oliver as Lady Catherine de Bourgh.  Frieda Inescort was so elegant - I thought she was a wonderful Caroline Bingley.  Karen Morley was far too pretty to play Charlotte, who is described as plain in the novel (which is thought to be the main reason she never expects to find a husband).

I particularly enjoyed Marsha Hunt as Mary Bennet - she was adorable in this role and I wanted her to have more screen time.

In the end, I thought this was an enjoyable version of Pride and Prejudice.  If you like the core story of the novel and don't mind a few changes to the plot (and a complete change in time period to allow for large, puffy-sleeved gowns, because they are apparently more interesting) I think this version is worth a watch.

The Narrow Margin (1952)

The Narrow Margin, an RKO Radio Pictures film noir released in 1952, is considered by some to be the best B-movie ever made.  I am not an expert on low budget films or film noir (let alone low budget film noir), so I won't even touch that claim.  But I will say that I loved this movie.  It's got a great cast and a sharp script - and did I mention it's set almost entirely on a train?  Love.

The film stars Charles McGraw as detective Walter Brown, Marie Windsor as Mrs. Frankie Neill and Jacqueline White as Ann Sinclair.


The film follows Walter Brown (McGraw), an L.A. detective who travels to Chicago to collect Mrs. Neill (Windsor) - the widow of a recently murdered mob boss - and take her back to Los Angeles where she will testify against her husband, incriminating other L.A. mobsters while she's at it.  There's one problem, though. A pair of gangsters are after her with only one objective: to silence her - permanently - before the train reaches California.

Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor

This film sucked me in from the very first scene.  Detective Brown is everything I imagine an L.A. cop in the fifties would have been - hard, cynical and determined.  You feel how little regard he has for Mrs. Neill - he makes it very plain that he sees her as nothing but trash in heels - but you know he will do everything he can to insure she makes it to California safely because he's a good cop.

Marie Windsor plays the perfect gangster moll in Mrs. Neill.  She's unpolished, smart-mouthed and concerned only for herself and her own safety.  I don't know how I've managed to miss Marie Windsor before now - she's fantastic and apparently she was film noir's leading lady for many years.  Making a note to seek out her other movies!

After Detective Brown safely deposits Mrs. Neill into her cabin on the train, he later meets and befriends a young mother named Ann Sinclair (portrayed by the lovely Jacqueline White) and her incorrigible son Tommy (Gordon Gebert, the same adorable little boy from Holiday Affair, one of my essential Christmas movies).

The Narrow Margin was directed by Richard Fleischer and the story, written by Martin Goldsmith and Jack Leonard, received an Academy Award nomination for Best Story.  The film also stars David Clark, Peter Brocco and Peter Virgo as our villains and Paul Maxey as the portly train passenger who seems to make an appearance at the most inconvenient times.

I can't reveal much more without giving away the surprises, but seriously, if you like film noir, you shouldn't miss this one.  It has everything!  Superb acting, crisp dialogue, clever cinematography, fist fights, beautiful women and a quick, twisty plot that never lets up.

And did I mention the train?