Royal Wedding ~ 1951 -colour

QUICKIE: Oh what a feeling, dancing on the ceiling!

PLOT: Tom Bowen (Fred Astaire) and Ellen Bowen (Jane Powell) are singing and dancing siblings whose agent Irving Klinger (Keenan Wynn) sends them to do their musical act in Great Britain. Keenan Wynn plays also Irving's British twin brother Edgar. Ellen falls in love with a man she meets during the ship trip. This man is called Lord John Brindale (Peter Lawford). Tom finds his sweetheart from Britain. That lucky gal is Anne Ashmond (Sarah Churchill) who is dancing in Tom's musical. The plot is simple: boy meets girl, they fall in love and must choose between their careers or love.

SUMMARY: This is a spectacular Fred Astaire film where he dances on the ceiling of his room, waltzes with a coat rack, and does elegant duet dances with the gals. The comedy is light, the plot is rather simple, the tunes unmemorable, the dancing is out of this world. If you like song and dance movies this Academy Award nominated movie should be in the top 10 list for best one ever, if only for the rotating room & coat rack dance scenes. PDMR blog rule: "movies end with everybody getting married" is royaly played out here. (teehee)

Family Collection: Disc 46 - Side A

Watch for free: http://www.archive.org/details/royal_wedding

Mr. Imperium ~ 1951 -BW

QUICKIE: It's like a musical Cinderella with a sad ending.

PLOT: This romantic tale centers on a playboy crown prince (Ezio Pinza) who meets up with a nightclub singer (Lana Turner) while they are both vacationing in Italy. Falling in love, the two embark upon a clandestine romance that they are eventually forced to end due to interference from both of their professions. 12 years later, the two meet up again and realize they still love each other, but now she has become a Hollywood star and he has become King of his country.

SUMMARY: Alternate Title of: You Belong to My Heart. Ezio Pinza is a bass opera singer and makes his film debut in this musical where he sings quite a few songs as well. IMDB states that "this movie turned out to be such a stinker that MGM waited to release it until after Pinza's second film, "Strictly Dishonorable"".

I wouldn't call it a stinker, but it isn't a heavily engrossing film either. It's a sweet musical story of love and how life can complicate things. The humour is light, the songs are nicely done. Lana Turner's song of "My Man and My Mule" is pretty funny. Other than that bit of humour, this is a classy film, meaning there's no down and dirty complicated anything... other than the relationship itself being complicated. The costumes and sets are really superb as well. This is such a simple film that I think it's fine for children to watch it. Although the ending is sad because life forces them to part ways again. Cedric Hardwicke showed everybody up with his sublime evil as the Prime Minister intent on keeping the Prince on track.

The ending is noticeably badly edited as it's said briefly that there's a bomb threat against the King if he returns to the throne, and this is why he chooses to go, to "spare" his son's life. So, I can only conclude that there was a scene edited out in reference to the bomb threat. Too bad that was edited out as it would have added much more emotional depth to the lovers parting again.

As of this posting, I can't find the movie online yet, but try a google search yourself. It's a sweet, simple movie for those times when you want something nice and not too deep.

The Great Gabbo ~1929 -BW

QUICKIE: That's no dummy, that's my better half!

PLOT: Eric Von Stroheim plays The Great Gabbo, a ventriloquist whose slide into madness is complicated due to the transfer of his darker urges towards the personality of his dummy, Otto. Gabbo's lovely assistant Mary (Betty Compson) is in love with him, but she leaves him due to the abusive behavior that Gabbo exhibits towards her. Without Mary's calming influence, Gabbo is driven over the edge and takes out his anger upon Otto.

SUMMARY: As I was watching this film I kept thinking I had seen it before, and I kind of had when I saw The Great Flamarion . Both films feature Erich von Stroheim as an egomaniacal stage performer who loves his female assistant. The woman breaks up the act, leaves him, he goes mad, and they are later reunited only for her to reject him flat out. Each film presents the story in it's own unique and different way, although the story line is so similar.

In this film Erich's character Gabbo is much more of an ego maniac and more crazy evil as well. This film was more disturbing, perhaps because of the dummy? I half expected it to turn into a Chucky film where the dummy turns and talks to Mary. Maybe it's just that dummies, dolls, puppets and such freak me out, they're so unnatural, yet lifelike. The majority of the scenes with the dummy have Gabbo gorging himself on gourmet food and drink while Otto the dummy sings a silly song across the table. (He uses a hand air bulb & long cord to make Otto move his mouth.)

The dance sequences were very entertaining, if not just for the silly costumes and sets alone. After all, it's not every day we get to see a spider and fly portrayed in sequened gowns. I also liked how the couple carried on a conversation during their performance, like we were getting a secret side of the nightly performances. It's not really a musical type of film, this movie has more meat to it than most musicals do.

The story itself was good and it's an entertaining movie. I did keep feeling that something really bad was just about to happen, and yet it never did, so I felt a bit unsatisfied at the end. Even Gabbo's madness is portrayed in such a mild manner that I didn't quite get that he had totally flipped his lid. Perhaps that is a strong point of this film, and most classic films, is that they don't beat you over the head with their overly graphic, in your face bluntness.

Family Collection: Disc 42 - side A

Watch for free here:

http://www.archive.org/details/great_gabbo

Private Buckaroo ~ 1942 -BW

QUICKIE: Pro-war musical featuring the Andrew Sisters and the Harry James Orchestra.

PLOT: This WW II musical comedy tells the story of a young inductee who has trouble fitting into the military lifestyle. The inductee changes his ways after meeting a retired officer's lovely daughter. Harry James is also drafted and his band decides to enlist to stay with their leader. James and his group decide to entertain the troops by putting on a show. Along for the ride in this film are The Andrews Sisters, Shemp Howard, Joe E. Lewis, Huntz Hall and a young Donald O'Connor.

SUMMARY: What a fun musical movie. But don't look too hard for a deep plot. There's enough of a story to keep the movie going, but this is more of a film showcasing musical and dance talent. The Andrew Sisters do such hits as: Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree, Six Jerks in a Jeep, and Three Little Sisters. The Harry James Orchestra does You Made Me Love You. The ending is VERY pro-war and some parts of this movie border on offensive to me. But, it was a different time and getting "the enemy" was more civilized, if you'll allow me the use of that term there, than today's wars have become. Things were definitely different then. The musical numbers are fun and the story with Bonnie-Belle (Mary Wickes) and Sgt. 'Muggsy' Shavel (Shemp Howard) is very entertaining. The high energy swing dancing from a bunch of teenagers in the finale just blew my mind. Those kids could dance!

Family Collection: Disc 40 - Side A

Watch for free here:
http://www.archiveclassicmovies.com/watch.html

The Great Rupert ~ 1950 -BW

QUICKIE: The best, most heart warming movie you will ever see. It is so fabulous it makes me cry with glee.

PLOT: A Christmas Wish is a heartwarming holiday classic about a New York family (led by Durante) who is down on their luck at Christmas time. Shortly before Christmas, they move into a ground floor apartment where Rupert the squirrel lives in the attic rafters. Just when it seems that the holiday will come and go without so much as a Christmas tree, Rupert acts as the family's guardian angel, not only saving Christmas, but changing their lives forever. The film is enlivened with the warmth and sweetness of an unforgettable love story between Terry Moore (of Mighty Joe Young) and Tom Drake (of Meet Me in St. Louis). Rupert the Squirrel (created using George Pal's Academy Award winning animation technique) will charm young and old alike. Jimmy Durante shines when he sings Jingle Bells and other well-loved Christmas carols in the evocative voice that made him one of America's recording legends.

SUMMARY: I'm not the biggest Jimmy Durante fan, but here he is genuinely good and sweet. This movie is just so darn good that even a month after seeing it, I get teary eyed with joy. The ending is so fantabulous with everybody becoming rich, famous, beautifull, successfull, married and on and on. It's gushing miracles, love and joy, and it's just wonderfull. This movie will cheer you up immensely. I need a kleenex.

Happy Go Lovely ~ 1951 -Colour

QUICKIE: Rags to riches Cinderella story with a chorus girl and a Scottish millionaire.

PLOT: Late for work on a stage show, Janet Jones (Vera-Ellen) thumbs a ride with a millionaires' chauffeur. The chauffeurs' delivery of Jones' forgotten handbag backstage leads everyone to conclude Jones is dating the town's millionaire. The producer, desperate for financial backing, makes Jones the star of the show and sets up press interviews for her. The millionaire comes to confront Jones about some purchases mistakenly charged to him through the mix up, and through a case of mistaken identity, Miss Jones believes the millionaire is the news reporter. Courting ensues, with the millionaire eventually falling for the girl, backing the show and saving the day just when the truth comes out.

SUMMARY: Cesar Romero is completely intolerable as the frantic, constantly screaming insulting producer. I had to turn the sound down a few times because I just could not tolerate listening to any more of his shrill screaming insults at people. They were trying for humour and didn't even get close. Why more people didn't quit that job they weren't being paid for is beyond my tolerance level, but most scenarios in these films are situations that no one would ever tolerate today. Suspension of reality is always necessary in these films and here it's no different.

The story is sweet, the dance numbers are good. Vera-Ellen is a fantastic dancer. David Niven is David Niven again. Really, is he ever anything different than what he always is? A saltine cracker with a British accent. He's no Charles Boyer. Of course, no one is. All in all, it's good, wholesome entertainment.

The Stork Club ~ 1945 -BW

QUICKIE: Air head working girl gets rich and it ruins her life. But it doesn't stop her from singing some really stupid songs.

PLOT: (from IMDB): An old man (Barry Fitzgerald) despondent over his failing marriage accidently falls from a dock. Judy (Betty Hutton), a hat-check girl at New York's famous Stork Club, saves him from drowning. Unknown to her, Jerry Bates (the old fellow) is rich. In gratitude he anonymously provides for her financially. Yes, it changes her life--and not all for the best. Jealous over the unknown benefactor, Judy's boyfriend (Don DeFore) dumps her. This not only puts a crimp in her love life but sidetracks her aspirations for a singing career as well. Can the old man's marriage be saved? Will bubbly, animated Judy get back her fellow?

SUMMARY: Another fabulous rags to riches story. With lots of "money doesn't make you happy" undertones. The premise of the story is based on a misunderstanding between the couple, Judy and Danny. Amazing how nobody trusts each other in these movies. Danny returns from the war and discovers his girl is suddenly living the high life. Well, just who wouldn't suspect that this innocent bubble head took up a life of prostitution? After all, who wants to work as a hat check girl forever? And her benefactor, a rich, old, ugly guy stays in the apartment with her. So, of course she'd be a kept woman for a man like that!

The story is silly, yet it's still fun with Judy trying to figure out who her benefactor is while trying to "break" him by spending all his money. There's always the happy ending though, as Judy gets Danny and his band a job performing at The Stork Club where all misunderstandings are cleared up between them. There's a sweet subplot of the same sort of misunderstanding between the old man and his wife as well.

There's a few musical bits with Judy singing, or Danny's band playing. Some of the songs are stupid and that's midly entertaining, but I could of done without the musical bits.

Speak Easily ~ 1932 -BW

QUICKIE: Geeky proffessor who thinks he's inherited $750,000 hooks up with a vaudeville act and backs them to do a show on Broadway. His dangerous slapstick "accidents" ruin the opening night, but make it a hysterical success, saving the day.

PLOT: Naive, bookish Professor Post (of Potts College) inherits a huge amount of money and decides that now he can afford to go out and enjoy life. He falls for a dancer in a bad stage show, and with his new money decides to buy the show and take it to Broadway. Opening night is a disaster as the clumsy Professor continually ends up on stage trying to correct a mistake, but wrecking the scene. The story is ruined, but his antics make the "play" a success with the crowd.

SUMMARY: Wow, Buster Keaton movies scare me. I think it's that the stunts he does are so unbelievably dangerous, and sometimes border on violent. The most mesmorizing moment of this film is when he manages to get himself caught in a rope that spins him around a roatating scenery, slapping him into the curtains as he flys around the stage mid-air.

Throughout every slapstick film I find myself not believing that anybody could be THAT stupid and clumsy. How has he made it through life without dying? I never find people getting hurt being humorous and everything Buster Keaton does in a film would probably kill me. Maybe I should classify this as a horror film? But if you like slapstick films Keaton films are the best as he does amazing stunts and is unafraid to be an idiot for laughs.

The story is actually pretty good and Jimmy Durante is always amusing with a big screen presence. The scene where Keaton and Thelma Todd are drunk is very funny.

Zis Boom Bah ~ 1941 -BW

QUICKIE: Tough broad leaves Vaudville to set her son straight while he's still at college. She turns an ice cream parlor into a nightclub and the spoiled college brats ruin the rest of the film with bad "entertainment" bits.

PLOT: A singer leaves Vaudeville to spy on her estranged son at college. She finds him a spoiled rich kid and decides to change him without revealing her identity as his mother. She buys the local ice cream parlor and turns it into a nightclub where she coaxes her son and his friends to perform. The college's football team has a miraculous winning year which saves the failing school from banckruptcy.

SUMMARY: Grace Hayes takes over the town by buying the college's most influential people off: her son who lives on credit and his gang of ingrate friends who are obviously just with him for his money. There's alot of mean biting comments flying around. It made me uncomfortable. People are better behaved today than they were in that movie. In the middle of the film she passive-aggresively, insultingly motivates them all into working for her and the whole rest of the film is ruined with bad musical bits. But apparently because of her and her money she gets the college football team to win. I didn't understand that bit, but let's just pretend she's actually that motivating. This saves the college from banckruptcy and the kid's entertainmaent is a hit. Her son somehow figures out she's his mother and they reunite with her a hero in the end.

This is one of those: "I want to work with my family" pictures. So the actors have great presence, but the film is so lacking that you wish there had been more meat to it. Apparently Grace Hayes was a headliner in vaudeville and the mother of actor Peter Lind Hayes who plays her son in this film. Her character is so awesome I wished for a long drawn out story of her controling everyone with her money. But we only get half of that picture and the rest is musical bits. The first half was great, but I started fast forwarding through the numbers. Seriously, this Mae-West-wanna-be should have done more movies.