At The Beach: MARIE MCDONALD

Ahoy Marie....

Spotlight on Marie McDonald

Recently I wrote a review of the 1947 Gene Kelly comedy Living In A Big Way. And his co-star was the lovely and vastly underrated Marie McDonald. I really didn't know too much about Marie and her film career until I came across the wonderful blog page Marie McDonald, that is written by Elizabeth Ann. Here's the link to her fantastic blog: http://mariemcdonald.blogspot.com/

I really can't improve on any of the facts and details of Marie's life that Elizabeth Ann has already covered. So go there to check out her blog to learn more about one of my new favorite actresses. What I can do is talk about the few films I have seen Marie in and shed some light on her to all of my fellow bloggers.

Before watching Living In A Big Way, which I loved, the only other film I could recall seeing Marie in was the 1958 comedy The Geisha Boy with Jerry Lewis. In that film Marie was not the sole female star like she was in Living In A Big Way. She had to share screen time with up and coming actress Suzanne Pleshette and Japanese actress Nobu McCarthy. But she held her own for which was one of Jerry Lewis first starring vehicles sans Dean Martin.

I think the people that have seen a Marie McDonald film, it would probably be the semi-classic Getting Gertie's Garter (1946) co-starring Dennis O'Keefe. It is comparable to the 1944 film Up In Mabel's Room. In fact O'Keefe stars in that film as well but as a different character. I haven't see either film but I imagine Marie is just as good in Gertie as she was in Living in a Big Way. But I plan to see Gertie as soon as possible.

One of Marie's biggest films has to be Guest in the House (1944), even though her part is fairly small. The cast includes Anne Baxter, Ralph Bellamy, Ruth Warrick, and Margaret Hamilton. I have seen bits and pieces of this film but not all of it. And the scenes I saw didn't feature Marie. So that's another film I need to watch as well.

From reading through Marie's bio over at Elizabeth Ann's blog, it seems she had a lot of bad luck and could really never have the career that once seemed so promising. She was married several times, had a few miscarriages, multiple run ins with the law, and a nervous breakdown. All of this in the space of a young 42 years before dying from an overdose of pain killers. I for one, never knew anything about Marie until recently coming across Elizabeth Ann's blog. Now I am interesting in seeing as many of her films as possible. As a matter of fact I just saw where Guest in the House is currently available for viewing online. I believe my friend and co-blogger Dawn of Noir and Chick Flicks recently had it posted on her blog as well.

Don't be surprised if you start seeing a lot of posts about Marie on my blog as she is currently at the top of my list of must see viewing.

Gene Kelly and Marie McDonald are LIVING IN A BIG WAY (1947)

Just finished watching this little seen comedy film, Living in a Big Way (1947) on TCM as part of a tribute to director Gregory La Cava. La Cava also directed such classics as My Man Godfrey and Stage Door. In this quaint little film, Leo Gogarty ( Gene Kelly) marries Margo Morgan (Marie McDonald) after a whirlwind romance just before shipping out to war. When he returns, he is surprised to discover not only that his bride is not what she led him to believe, but also that she expects a quick divorce. The majority of the movie has the pair trying to move on from each other after they realize they don't belong together. But unresolved feelings come to the surface and they begin to fall in love all over again. This not being a typical Kelly song and dance film, he stills get to throw in two energetic dance scenes: one at a construction site and another one involving a dog. His dance skills are never in doubt and he always displays an easy going attitude and screen presence.

The surprise is actress Marie McDonald, who was nicknamed The Body in real life. So while her bodily assets are never in question and she is quite beautiful, her acting ability was always seen as suspect. But here she displays a natural flair for light comedy and actually drives the movie in several scenes. Her banter with Kelly is pretty much fire and ice and they play off each other great. And she has one of the best looking hairstyles I have ever seen on a woman. The perfect curls. It's a shame McDonald didn't have a much bigger career. This film was her biggest in her career that end abruptly when she overdosed on drugs in her home in 1965. The movie also features a great supporting cast in Charles Winninger, Phyllis Thaxter, and Spring Byington as members of McDonald's family. So if you get a chance, check out this underrated little comedy from 1947. It's a pleasant way to pass two hours.
B-