Let's watch.. ..TOBACCO ROAD (1941)

You might remember the star of last month.. Gene Tierney..  – today I will present one directed by John Ford she did in the beginning of her career - and which actually deals a bit with religion:

TOBACCO ROAD (1941)

The Great Depression has left people poor and disappointed.  Jeeter Lester (Charley Grapewin) and his family are living in Tobacco Road – one of the poorest places. The Jeeters live by stealing and so do their neighbours – to work on their farms is too straining and frequently postponed. When the new owner of their land ask for $100 rent for the farm for one year the Jeeters have to face the possibility to live at the poor farm – which is horrifying (They would have to bath before they get something to eat! Awful..) The Lester children are no help either: Ellie May (Gene Tierney) and Dude (William Tracy) are not too smart – and while Ellie May is very much interested in her brother-in-law Lov (Ward Bond) who has frequently troubles with his wife Pearl, Dude marries Sister Bessie (Marjorie Rambeau) a religious woman who is almost twice his age – but has enough money to buy him a car with a wonderful horn..

~ young love.. wily William Tracy and wonderful Marjorie Rambeau ~

TOBACCO ROAD is based on a play – which is based on the novel by Erskine Caldwell (who also wrote GOD'S LITTLE ACRE). I can’t tell you about the play – but the book I have read. Just by the way: It is set in Georgia – near to Augusta. For obvious reasons the scenes which contained sex – and I guess that’s one aspect that made Erskine Caldwell’s books so successful.. – are now much tamer: The scene in which the Lester Family is stealing Lov’s turnips just shows Gene Tierney’s character almost in a kiss with Lov. It’s very well done and has actually some eroticism in it (Gene Tierney and Ward Bond did a very good job here..) – but in the book they are doing things which made Lov much more distracted..

~ this picture is a publicity still - in the film Ward Bond and Gene Tierney are much MUCH closer to earth.. ~

Another very Hollywood-natural change: in the book Ellie Mae has a harelip (that’s why Lov didn’t want her for his wife in the first place and took Pearl.) – of course in this film Ellie Mae is beautiful but simply a bit dirty..

~ ... that's how an ugly woman looks in Hollywood..  ~

But this film isn’t after all a typical Hollywood glamour comedy – the Lesters are very canny (I think this is a characteristic which is supposed to be typical for every country folk all over the world..)  but due to Jeeter’s laziness  their home is quite rotten. Another typicall thing for Erskine Caldwell’s books is used in this film, too: Most Hollywood films take Religion for a higher thing – here it is mostly used by the characters to get what they’re longing for – to manipulate. It’s the overall argument for everything. Unlike the book the film has almost a happy-end though I fear that after six month Jeeter and his wife (Elizabeth Patterson) have again to pack their things and leave their farm..
The only character in this who is a little bit more cultivated, mannered and nice is a minor character played by Dana Andrews - but his character isn't that poor - so maybe that's the cause for that..

~ Charley Grapewin as Jeeter Lester ~

If you’re okay with partly overacting characters (I won’t blame the actors because I think this is caused in the story) and a very much cynical way to look at live: I highly recommend this film – people who prefer good manners and lovely personas will be deeply disappointed. 

Enjoy the show, please!

Yours 

Irene

Let's watch...ELMER GANTRY (1960)

 Burt Lancaster is all fire and brimstone as a traveling salesman who crosses path with a lady preacher named Sharon Falconer (played by Jean Simmons in an Award worthy performance) and becomes part of her traveling roadshow. Burt gives a showy and deserving Oscar winning performance as Gantry, who manages to smooth talk just about everyone he meets. But his past catches up with him later on in the form of Lulu Bains, a prostitute (played by Shirley Jones, who won an Oscar for her work here) who brings down her fury on Gantry in the final act. It's hard to mix religion and film and come away with everything working so well. The three leads: Lancaster, Simmons, and Jones are all top notch. There is also strong support from Arthur Kennedy as a local newspaper man who doesn't fall for Gantry's theatrics. I liked Elmer Gantry. It doesn't beat you over the head with the ideas of religion but does make you think about all the things that go along with it. All the music, preaching, etc combine to make a very solid film.





 I do believe Simmons was overlooked by the Academy by not even being nominated for her amazing performance as Sister Sharon. Her scenes preaching to the masses will hook you in immediately with her soft and delicate features but strong and commanding voice. Jones part was small but very effective. She doesn't enter the film until about 90 minutes in, but makes quite the impression as Lulu. She is very smart and very capable of taking down anyone who wrongs her such as Gantry did in their past. And finally Lancaster is top notch with this show stopping role that lets him cut loose with some big attention grabbing scenes and also with some quieter effective moments as well. If you have never seen Elmer Gantry, you need to check it out.

 Count our lucky stars

Monty

This month at The Show

Again this month will have a theme - and we decided to feature films which deal with religion. No matter which religion - and maybe they won't even be classic religious film but have characters which are priests or nuns  or god(desse)s - or have some other connection to this month's theme..

Ava Gardner - as Venus herself.. 

 And of course those classics like THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956) etc will be featured also..

Just by the way: Our covergirl for this month is dancer Agnes de Mille.

Have a wonderful month!

Enjoy the Show!!

Yours

Irene

Gene Tierney signs off as our star of the month

As March is ending today also our time with Gene Tierney at the show ends for now..

But I am pretty sure that one fine day she will return!

So: Thank you very much, Gene Tierney! We hope to meet you soon again!

Thank you all for listening!

Irene

My Favorite Gene Tierney Films...or lack thereof

I love making lists of my favorite films of my fave actors/actresses. And usually the only problem I have is deciding which to rank higher or lower because of the quantity I have seen of said person. Well that's not the case when it comes to our star of the month, Gene Tierney. In fact it is the opposite. I haven't really seen enough of her work to make a long enough list. But I have seen four of her films that I think are just awesome. In fact I have only seen 5 of her films total with one being a stinker. To me anyway...The Shanghai Gesture. But let's not dwell on the bad. Let's talk about the good Gene ok?

First we have The Razor's Edge (1946) which I just happenstance to see a few weeks ago. Irene was kind of enough to post about this film and let me know how good it was. I saw it for myself and she was right, it was amazing. Loaded with an all-star cast in Gene, Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter, Clifton Webb, Lucile Watson, Herbert Marshall, Elsa Lanchester and John Payne. Gene's character Isabel is not an easy person to like. She is quite mean and does some questionable things. But Gene delivers a solid performance. I can't wait to see this film again.

Is Gene not drop dead gorgeous?

Also from 1946 is Leave Her To Heaven, which allows Gene to really work her skill as a top actress as Ellen Berent Harland, a socialite who loves her husband..just a tad too much. Bordering on obsessive. A powerhouse performance by Gene for this one and she looks absolutely stunning in glorious color. 

One of my favorite roles Gene did is Lucy Muir

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) allowed Gene a much more different character from the previous two films. Her Lucy Muir, a recent widow who moves to a seaside cottage who encounters a ghost (Rex Harrison). Gene has a plum role here as Lucy, as she gets several comedic and dramatic moments in this lovely film.

Sharing the screen with Vincent Price

And finally, one of my absolute favorite films of all time is Laura (1944). Now I don't want to give away any details of this great film noir film because it's better to go in not knowing anything about it. I will say while it is a top notch film, I don't think it is Gene's best film in which she shines. You will understand when you watch it. Don't get me wrong..she is good, but she is much better in the three films I talked about above. But she is backed by one strong cast in Laura. With the likes of Dana Andrews, Vincent Price, Clifton Webb and Judith Anderson.


So there you have it, my little post on the sadly small amount of Gene Tierney films I have seen. Maybe by next year this time, I will come back and will have watched a few more.

Count our lucky stars

Monty

Let's watch.. ..DRAGONWYCK (1943)

One of the three Films I am aware of that Gene Tierney did together with Vincent Price is

DRAGONWYCK (1946)

Connecticut, 1844: Her devout parents (Walter Huston and Anne Revere) are not too happy when cousin Nicholas van Ryn (Vincent Price) invites Miranda (Gene Tierney) to live with his wife (Vivienne Osborne – it was her last film) - who is merely interested in desserts - and him and to take care of his daughter (Connie Marshall) - but because they think it’s God’s will they let Miranda go. 

Nicholas – who is a rich patroon with tenant farmers who are not so happy about having a patroon at all – is very much attracted to Miranda and she likes him, too. Also very interested in her: Doctor Turner (Glenn Langan) – a friend of the tenant farmer’s – not of the patron..  

The manor Dragonwyck where Nicholas, his family, and his servants live is quite a haunting place: years ago a Van Ryn had taken her own life here. It is said that she cursed the Van Ryn family and that she still can be heard playing the harpsichord and singing. When Nicholas’ wife dies under mysterious circumstances Miranda goes back to her parents – but not for long because Nicholas brings her back to Dragonwyck and takes her for his wife – but when she gives birth to their son the little boy isn’t strong enough to survive – and Nicholas starts acting very strange..

When Monty and I were distributing the films to review this month on The Show I was very, VERY avid to get at least one film Gene Tierney did together with Vincent Price to write about - and was very happy to receive DRAGONWYCK, which is as I think the first film I ever saw Gene Tierney in.. Still: Maybe it wasn’t a good idea at all for me to pick this film: You see, I merely don’t see anything or anyone else in this film but Vincent Price. When he appears on screen my eyes a practically glued to him. I think his performance is just wonderful.. (I always think that - whatever he does..) 

Gene Tierney does a good job as the a little bit naïve and good willing country girl – and after all I aslo still notice the supporting cast in this film: It has among others the wonderful Spring Byington and also Jessica Tandy -  and Harry Morgan who is credited as Henry Morgan here.

During the filming of DRAGONWYCK Gene Tierney met a man and started to have an affair with him who later should become quite a name in US politics: Ever heard of John F. Kennedy?

The first choice to play the part of Nicholas van Ryn was actually Gregory Peck – and I am sure he would have done it perfectly. The second choice would have been one of my very high ranked favourites: Laird Cregar who would have been just amazing in this kind of character – but sadly he didn’t live long enough – so Vincent Price finally was engaged to perform as the male lead in this film – he did lost some weight to do it.

Another one who was actually meant to work on this film was Ernst Lubitsch – but he became ill so Joseph L. Mankiewicz – another one of my favourites – took over as the director. He managed to put in the name of his ex-in-lawes in a little gossip dialogue in this film – a name Gene Tierney’s character furiously claimed to have never heard of: Schermerhorn.. 

If you are looking for a gothic drama  – I highly recommend this marvelous film!

Thank you very much for listening!

Enjoy the show!!

Yours

Irene

Let's watch.. ..HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943)

Based on a play is one of my most favourite films ever:

HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1943)

Henry van Cleve (Don Ameche) always enjoyed his life – and had more than just an eye for female beauties. He even eloped with Martha (Gene Tierney) - the fiancée of his cousin (Allyn Joslyn).. So when he dies in his 70s he decides that Heaven can wait and reports in the anteroom to hell.  But “his Excellency” (Laird Cregar) isn’t convinced about Henry’s qualification – so Henry tells him about his "sinful" live.. – like so often the way we see ourselves differs a lot from other people’s view..

~ Henry (Don Ameche) reporting to His Excellency (Laird Cregar) ~

In this film Gene Tierney ages from a young woman to a middle-aged lady – and she always looks great. (I am ignoring one of her worst film-hairstyles ever here..) She and Don Ameche work great together and their onscreen love story is just wonderful.. And I confess that I get a bit teary eyed every time I watch this film..

~ I am really a bit uneasy with her hairstyle here.. ~

As I said: This is one of my favourite films of all time. It was directed by one of my favourite directors: Ernst Lubitsch – it is his only completed film in Technicolor and looks divine.. It also has a marvelous cast – with some of my favourite actors ever: Laird Cregar, Spring Byington, Marjorie Main, Louis Calhern and Don Ameche..

~ Eugene Pallette and Marjorie Main as loving Martha's parents. (gee.. I love this cast!) ~

Gene Tierney and director Ernst Lubitsch had some troubles in the beginning: According to her memoirs one day she finally told him that she couldn’t go on like that - with him shouting at her all day long. When he said that he was paid for shouting at her – she replied: “Yes, and I am paid to take it – but not enough..” When – after a tough pause – Lubitsch started to laugh the ice was finally broken.

Ernst Lubitsch also in the first wasn’t too happy with the casting of Don Ameche for the lead part – he would have preferred Frederic March or Rex Harrison. In the end he was actually very pleased with Don Ameche’s performance. Don Ameche himself later stated that this film was - of all the films he did - his favourite.

~ gorgeous in Technicolor.. ~

During the filming Gene Tierney discovered that she was pregnant – well.. the audience would hardly discover that – I for one didn’t: she is (as always) as slim as can be.

I could go on singing songs about this film - but I will close this post with this:

If you’re looking for a witty and elegant comedy – I highly recommend this film to you!

Thank you very much for listening!

Enjoy The Show!

Yours

Irene