Happy 100th Birthday Olivia de Havilland: my review of GOVERNMENT GIRL (1943)

Government Girl (1943) is a vastly underrated and little known Olivia movie that is fun to watch.  Olivia plays Elizabeth "Smokey" Allard, a Washington secretary who knows the ins and outs of Washington DC as war is ongoing and weapons must be made. Also the housing shortage is in full affect as Smokey does her best to find her gal pal May (played by Anne Shirley) and her beau a hotel room for their honeymoon. In the meantime auto make ED Browne (played by Sonny Tufts) arrives in time to see what he can do to help production. Of course he doesn't know how to deal with the politics of Washington so Smokey lends a hand. This is B movie but it is still fun to watch. Some say Olivia over-reacts in her performance but I think it's fun. She is ably supported by Tufts, Shirley, Agnes Moorehead, Harry Davenport and Una O'Connor. I recommend this delightful little movie for those who have never seen it.   Oh best scene is where Smokey and May get drunk to try and get some information from an unsavory character. Olivia is hysterical!

Bette Davis Blogathon: My review of In This Our Life (1942)

My good friend Crystal Pacey is holding a Bette Davis blogathon and I so wanted to contribute to it. So here's a review of In This Our Life:

IN THIS OUR LIFE (1942) Top notch drama with Olivia de Havilland sharing the screen with grand diva Bette Davis. They play sisters who have conflicting love lives. That's putting it nicely as Bette is just a vixen who just wrecks everything in sight, even stealing her sister's husband. Bette is all volcano fury as Stanley Timberlake in this one while Olivia is the quieter sister Roy. Yes they have boy’s name which make them all the more unique. It's one hell of a movie. Bette and Olivia surround themselves with one heck of a supporting cast too. George Brent plays Craig Fleming (Stanley’s fiancée whom she dumps); Dennis Morgan plays Roy’s husband Peter, whom Stanley ends up stealing away. And co-starring Charles Coburn, Billie Burke, and Hattie McDaniel. Directed by the great John Huston. And a top notch music score by the legendary Max Steiner. This is one of my all time favorite films! A must see!

Both Bette Davis' and Olivia de Havilland's characters have masculine given names -- "Stanley" and "Roy," respectively. Interestingly, the film never hints that there is anything unusual about their names, nor does it offer any explanation.

Quotes:
Roy Timberlake: Parks are for the very rich or the very poor.

Asa Timberlake: In my day, we didn't talk much about happiness. If it came we were grateful for it. But we were brought up in the belief that there were other things more important. Old foogy fantastic notions such as duty and personal responsibility.

Stanley Timberlake: Craig, have dinner with me somewhere tonight. Please. I've got a reason.
Craig Fleming: I don't think we better Stanley.
Stanley Timberlake: Why not? You're afraid aren't you? Afraid of yourself. Afraid of what you might feel if you let yourself go. Why don't you admit the truth Craig? You've never gotten over me and you never will. You'd like to put your arms around me right now, wouldn't you? You'd like to kiss me, wouldn't you?

Here's the link to Crystal's awesome blog site where you will find more amazing things about Bette:
crystalkalyana

PINKY (1949)

Here is my contribution to The Barrymore Trilogy Blogathon as hosted by In The Good Old Days Of Classic Hollywood

I had never seen this film before TCM aired it the other night and was completely blown away by it. The story follows a young light skinned black woman who passes for white, leaves her home in Mississippi and goes north to attend nursing school. Pinky as she is called and played by Jeanne Crain, returns home after graduation to see her grandmother (Ethel Waters). Once there Pinky finds out that Granny has been caring for the ailing Ms. Em (Ethel Barrymore) and doesn't like it too much. Granny's little shack house sits on Ms. Em very large plantation estate. Pink recalls how she was treated badly by Ms. Em when Pinky was a child and has issues with her when Granny asks her to take care of Ms. Em as her nurse. At first Pinky wants no part of it but changes her mind once Granny tells her of how Ms. Em cared for her when she was sick. So their first meeting is tense as expected but over the next few days Pinky and Ms. Em come to understand each other. The rest of the film deals with Pinky dating a white doctor who finds out later on about Pinky's heritage and a legal battle over Ms. Em's estate between Pinky and Ms. Em's sister. This is a strong and emotional film, expertly directed by Elia Kazan, who gets three remarkable performances from his three women. Ethel Waters is just effortless in her part as Granny, that you don't even view her acting, but as a person trying to deal with a headstrong granddaughter and race relations. The great Ethel Barrymore is superb as usual and gets the most of her performance via scenes with Ms. Crain. Her character may have been a fixture of the old South and their traditions and views, but she is willing to accept the new way of thinking by her interaction with Pinky. And finally Jeanne Crain who gives probably the best performance of her career. She plays Pinky perfectly which is amazing, because this type of role could have easily been either over the top or not strong enough. She is white but has to play a black woman and she pulls it off with grace and class. I was genuinely moved by her performance that had several scenes where she said that she should be treated as a person and not judged by the color of  her skin. She should have won the Academy Award that year but alas did not. But regardless, Pinky is a great film that needs to be seen by everyone. It ranks right up there with To Kill A Mockingbird in my opinion.
B+

Here's the link to go view other entries in this blogathon:

the-barrymore-trilogy-blogathon-has-now-arrived/

Hitchcock Halloween Blogathon: Mr. and Mrs. Smith

For my contribution to the Backlots Hitchcock Halloween Blogathon I chose the only comedy Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, did, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, starring my all time favorite actress Carole Lombard. This is my favorite film of hers by the way. Screwball comedies are my favorite type of films and this one fits quite nicely into that category. Well a bit. While not a full blown screwball comedy, it is quite fun and often hilarious nonetheless. And it does feature a little suspense every now and then. Well not really but you can still enjoy this film as a departure from what Hitchcock normally does.

David looking worried at the film's beginning

The film is set in bustling New York and begins with a married couple of three years named David and Ann Smith (great pairing of Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard) who tend to bicker and have these huge arguments from time to time when they are not speaking to one another. Such is the case at the film's beginning as the pair have been sequestered in their lavish apartment home while their staff shuttles them food and drink. This latest misunderstanding has been going on for three days and David's office, a law firm where his pal Jeff (a solid Gene Raymond) keeps calling to see has a truce been made. As Jeff sends over some critical papers for David to sign, the pair finally makes up and end up having breakfast together.

Ann and David make up after this three day session

But Ann asks a question which prompts an answer from David that doesn't exactly make her happy. She asks David if he had it to do it all over again would he. And he puts in honestly and bluntly, no he would not. He would not marry her and would remain single. Remember this key moment as it will become the focal point for the rest of the film.

But not for long because over breakfast Ann asks that pivotal question

While at work, David receives a guest in the form of Mr. Deever (Charles Halton) from Ann's hometown of Idaho comes a calling saying that the Smith's, along with several other hundreds of couples are not technically married, through some municipal and state jurisdictional matter at the time. David takes the news quite nicely but when Mr. Deever stops by their home to share the same news with Ann and Ann's mother, it doesn't have the same effect.

At dinner David tries to get the cat to have some soup...

David calls up and tells Ann they are going to the restaurant where he proposed to her and Ann believes it's where he will pop the question again. But alas things don't go that way and Ann begins to squirm as the night draws to a close. Meanwhile David is having the time of his life. Back home for a little champagne Ann finally snaps and throws a tantrum asking if and when David was going to ever marry her again. David tries to explain that he was just waiting for the right moment and before you know he is spending the night at The Beefeater's Club, a luxurious hotel where men go who are having domestic troubles. It's there he meets the seen it all Chuck (played by the always wonderful Jack Carson), who is a frequent regular at the hotel.

Mr. Deever drops by to share some news...

David tries to woo back Ann over the course of the rest of the film but Ann is steadfast in holding her ground. Saying she doesn't want to remarry David and instead finds a job and actually starts dating Jeff, much to David's chagrin. In fact the date Ann and Jeff goes on leads to a hilarious seen after Jeff catches cold and Ann tries to nurse him back to health with some liquor. At first Jeff is good to go but then it hits him like a ton of bricks and Gene Raymond gives a masterful drunken little scene. 

The gorgeous Carole

For the first hour, this film is golden. It does start to sag during the final half hour just a bit as Ann and Jeff take a getaway vacation to Lake Placid, in which David follows. But it rebounds right back during the closing scenes to make this a wonderful film. Like I said it is my favorite of Carole, and that's saying something, considering her resume which includes To Be Or Not To Be, Twentieth Century and My Man Godfrey. It's just something about this premise of a couple who truly love each other despite all their fighting and bickering. It's classic Hollywood star power in Carole and Robert with solid supporting turns by a great cast. If you have never seen it, you have to check it out at least once. And it's great seeing Hitchcock do an all out comedy as most of his films always some humor and comedy in them. So you knew he was capable of doing a film like this. And he did it awesomely!

Carole does a lot of finger pointing in this movie..haha

Fabulous Films Of The 1940's Blogathon: Mr. And Mrs. Smith (1941)

For my contribution to the Fabulous Films of the 1940's Blogathon I chose the only comedy Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, did, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, starring my all time favorite actress Carole Lombard. This is my favorite film of hers by the way. Screwball comedies are my favorite type of films and this one fits quite nicely into that category. Well a bit. While not a full blown screwball comedy, it is quite fun and often hilarious nonetheless. 

David looking worried at the film's beginning

The film is set in bustling New York and begins with a married couple of three years named David and Ann Smith (great pairing of Robert Montgomery and Carole Lombard) who tend to bicker and have these huge arguments from time to time when they are not speaking to one another. Such is the case at the film's beginning as the pair have been sequestered in their lavish apartment home while their staff shuttles them food and drink. This latest misunderstanding has been going on for three days and David's office, a law firm where his pal Jeff (a solid Gene Raymond) keeps calling to see has a truce been made. As Jeff sends over some critical papers for David to sign, the pair finally makes up and end up having breakfast together.

Ann and David make up after this three day session

But Ann asks a question which prompts an answer from David that doesn't exactly make her happy. She asks David if he had it to do it all over again would he. And he puts in honestly and bluntly, no he would not. He would not marry her and would remain single. Remember this key moment as it will become the focal point for the rest of the film.

But not for long because over breakfast Ann asks that pivotal question

While at work, David receives a guest in the form of Mr. Deever (Charles Halton) from Ann's hometown of Idaho comes a calling saying that the Smith's, along with several other hundreds of couples are not technically married, through some municipal and state jurisdictional matter at the time. David takes the news quite nicely but when Mr. Deever stops by their home to share the same news with Ann and Ann's mother, it doesn't have the same effect.

At dinner David tries to get the cat to have some soup...

David calls up and tells Ann they are going to the restaurant where he proposed to her and Ann believes it's where he will pop the question again. But alas things don't go that way and Ann begins to squirm as the night draws to a close. Meanwhile David is having the time of his life. Back home for a little champagne Ann finally snaps and throws a tantrum asking if and when David was going to ever marry her again. David tries to explain that he was just waiting for the right moment and before you know he is spending the night at The Beefeater's Club, a luxurious hotel where men go who are having domestic troubles. It's there he meets the seen it all Chuck (played by the always wonderful Jack Carson), who is a frequent regular at the hotel.

Mr. Deever drops by to share some news...

David tries to woo back Ann over the course of the rest of the film but Ann is steadfast in holding her ground. Saying she doesn't want to remarry David and instead finds a job and actually starts dating Jeff, much to David's chagrin. In fact the date Ann and Jeff goes on leads to a hilarious seen after Jeff catches cold and Ann tries to nurse him back to health with some liquor. At first Jeff is good to go but then it hits him like a ton of bricks and Gene Raymond gives a masterful drunken little scene. 

The gorgeous Carole Lombard

For the first hour, this film is golden. It does start to sag during the final half hour just a bit as Ann and Jeff take a getaway vacation to Lake Placid, in which David follows. But it rebounds right back during the closing scenes to make this a wonderful film. Like I said it is my favorite of Carole, and that's saying something, considering her resume which includes To Be Or Not To Be, Twentieth Century and My Man Godfrey. It's just something about this premise of a couple who truly love each other despite all their fighting and bickering. It's classic Hollywood star power in Carole and Robert with solid supporting turns. If you have never seen it, you have to check it out at least once.

Carole does quite a lot of finger pointing in this film

By The Numbers...My Top Ten Posts of 2012

Taking a page from my good blogger friend Kristen, here are my top ten posts of 2012. The ones that had the most views (hits) by online viewers from around the world. Let's get started with number 10 shall we....

10.) 31 Stars in 31 Days: Marilyn Monroe - 412 HITS

My annual 31 Stars in 31 Days salute in August is based on TCM's Summer Under The Stars. Each day in August I choose a particular star and talk about my fave movies of theirs with a singular review or several reviews. Marilyn Monroe's day yielded the most hits of any star that month. I bought the recent blu-ray set and dished about The Seven Year Itch and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  31-stars-in-31-days-day-5-marilyn-monroe

9.) At The Beach: Anne Francis - 470 HITS

My summer photo series At The Beach/Summer Lovin' yielded the 9th most viewed post of 2012 with the lovely and sexy Anne Francis. Check Anne out here...one more time. summer-lovin-anne-francis

8.) 2012 Cinematic World Tour Blogathon - 500 HITS

My first Blogathon was a pretty good endeavor if I must say so myself. I had several friends and bloggers make worthy contributions to this event using films as travel spots and vacation settings. This is the post that described the blogathon. It yielded a ton of comments too as people were clearly interested in this event. all-good-things-presents-cinematic world tour blogathon

7.) My Childhood Crushes: Jenny Agutter - 516 HITS

I started this new series back in May and this is the first of two posts that made the top ten list of most viewed posts in 2012. Jenny Agutter lands here at number 7 as she was one of my first major crushes while growing up thanks to An American Werewolf in London and Logan's Run. my-childhood-crushes-jenny-agutter

6.) My Childhood Crushes: Catherine Mary Stewart - 584 HITS

The second of my childhood crushes, Catherine Mary Stewart was just ahead of Jenny and grabs the number six spot. I can't tell ya how many times I saw The Last Starfighter and Night of The Comet while as a teen just to look at the beautiful Catherine. my-childhood-crushes-catherine-mary stewart

5.) BRAVE - 614 HITS

My review of Pixar's summer offering Brave was a hugely viewed post. I loved this movie and I'm glad it got some love from my readers. Thanks guys! brave-2012-is-pure-cinema-magic.

4.) My Top 50 Favorite Classic Movie Actresses List - 662 HITS

I had to revise my top 50 Favorite Classic Actresses for the year and evidently a lot of people were curious how my new rankings would shake out. This is the top 25 portion of that list. my-favorite-top-50-classic-film actresses

3.) Things To Know About Lauren Bacall - 696 HITS

My classic movie goddess for January was Lauren Bacall and she was one of my most successful goddesses since I started this series back in 2009. I love Lauren as she is one of my all time faves. things-to-know-about-lauren-bacall

2.) The Morning Movie: The Night Of The Iguana - 924 HITS 

Sometimes before leaving for work in the mornings I can catch a movie on TCM or some other movie channel. I started a series called the Morning Movie for just this purpose. Kind of a mini-review to let everyone know what I'm watching and what I think of it. Well The Night of The Iguana had over 900 hits to rank as my second most viewed post of 2012. morning-movie-night-of-iguana-1964

1.) 2012 Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney - 1290 HITS

My 2nd annual favorite classic movie actress tourney was a tremendous success. And this specific post detailing the matches involving the 60's leading ladies proved to be the cat's meow. With a whopping 1290 hits logged, it was my top post in 2012.  2012-favorite-classic-movie-actress

Well that concludes my trip back through 2012 to see what were the top viewed posts and I have to say it was a pretty good year. I may have dropped off from writing as many posts as I did in 2011 but I don't think my quality slipped. At least I hope it didn't. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to check out All Good Things and here's to an even better 2013.

Jane Wyman lends a hand to Olivia de Havilland in PRINCESS O'ROURKE (1943)

Princess O'Rourke is a breezy little comedy that stars Olivia de Havilland as Maria, a foreign princess visiting America who falls in love with a pilot named Eddie O'Rourke (played by Robert Cummings). The catch is Eddie doesn't know she is a princess and thinks she is just a regular girl. Albeit a girl with no skills to speak of. This is a wonderful comedy that I enjoyed quite a bit. It's a joy seeing Olivia in such a non-serious role for a change. All those The Dark Mirror, In This Our Life, and The Snake Pit can take a toll on an actress. Every now and then one needs to lighten up and have some fun. And that's what Olivia does. In her first major scene, she is taking a flight from New York to San Francisco and has to take a sleeping pill to relax. Well when she thinks it's not working, she takes another, and another, and another. Within a few minutes she is quite loopy and makes the funniest faces you have ever seen Olivia make. When the flight is turned back around due to bad weather, that's when the fun starts. Eddie has to take the now near comatose Maria back to his place to sleep it off. So once the two finally see each other they are immediately smitten. And the rest of the movie has them trying to get to know each other before Eddie and his best pal Dave (played by Jack Carson) are off to join the military to serve in the war. Dave's wife Jean is played by Jane Wyman, who has wonderful chemistry with Carson. They made a total of four films together and are one of the most underrated screen teams of all time. Carson gets in many of the film's funniest lines and Wyman is solid in several emotional scenes. She also works well with Olivia.

I enjoyed this movie from the very beginning as it features a nice comic rhythm and a great cast. It starts to sag a little towards the end but it's still a refreshing little comedy. Like I said earlier it's nice seeing Olivia in a rare comedy. I wished she had done more in a career, because she definitely has a flair for comedy. Also great support from veteran actor Charles Coburn as Maria's uncle, who is desperate for her to marry a prince or duke to put their family back on top. Princess O'Rourke is a winner all way around.
Film: B
Olivia's Performance:B

Jane Wyman in Larceny, Inc (1942)

Jane looking a tad bothered in Larceny, Inc

A delightful comedy with my classic goddess of the month, Jane Wyman. It stars perennial tough guy Edward G. Robinson as 'Pressure Maxwell', an ex-con just released from prison with his pal Jug Martin (played by Broderick Crawford). Once out, Pressure is greeted by his niece Denny (the delightful Jane Wyman) who hopes he will stay out of trouble. But once Pressure and Jugs meet up with another pal named Weepy (Edward Brophy) they starting thinking of a new scam. While in prison, cell-mate Leo (Anthony Quinn) was planning a bank job, which they wanted no part in. Well once they find a store that sells luggage right next door to said bank, the trio decide to buy the current owner (Harry Davenport) out to use the store to break into the bank. But lo and behold when business starts zooming thanks to Denny and her new beau (Jack Carson) starting coming up with these crazy ideas for wild sales days. So now the boys think about staying legit. That is until Leo busts out and comes a calling.

Pressure trying to tell Denny he has turned over a new leaf

Denny is suspicious of Pressure's motives

Pressure can see it all clearly now

Denny and Jeff doing a little advertising for Pressure's store

Larceny Inc is a hilarious movie that lets Robinson spoof his tough guy image. And he is a joy to watch.  Letting lose with so many funny one liners with tommy gun efficiency. Who said Robinson couldn't be funny. He's get great support from Crawford and Brophy as his pals. They're almost like The Three Stooges with the puns and wisecracks. Jane Wyman and Jack Carson shine in their supporting roles. And Quinn is effective as the heavy. But it's the three guys of Robinson, Crawford and Brophy who make this movie as fun as it can be. One of the great lesser known films of yesteryear. It's a treat to watch. And check out Jackie Gleason in one of his early roles as a soda clerk.

Film: B+
Jane's performance: B+

BRAVE (2012) is pure cinema magic!

Just got back from finally seeing Brave, Pixar's latest offering, and I was thoroughly entertained. One of the year's best films by far. My friend Irene just saw it a few days ago and raved about it and we pretty much have the same taste in films. So I knew going in that the odds were in favor of Brave being pretty good. And boy it did not disappoint. Featuring some dazzling animation and some lovely Scottish ballads, this tale about the rebellious Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) who refuses to bow down to tradition and be married to a suitable mate. Which puts her at odds with her strict mom Elinor (voiced wonderfully by Emma Thompson). Merida's dad, the jovial Fergus (voiced by Billy Connolly) is a lot more flexible. In fact he let Merida train with a cross bow at a very young age, which turns her into a pretty good archer. I mean this girl can sling arrows with the best of them. Yes, even Robin Hood. And Merida has hair to die for. Her long flowing red tresses are an eye popping visual treat. Along with her loyal steed Angus, Merida sets out to do things her way.

Look at all that glorious red hair

Things are pretty light and humorous until Merida makes a fateful decision that has a drastic impact on her and her family. I can't go into detail without spoiling the movie, but trust me, it's a doozy. Things come to a head with a fraught filled finale that will not disappoint. And call me sentimental, but it may get you a little teary-eyed. 

Fergus and Elinor

Brave was the most fun I had at the cinema this year since The Avengers. It's a really great film. And clocking in at a brisk 100 minutes, things never bog down or get slow. One of my favorite films of the summer. Heck one of my favorite films of the year. I liked it even more than Dark Knight Rises. Yep, it's that good. And I think this is the first film where I have heard so many awwwwwws from the audience. I lost count after about twenty.

Merida and Angus

****1/2 out of ***** stars

Merida shows the crowd how's it done!

Merida and her three younger brothers who manage to steal some scenes

in this movie

Seeing this guy brought back memories of William Wallace aka Braveheart

Take that Katniss

What's New Pussycat (1965) is a definite product of the 60s...which is a good thing

Following the recommendation of my good friend and fellow blogger Irene, I finally had the chance to see this awesome film. First let me describe what I had to go through to finally watch it. I ordered it through Amazon over a month ago along with some other titles. The other movies came in 2 weeks ago and Amazon said they were still trying to find a copy to send me. The other day they sent me an email saying it was still out of stock and for me to cancel my order and resubmit at a later time. Which I did. So I then went to TCM and they did have the movie listed but it was out of stock. I was getting quite irritated now. Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target did not have it either. But thanks to my awesome blu-ray player and the online service that comes with it, I was able to watch it through them. And glad I did. Whew..now on to my review.

Michael and Herr Doctor Fritz

Set during the height of 60's frantic comedies, What's New Pussycat pairs the two Peters, Sellers and O'Toole in this madcap farce set in England, about a young man named Michael James (O'Toole) who has trouble committing to his girlfriend Carole (ahhhh my new love Romy Schneider). You see Michael loves women. All women. He can't help himself. He has bedded so many women it's hard to keep track of them all. So he seeks out the help of a psychoanalyst named Fritz Fassbender (Sellers) who has problems of his own. He is married but longs for the life Michael has. Their sessions are quite interesting to say the least.

Carole and Michael

Carole wants to get married but Michael has cold feet and keeps putting her off. It doesn't help the matter much when he keeps running into different women and having sex with them. Including a transplated American stripper named Liz (a kooky performance by Paula Prentiss); a refined aristocratic nymphomaniac named Renee (Capucine in a departure for her usual staid roles); and a friendly parachutist named Rita (Ursula Andress). He also has to deal with his buddy Victor (played by Woody Allen, who also wrote the screenplay) who works at a gentleman's club. Victor also happens to love Carole and they have a funny scene in which Carole gets a little tipsy.

 LIZ

 RENEE

RITA

All the characters wind up a a hotel in the country for a wild and riotous afternoon of mistaken identity and sexual shenanigans. Things get sorted by the end as Michael and Carole walk down the aisle but it's a mad finish to the altar. And even then things are not bliss. Loaded with surprise cameos and in-jokes and that catchy title song by Tom Jones, What's New Pussycat is one hilarious movie. Some may find it over the top and childish at times but it's all in good fun. The sex is never vulgar and the mood is quite often funny for the most part.  I liked it quite a bit.


Rating: *** out of ***** stars

Things get out of hand frequently in this movie

My love of classic movies is beyond measure

Monty