Best Pictures #45: 1930-31 (4th) Academy Awards: My Pick for Outstanding Production

by A.J.

Best Pictures #45: 1930-31 (4^th) Academy Awards 

My Pick for Outstanding Production

According to 85 Years of Oscar by Robert Osborne, by the time the 4^th Academy Awards for films released in the Los Angeles area between August 1^st, 1930-July 31^st, 1931 was held on November 10^th, 1931, the awards had gained notoriety beyond the Hollywood community. Winners were still announced to the press before the ceremony, but the time between the announcement and the ceremony was shortened. There seems to be a greater consistency in categories and nominees from the previous year’s awards. The Academy Awards were beginning to fall into a nice groove, though there was still a hiccup or two to work out. Norma Shearer, Best Actress winner at the previous year’s Oscars for The Divorcee, was chosen to present the Best Actress award at the 1931 ceremony. However, she was also a nominee. The uncomfortable and awkward situation of Shearer announcing her own name as the winner was thankfully avoided when Marie Dressler won for Min and Bill. To prevent this type of situation from happening again, at the next year’s Oscars, and every ceremony since, the previous winner for Best Actress would present the award for Best Actor, and vice versa. 

The Outstanding Production nominees do not feel as diverse or exciting as the nominees from the previous year (1929-30). Cimarron and Trader Horn are certainly the biggest and most ambitious productions of the nominated films. Both are about (white) men overcoming wild, untamed lands. The difference between the two films thematically is that Cimarron is about a man conquering and taming a frontier, while Trader Horn is about a man existing and surviving in, but not changing, a wild exotic land. Neither treats the native peoples of those lands well. Both Yancey in Cimarron and Horn in Trader Horn treat the native people well but the overall view of Indians and tribal Africans, respectively, is severely lacking by today’s standards. It likely didn’t even cross the minds of most people at the time. Both films are the type of big budget epic productions that the Academy tends to acknowledge (Trader Horn’s sole nomination was for Outstanding Production), and sometimes honor (Cimarron was the big winner of the night). Cimarron has an edge over Trader Horn because while Trader Horn is simply a big adventure, Cimarron is a dramatization of recent history, Hollywood style. It is the story of the founding of Oklahoma, a state that was hit especially hard by the Great Depression. It is a story of triumph; history told the way grandparents tell their small grandchildren. It’s hard to keep in mind that the time span of Cimarron, from the Land Rush to 1929, from the Old West towns of wood to modern cities of steel and concrete is a period of only 40 years. Many people that were alive at the time of the film’s opening scene in 1889 were likely still around to see the film in 1931. 

I can only speculate on how East Lynne factored into that year’s decision on a winner. It is a period adaptation of a stage play and novel with good performances (according to reviews of the time) and costumes that, obviously, could not go without note. 

The Front Page sticks out amongst the nominees because it is the only subtly subversive film of the bunch. It makes witty social commentary on politics  and the media, showing likely authentic portrayal of both. 

My Pick for Outstanding Production of 1930-31: Skippy

I wasn’t expecting it, but Skippy is easily the film I enjoyed the most of the five Outstanding Production nominees and the one I would most readily watch again. I wasn’t expecting a film with a sentimental, dated tone to have such affecting pathos, especially coming from such a young actor. Jackie Cooper remains the youngest Best Actor nominee at 9 years old. Skippy, the adaptation of a comic strip about a privileged, but mischievous boy, becomes more than a light children’s/family movie as the story progresses.

The Great Depression had fully reared its ugly head by 1931, but none of the Outstanding Production nominees portray the Depression or its effects except for Skippy, though the film does so indirectly. Skippy spends his time is Shantytown, where his new friend Sookie lives. He has no prejudices or reservations about the kids that live in the shacks of Shanytown or spending his time there. Skippy is quick to offer Sookie $3 for the license fee to keep his dog. When his parents stop him from cracking open his piggy bank, he puts his mischievous mind to good use to try to raise the money for his friend. The comic strip on which Skippy is based began in 1925 well before the Depression but I’m sure that the conditions of Shanytown were not dissimilar from those many Americans found themselves in after 1929. Also, I’m sure that Shantytown conjured up the sights of Hoovervilles, a term coined in 1930 to described the shacks people found themselves living in under the term of President Hoover.

Skippy had gags that made me laugh and effective emotional moments that tugged on my heartstrings. It also has a positive message, and, I hope, got across the idea that helping people down on their luck, as Skippy does, should be second nature, as it is to Skippy. This is undoubtedly a simple and sentimental film with scenes and aspects that are undeniably dated, but more than enough of the film works for me now, as I’m sure it did for audiences back then. 1930-31 was not a very strong year for its Best Picture nominees, but Skippy is the film most worth watching and mostly likely to still entertain and connect today. Unfortunately, Skippy is a rare film and is not available on DVD/Blu-ray or streaming services but airs occasionally on TCM. If you should come across it in the TCM schedule I certainly recommend watching this enjoyable and rare classic film. 

Best Pictures #29: 1929-30 (3rd) Academy Awards, My Pick for Outstanding Production

by A.J.

Best Pictures #29: 1929-30 (3^rd) Academy Awards

My Pick for Outstanding Production

The first time in which all Academy members voted on the selection of nominees and winners, instead of a 5-member selection board as with the first two awards ceremonies, was at the 3^rd Academy Awards. The ceremony was held in November to be closer to the end of the qualifying year (August 1^st, 1929-July 31^st, 1930). Though still in its nascent stages, the Academy Awards at this time already feels like the modern awards. There were 5 Best Picture nominees (then called Outstanding Production) that included a big budget epic, a feel good musical romance, a historical biopic, a sociopolitical drama, and a daring portrayal of adult relationships.

The films themselves feel as though they have come a long way since the switch from silent to sound just a couple years prior. The sound quality of all of the nominees is greatly improved from the 2^nd Academy Awards nominees—the sound quality of which depended on how close the actors were to a hidden microphone. Improvements with camera and microphone technology meant that actors did not have to huddle around that hidden microphone and the camera did not have to be far away and motionless—in some cases sealed in a soundproof booth—so the microphone would not pick its noises. The camera and actors could move more freely which allowed for more interesting cinematography and staging. There is still that ambient hiss that pervades throughout early sound films, but there’s no need to crank up the volume. Every sound in these films is clearly audible and the sound design and effects are used to help and enhance the story, not just dazzle the audience as a novelty. These films seem to have learned that dialing back on sound and using just images is still as effective as it was with silent movies. All Quiet on the Western Front, The Big House, The Divorcee, and The Love Parade all have memorable scenes which use the lack of dialogue for effect on the audience. The sound quality of movies with outdoor scenes is greatly improved from the 1^st outdoor talkie, In Old Arizona. With these films sound is now just another element of movies, like costumes and music. It works in the background to help tell the story. The silent era was now indeed just that, an era with beginning and end dates. There were not “talkies” anymore, there were only movies.

The films of this qualifying year seem to be more aware of and willing to deal with social issues. Every film from the birth of sound until the summer of 1934 is a Pre-Code film, made before the enforcement of the Hays Code which strictly regulated the content and subject matter of films. All Quiet on the Western Front and The Big House make their audiences confront the realities of groups of people society sends away and doesn’t think about too much afterwards. I can understand why the Academy voters selected All Quiet on the Western Front as the Outstanding Production of that year. The Great War was a major event that still weighed large on that generation. It was a daring portrayal of war that mass audiences likely had not seen and showed what veterans likely would not readily share. It is a fine classic war film, though dated, but I would cast my vote differently.

My Pick for Outstanding Production of 1929-30: The Divorcee(1930)

The film from this group of Outstanding Production nominees that I would most want to see again and would most readily recommend to anyone, classic film fan or not, is The Divorcee. The best thing about the film is its main character, Jerry, and Norma Shearer’s Oscar winning performance. I do not think the film judges Jerry for “living it up” after her divorce or for not waiting for men to come to her, but it does treat that behavior as an aberration. Jerry never becomes immoral, she only wants equality. Having a character like this as the star of a movie, no matter how the film ends, is an accomplishment of sorts. Another accomplishment The Divorcee makes is finding the right balance between social consciousness and entertainment. 

The Divorcee begins and ends as a romance, has drama in between, and never feels uneven. Whether with fun scenes of lavish parties or serious scenes between Jerry and her sister, the film maintains a steady pace. The male characters that surround her (Ted, Don, and Paul) are entertaining characters as well. The comedy in The Divorcee certainly holds up and, along with the performances, makes it a lively film. Certain camera shots and sequences keep it visually interesting too.

A modern viewer might be disappointed in The Divorcee’s view of divorce as an unacceptable social ill, but I also think a modern viewer will be far more sympathetic and understanding of Jerry and her actions. The film does not take a stand against double standards and unfairness and inequality toward women, but in simply acknowledging that such things existed The Divorcee was bold and daring for its time. Its values may be dated, but The Divorcee is no less entertaining.

Best Pictures #26: 1929-30 (3rd) Academy Awards Outstanding Production Nominee, The Divorcee (1930)

by A.J.

Best Pictures #26: 1929-30 (3^rd) Academy Awards Outstanding Production Nominee

The Divorcee (1930)

The Divorcee’s nomination for Outstanding Production shows that the Academy’s interest in controversial but popular films existed since its early years. This film is based novel The Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott, which was also popular and controversial when it was released. The controversy of the novel and film stems from its subject matter: marital infidelity and divorce. MGM was hesitant to be associated with the racy novel, so the title of the film adaptation was changed to The Divorcee, a classier way to say “ex-wife” I suppose. This would not be a racy or controversial film today, but it remains quite entertaining. The Divorcee has interesting characters, good performances, and a good sense of humor and drama. The Divorcee was released on DVD in the TCM Archives Forbidden Hollywood Collection Volume 2, but this set has since gone out of print making tracking down a copy slightly difficult and expensive (it currently sells on Amazon.com for $130). However, it airs occasionally on TCM, and I very much recommend watching it should it be on the schedule.  

MGM may have acted like they did not want to court controversy, but is seems as though they didn’t put great effort into making The Divorcee any less controversial. The Divorcee may be tame and even conservative by 21^st century standards, but modern viewers should keep in mind that this was a time when the subject of divorce, let alone female sexuality, made for impolite and improper conversation. This movie pushed boundaries, addressed the double standards of male vs. female infidelity, and, most of all, it had a good, well-developed, strong, and interesting female character as the lead.

I had been looking forward to watching The Divorcee since I haven’t seen many Pre-Code movies. Pre-Code Hollywood refers to the brief time period after the advent of sound films until the strict enforcement of the Hays Code in 1934. At this time films were not protected under the First Amendment because of a Supreme Court ruling in 1915, which declared films were purely commercial and not art. That unfortunate and idiotic decision would be overturned in 1952. The Hays, or Production Code, was actually created in 1930, but it was not enforced until the summer of 1934 when every film was required to have a Production Code seal of approval before it could be released. The Production Code severely regulated and limited a film’s content and subject matter. Before then movies were free to contain violence, risqué subject matter (like infidelity and divorce), and, most notable of all, highly suggestive innuendo.

The coveted title role of The Divorcee went to Norma Shearer, but it did not come easy to her even though she was married to MGM production chief Irving Thalberg. He originally wanted to cast Joan Crawford. At that time, Shearer was known for playing “lady-like” characters, so Thalberg thought she lacked the sensuality the role would require. To prove her husband wrong, Shearer had a series of photos taken of her posing provocatively in a revealing dress. Her plan worked. Thalberg cast her and she won Best Actress at the next Oscars. Shearer’s nomination, however, was for The Divorcee and her performance in another film, Their Own Desire (1929). When she was announced as the winner, only The Divorcee was specified and the reason for this remains unknown even to Academy historians.

The film begins with a group of friends having a getaway party at a country house. Jerry (Norma Shearer) announces her engagement to Ted, played by Chester Morris, much to the poorly hidden disappointment of her other suitors, Paul (Conrad Nagel) and Don (Robert Montgomery). Paul gets very drunk but still drives a car full of people, including Jerry’s sister, Dorothy, down a winding road. The car crashes and Dorothy is disfigured. As Jerry marries Ted in a pretty ceremony in a church, Paul marries Dorothy out of pity in a hospital room. After three happy years, Jerry discovers that Ted has been unfaithful and responds by having an affair of her own, with Don. Jerry and Ted divorce, and then Jerry decides to live it up.

I was worried that The Divorcee would be tonally uneven with the first half being light and romantic and the second half being mostly dramatic, such as with The Crowd (1928) and The Love Parade (1929). Like those films, it does begin as a light romance, then becomes a drama but never becomes too heavy to be entertaining. Though the second half of the film is where all of the drama and tension lies, it is not devoid of comedy. The Divorcee has a good sense of humor and delivers laughs at a steady, consistent pace. In a scene late in the movie, Don runs into Ted in New York. Ted is a mess from the divorce. The scene grows tense as Ted describes to Don what he’d do if he ever found the man with whom Jerry had her affair. It’s an awkwardly funny and tense scene that is capped with a good visual punchline from Montgomery.

The tagline for The Divorcee asked the scandalous question: If the world permits the husband to philander, why not the wife? When Jerry and Ted become engaged they agree that their marriage will be a partnership and they would be equals. The film takes subtle steps to suggest that Jerry is the equal of her male counterparts. In the novel, the main character’s name is Patricia, but— according to the DVD commentary by film historians Jeffrey Vance and Tony Maietta— was changed to Jerry for the film to represent gender equality. Vance and Maietta cite other elements like Jerry wearing masculine clothing (trousers) in the opening scene and her turning down Don with a polite handshake as aspects showing that Jerry would treat people and situations the way a man would, not the way society dictated a woman of the time would. I concur with their assertions. When Jerry confesses her infidelity to Ted, which she feels very guilty about, she begs him to remember what he told her about his own affair: it didn’t mean anything. As Jerry confronts Ted with this role reversal, the movie confronts the audience with the double standard towards female infidelity. Ted does not take it well. Jerry’s indiscretion is done in part as an act of revenge, but also an act of equality.

I can see why Shearer want to play the part of Jerry; it’s an interesting, well-developed, and challenging role for any actress to play. The great thing about Jerry is that even while “living it up” she is never indecent or immoral. The film’s climax is a test for her character: she runs into Paul who tells her that he still is and always has been in love with her and is ready to leave his wife, her sister, for her.

The Divorcee has everything I’d hoped to see in a scandalous Pre-Code movie. The parties the characters attend throughout the movie are big, glamourous, and ornate with balloons and streamers, and lots of alcohol, even though the movie was made during Prohibition. The parties are what you think of when you imagine parties of that era. It is interesting to see how films of the Pre-Code era managed to be risqué without being crude or crass. The Divorcee, like all Pre-Code films, implies more than it shows which ends up making certain scenes more provocative and effective. The movie shows us Jerry sitting close to Don in a taxi with a devious look on her face. The next thing we see is a shot of a window and curtains closing.

The Divorcee has a fair share of visually interesting moments beginning with a shot of everyone at the country house standing in the doorway watching Jerry and Ted. The scene of a drunken Paul driving a speeding car down a winding road is already tense enough, but the POV shots of the road speeding toward the screen intensifies the danger and suspense. Perhaps the most memorable sequence is a brief montage of Jerry meeting men after her divorce. She is dressed glamorously and her hair is done up gorgeously. The film shows us each man’s hand holding her hand. She accepts jewelry from one of the gentlemen saying, “I’ve heard of platonic love but I didn’t know there was such a as thing as platonic jewelry.” The movie leaves it up to the audience to decide what happens before or after each shot.

I found The Divorcee quite entertaining as both an attempt at social commentary and as a romance film. By addressing the real and stressful moments that often do rear their ugly head on a happy couple, The Divorcee becomes a film of substance and emotion. While its ultimate conclusion seems old fashioned or “traditional” by today’s standards, it also ends with a happy couple, which fits the tone of the movie. It’s clear to any modern viewer that the film treats divorce as something that is detrimental to everyone and seems more forgiving of male infidelity, however, The Divorce as a whole should not be disregarded because of these dated aspects. I hope that modern viewers won’t dismiss it as a quaint but unsuccessful attempt at a feminist movie. It is a glimpse at what a particular era thought of marriage, infidelity, and sexuality. It is also enjoyable to see a strong female character as the lead in a film from the 1930’s—something that remains unfortunately infrequent in films of today.

Nominee: MGM

Producer: Robert Z. Leonard

Director: Robert Z. Leonard

Screenplay: continuity and dialogue by John Meehan, Treatment by Zelda Sears and Nick Grinde, based on the novel Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott

Cast: Norma Shearer, Robert Montgomery, Chester Morris, Conrad Nagel

Release Date: April 30^th, 1930

Total Nominations: 4, including Outstanding Production

Win: Actress-Norma Shearer

Other Nominations: Director-Robert Z. Leonard, Writing-John Meehan

Best Pictures #20: 1928-29 Academy Awards Outstanding Picture Nominee, The Hollywood Revue (1929)

by A.J.

Best Pictures #20: 1928-29 Academy Awards Outstanding Picture Nominee

The Hollywood Revue (1929)

I’m not sure how one goes about reviewing a revue… The numbers are entertaining and with Jack Benny as one of the masters of ceremonies, Conrad Nagel being the other, it is hard to go wrong. The Hollywood Revue was put together by MGM to showcase its major stars making their talkie debut with this collection of comedy skits and musical numbers. The cast includes, Jack Benny, Conrad Nagel, Charles King, Anita Page, Bessie Love, Joan Crawford, Marion Davies, William Haines, Lionel Barrymore, Norma Shearer, John Gilbert, Marie Dressler, Laurel & Hardy ,and more. However, MGM’s biggest star, Greta Garbo, is noticeably absent from the star studded cast because she decided that Anna Christie would be her speaking debut.

The stars of MGM’s other big musical from 1929, The Broadway Melody, all make an appearance in The Hollywood Revue. Charles King sings and banters with Conrad Nagel, who then serenades Anita Page, King’s love interest in The Broadway Melody, with “You Were Meant for Me,” a droll reference to a scene from that musical. Bessie Love, the other co-star of The Broadway Melody, takes part in a special effects bit with Jack Benny. She appears in miniature size and sets up punchlines for Jack Benny who holds her in the palm of his hand. When he sets her down on stage she grows to normal size and performs a delightful number called “I Never Knew I Could Do a Thing Like That.” Bessie Love is also quite delightful herself in her banter with Benny and musical performance. She sings but doesn’t dance so much as she is literally tossed around by the male chorus line. It’s fun to watch, especially when they flip her completely over from one chorus line to the next, but I can’t imagine how disorienting that all must have felt for her.

The Hollywood Revue is the film debut of Jack Benny who, as you might imagine, is very entertaining and funny as the master of ceremonies. There’s a running gag of him being slapped by women he thinks he "recognizes." One of the several humorous interludes he has is with actor William Haines in which Haines tears a piece of Benny’s suit for every city where he has seen Benny on the stage. The next time we see Benny he is wearing a suit of armor. This is one of a few skits in which stage and screen actors take playful jibes at each other and have fun with the rivalry between stage and screen actors. What an actor could do on stage versus on screen had a clear and distinct delineation during the silent era but with the advent of sound that line was gone. Jack Benny’s one-liners and violin could now be heard on film the same way they could only previously have been experienced by attending a stage performance.

The screen could now be filled with elaborate musical numbers like “Tommy Atkins on Parade” performed by Marion Davies. A full marching band and dancers take up the entire screen. Davies does a tap number and dances with a line of men dressed like palace guards. Many people today, myself included, think of Marion Davies primarily as the mistress of publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst, the inspiration for Charles Foster Kane in Citizen Kane. This was the first time I had seen any of Davies’ work and I’m glad to put a real face and voice to her name. Laurel and Hardy showcase their comedy in a skit in which they play inept magicians. Buster Keaton has a comical dance number, but he does not sing or speak. In the final musical number in which every cast member gathers on stage to sing “Singin’ in the Rain,” Buster Keaton is the only one not singing.

The Hollywood Revue might be most known, by those that know it at all, for the Romeo and Juliet balcony scene with John Gilbert and Norma Shearer. This sequence is thought by some to be the catalyst for the decline of Gilbert’s career after audiences heard his high pitched voice. Further rumors say that this sequence was the inspiration for the plot of the 1952 Gene Kelly musical, Singin’ in the Rain. It is thought that audiences felt Gilbert's voice did not match the onscreen persona he had cultivated in the silent era. There are other likelihoods for the decline of Gilbert’s career that have nothing to do with his voice, but this is the narrative that has persisted. The sequence itself is one of the more enjoyable ones in The Hollywood Revue. Gilbert and Shearer play themselves playing Romeo and Juliet and are being directed by Lionel Barrymore, also playing himself. Barrymore tells them he received studio notes to make the dialogue snappier and modern. Their performance of the updated balcony scene loaded with peppy slang of the era is pretty amusing. As for Gilbert’s voice, though he is certainly not a baritone, the phrase “high pitched” does not accurately describe his voice either. I think he sounds very contemporary and casual, and maybe that is not the tone of voice you would expect to hear from someone in a period costume. This scene is one of two that was shot in technicolor which I’m sure impressed audiences of the day, however, on the DVD, available through Warner Archive, it is the only scene in technicolor.

The Hollywood Revue is certainly a curio of the early sound era. It does a good job of giving the viewer the feeling that they are an audience member for a stage show. The camera is mostly stationary. There are some close ups and medium shots and an occasional pan, but the static shots of the actors and performances actually works for this particular movie. The camera is your POV from your seat in the theater watching this impressive all-star revue. The Hollywood Revue is pretty entertaining though it runs a bit long for a film of its era, nearly a full two hours. There isn’t much to The Hollywood Revue, but that is not necessarily something negative for this particular musical movie. It is certainly an interesting viewing experience for a modern moviegoer.

Nominee: MGM

Producer: Irving Thalberg, Harry Rapf

Director: Charles Reisner

Screenplay: Al Boasberg and Robert E. Hopkins

Cast: Conrad Nagel, Jack Benny

Release Date: June 20^th, 1929

Total Nominations: 1, including Outstanding Picture
Win(s): N/A

Classic Movie Picks: November 2015

by Lani

Each month, I scour the Turner Classic Movies schedule for upcoming films that I can't miss. The highlights are posted here for your reading and viewing pleasure! (All listed times are Eastern Standard, check your local listings or TCM.com for actual air times in your area. Each day's schedule begins at 6:00 a.m.; if a film airs between midnight and 6 a.m. it is listed on the previous day's programming schedule.)

11/10: Norma Shearer in the 30s
8 PM - Private Lives (1931)
9:30 PM - A Free Soul (1931)
11:15 PM - Let Us Be Gay (1930)
12:45 PM - The Divorcee (1930)
Norma Shearer is an actress I had never really heard of before I became a regular TCM-watcher, which is surprising considering the heights of her popularity during the 1930s. Costumed in slinky gowns by Adrian, she was an epitome of the glamorous Hollywood star. I think tonight's line up of films from 1930-31 represents a high point for her, evidenced by the Best Actress Academy Award she won in 1930. Shearer started her career during the silent era, but had no trouble transitioning to talkies and soon became the "Queen of MGM" -- a title she earned through her box office popularity, not simply because she was also the wife of MGM production chief Irving Thalberg. In fact, Thalberg almost didn't cast Shearer in her Oscar-winning role; he thought she wasn't sexy enough to play the title character of The Divorcee (what that says about their marriage, I'm not sure...). Shearer had a photographer take some shots of her in alluring poses which finally convinced Thalberg that she could pull off the role. Shearer's films during this "pre-code" period often dealt frankly with sexuality, which might account in part for their popularity with audiences; however, by today's standards the scandalous storylines seem a bit tame. In The Divorcee Shearer's character is branded as a sexually liberated "adventuress" by simply dating a string of men following her divorce -- mind you, she's not sleeping with any of them, just going to nightclubs and accepting expensive jewelry. Enjoy the films tonight for their glamour, wit, sexiness, and star power -- provided by handsome co-stars like Clark Gable and Robert Montgomery, but largely by Shearer herself.

11/13: Bob's Picks Double Feature
1 AM - The Wrong Box (1966)
3 AM - Make Mine Mink (1960)
TCM host Robert Osborne has chosen to program two wacky British comedies, one which I've seen and one that I haven't. The Wrong Box is a film I recommend at every opportunity because it's simply one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Set in Victorian England, the story centers on two elderly brothers who plot to kill each other in order to inherit a large fortune. The farce builds at a frantic pace, combining witty dialogue with visual gags and physical comedy. John Mills, Ralph Richardson, Peter Sellers, Dudley Moore, Peter Cook, and Michael Caine are just the most recognizable names among the large cast. Make Mine Mink combines the comedy with a heist plot, which is pretty much impossible for me to resist. Terry-Thomas stars as an ex-military man who leads his neighbors at a boarding house as they hatch a scheme to raise money for charity by stealing mink coats. 

11/16: Starring Victor Mature
8 PM - My Darling Clementine (1946)
10 PM - Kiss of Death (1947)
12 AM - The Egyptian (1954)
2:30 AM - Million Dollar Mermaid (1952)
4:30 AM - Easy Living (1949)
Handsome and brawny, Victor Mature is well-known for sword-and-sandal epics like Samson and Delilah and The Robe; however, tonight's line-up shows his versatility with roles in a western, noir, sports drama, even an Esther Williams "aquamusical." No matter the role, Mature stands out for his intense, striking presence and subtle performance. I haven't seen a lot of his films, in fact of these five I've only seen Mermaid (go figure, it's the only musical of the bunch); but I've never seen Mature give a bad performance. Off screen, he was self-deprecating about his acting ability. However, his films stand as proof that he was one of the most dynamic actors of his era.


11/23, 1 AM - What a Way to Go! (1964)
My favorite classic movie star Gene Kelly had a November birthday, so I wanted to pick one of his films this month. He's not the star of What a Way to Go! -- that's Shirley MacLaine as a wealthy widow recounting her experiences with four husbands who found success and riches, but met tragic ends. If you haven't seen it, I won't spoil the fun casting except to say that Kelly appears as one MacLaine's husbands doing a parody of his own image and his famous movie musical roles. Of course, the two stars get a dance number together, too!


11/28, 4 AM - All the Marbles (1981)
I'll say up front that I haven't seen this movie and considering that it involves women's wrestling, I'm coming in very dubious. However, the female sports film is a genre with few entries and as a woman who spent many years playing various sports, I'm interested in these stories. In All the Marbles, Peter Falk plays a streetwise survivor and showman who manages a wrestling tag team called the California Dolls, played by Vicki Frederick and Laurene Landon, all the way to the championships in Reno. I'd watch Falk in anything. Director Robert Aldrich made one of my favorite films, The Dirty Dozen, and had success with another sports film, The Longest Yard. The costumes were even designed by the legendary Bob Mackie. However, I'm really interested to see how this film compares to other films of the genre such as Million Dollar Baby and A League of Their Own which focus on the sometimes paternal, sometimes romantic, relationships between the female athletes and their male managers. I'm really crossing my fingers that it's just not completely cringe-worthy. 

11/30: Satyajit Ray - Apu and More
8 PM - Pather Panchali (1956) + short Restoring the Apu Trilogy
10:15 PM - Aparajito  (1957)
12:15 AM - Apur Sansar (1959)
2:15 AM - Satyajit Ray (1982) 
4:45 AM - The Music Room (1958)
Indian director Satyajit Ray is best known for his acclaimed "Apu Trilogy" -- Pather Panchali, Aparajito, and Apur Sansar. A restored version of the three films was released earlier this year by Criterion, so if, like me, you've never seen Ray's films now seems like the perfect time. Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road) follows a poor Indian family -- from children Apu and Durga to an elderly great-aunt -- as they struggle to survive through money troubles, monsoons, and illness. Aparajito (The Unvanquished) picks up the story of Apu as he comes of age and his mother grapples with sending him away to attend school. The third film, Apur Sansar (The World of Apu), shows Apu as a young adult confronting marriage and fatherhood. As a bonus, tonight's line up also includes a documentary about Ray and a non-Apu film, The Music Room. Thought by some to be Ray's greatest work, The Music Room is the story of an aristocrat unable and unwilling to acknowledge his dwindling fortunes. Ray's work is praised for its realistic portrayals of the lives of everyday Indians and not shying away from showing people in poverty. His films offer a stark contrast to the over-the-top spectacle of Bollywood cinema. I look forward to this chance to broaden my film education and become more familiar with Ray's work.