Classic Movie Hub Blog

Western RoundUp: “B” Movie Sampler – Vol.3

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Laura Grieve

“B” Movie Western Sampler

It’s time for my annual “B” Western sampler!

In 2022 and 2023 I shared reviews of short “B” Westerns I watched while traveling. Once again my portable DVD player and “B” Western discs accompanied me on this year’s summer vacation, the only difference being that this year, instead of a road trip, I went on an Alaskan cruise!

The movies were perfect short viewing for down time, especially on a foggy sea day without any scenery to be enjoyed.

All four of these films were released by Lippert Pictures; one of them, Outlaw Women, was originally produced by Howco, while the other three were original Lippert productions. All four movies are readily available thanks to DVD sets from VCI Entertainment.

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Deputy Marshal (William Berke, 1949)

The first film I watched during my trip, Deputy Marshal, was also the one I liked best. Jon Hall, known for his adventure films opposite Maria Montez earlier in the decade, plays the title role, Deputy Marshal Ed Garry.

Garry witnesses the shooting of a railroad employee, Harley Masters (Wheaton Chambers), and is entrusted by Masters with a secret map. Everyone wants the map, including baddie Joel Benton (longtime “B” Western hero Dick Foran) and his henchman, Eli (Joe Sawyer).

This 60-minute film, cowritten by Charles Heckelmann and director William Berke, is somewhat confusing yet provides genial company. I wasn’t quite clear how Ed switched his romantic interest so quickly from Claire Benton (Julie Bishop) to Janet Masters (Frances Langford), but maybe I missed something!

Deputy Marshal, Joe Sawyer, Dick Foran, Jon Hall — Joe Sawyer, Dick Foran, and Jon Hall in Deputy Marshal

Hall has a pleasant voice and demeanor as the deputy, and it’s fun to note that leading lady Langford was actually Hall’s wife for many years, from 1938 to 1955. Langford singing a couple of tunes adds to the movie’s appeal.

Deputy Marshal, Russell Hayden, Frances Langford, Jon Hall — Russell Hayden, Frances Langford, and Jon Hall in Deputy Marshal

The deep cast of familiar faces is another plus, with the cast including Russell Hayden, Clem Bevans, Mary Gordon, and Forrest Taylor.

The movie was shot in black and white by Carl Bergner. Like a couple other films on this list, much of the location filming was done at the Iverson Movie Ranch. There’s much more about Iverson in a column I wrote here in 2022.

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Colorado Ranger (Thomas Carr, 1950)

Colorado Ranger is one of a series of six films shot simultaneously starring Jimmy Ellison, Russell Hayden, and Betty Adams, later known as Julia or Julie Adams.

I wrote about another film in the series, Crooked River (1950), here in 2022. As I shared then, Julie Adams wrote in her memoir that it was both challenging and educational to have to remember which of the six characters she was playing at any given moment! The productions saved money by shooting scenes for each film in a particular location before moving on to the next stop.

Shamrock Clark (Ellison) and his pals Lucky (Hayden) and the Colonel (Raymond Hatton) are on the trail of outlaws harassing homesteaders. One such homesteader, Ann (Adams), eventually comes to think the men are outlaws themselves and locks them in her cellar.

More confusion abounds when Ann babysits her nephew and Shamrock, who’s attracted to the young woman, mistakenly thinks she’s married.

The chief charm of this brisk 59-minute Western is its cast of appealing leads. Ellison and Hayden were familiar to Westerns fans as Hopalong Cassidy sidekicks, and it’s great fun to watch the young Adams, who occasionally has a bit of her native Southern accent slip out.

The movie was written by Ron Ormand and Maurice Tombragel, based on a story by E.B. Mann. It was filmed in black and white by Ernest Miller, with Iverson Ranch one again appearing onscreen. I highly recommend visiting the Iverson Movie Ranch site to learn more about the filming of the half-dozen films with this cast and crew, which were shot in just five weeks!

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Three Desperate Men (Sam Newfield, 1951)

Three Desperate Men, written by Orville Hampton, was the only real disappointment from this quartet of films. I’ll insert a spoiler alert here, as I’m necessarily going to reveal the entire plot in order to explain my dissatisfaction.

I’m a big fan of this movie’s leads, Preston Foster and Virginia Grey, and I’ve also enjoyed Jim Davis (later of TV’s Dallas) in many a Western, but this story went so far sideways it left me sputtering with disappointment. Indeed, a book on the Lippert films, written by Mark Thomas McGee, quotes a contemporary reviewer: “The film’s weakness lies in scripting.” The reviewer was correct.

As the movie begins, deputies Tom Denton (Foster) and his brother Fred (Davis) are law-abiding citizens working for Marshal Pete Coleman (Monte Blue) in Texas.

Three Desperate Men, Jim Davis, Preston Foster, Virgnia Grey, Ross Latimer — Jim Davis, Preston Foster, Virgnia Grey, and Ross Latimer in Three Desperate Men

When the Dentons learn their youngest brother Matt (Ross Latimer, also known as Kim Spalding), has been arrested and framed for murder in California, they leave their mother (Margaret Seddon) and Fred’s sweetheart Laura (Grey) behind in Texas to go rescue Matt.

The Dentons succeed in saving Matt from being railroaded into a hangman’s noose, but things go from bad to worse. A guard is killed as they escape, and Ed Larkin (Rory Mallinson) frames them for numerous crimes.

The Dentons initially commit a robbery just to get by, but before long they end up pursuing a life of crime. Laura, dismayed by Tom’s behavior, breaks off their engagement and leaves town. As the movie concludes, the brothers are killed or arrested when committing yet another robbery.

Three Desperate Men, Preston Foster and Virginia Grey — Preston Foster and Virginia Grey in Three Desperate Men

For some reason I believed the story would depict the brothers bringing justice to bad guy Larkin and reclaiming their lives as honorable marshals. I didn’t realize they were going to turn into stone-cold villains themselves, and I have to say the final scene with bodies strewn across a street left me in open-mouthed disbelief.

Perhaps if the film were better scripted and followed a clearer trajectory from marshals to bank robbers I would have been more accepting of the outcome, but this is one I’ll skip rewatching.

The movie was filmed in black and white by Jack Greenhalgh – and yes, it was filmed at Iverson Ranch!

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Outlaw Women (Sam Newfield and Ron Ormond, 1952)

Outlaw Women, on the other hand, was an entertaining 75 minutes from the very same writer as Three Desperate Men, Orville Hampton.

The movie has some overtones of the later Woman They Almost Lynched (1953) and Johnny Guitar (1954); it’s not in the same league as those “woman power” films, but I liked it.

Outlaw Women, shot in Cinecolor by Ellis Carter and and Harry Neumann, was also the lone color film among the four films I watched on my trip. It’s interesting to note that the reason there were two directors and two cinematographers on this movie was that it was made at breakneck pace by two units working simultaneously!

Marie Windsor was later quoted by Western film historian Mike Fitzgerald as saying it was an “exciting picture,” though she was “annoyed” by special privileges accorded supporting actress Jacqueline Fontaine.

Windsor is as fun as always as saloon owner “Iron Mae” McLeod. She also runs the town of Las Mujeres (“the women”), where women do indeed run the place. The saloon bouncer is even a woman, played by Maria Hart. The aforementioned Fontaine plays one of Iron Mae’s “girls,” Ellen Larabee.

Outlaw Women, Marie Windsor — Marie Windsor

Gambler Woody Callaway (Richard Rober) and Dr. Bob Ridgeway (Allan Dixon) arrive in Las Mujeres, and are soon romancing Iron Mae and pretty Beth Larabee (Carla Balenda) – who had forced the good doctor to come to Las Mujeres at the point of a gun!

There’s doings with bad guys, not to mention a catfight, and it all manages to be an enjoyable watch. Veterans like Tom Tyler, Jackie Coogan, and Lyle Talbot plus up the cast.

Outlaw Women, Carla Balenda, Jacqueline Fontaine — Carla Balenda and Jacqueline Fontaine in Outlaw Women

A couple interesting Outlaw Women cast notes: Leading man Richard Rober tragically died in a car accident in May 1952, just a month after the movie’s release.

Actress Carla Balenda, on the other hand, lived until age 98, passing away in the spring of 2024. She was long married to publisher William Rutter of The Rutter Group, a name well known to those in the legal profession.

Finally, for those who might have missed it when first published, I’d like to point readers to my 2023 column with a photograph of Marie Windsor’s final resting place in Marysvale, Utah. It was a privilege to visit.

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– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub

Laura can be found at her blog, Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, where she’s been writing about movies since 2005, and on Twitter at @LaurasMiscMovie. A lifelong film fan, Laura loves the classics including Disney, Film Noir, Musicals, and Westerns. She regularly covers Southern California classic film festivals. Laura will scribe on all things western at the ‘Western RoundUp’ for CMH.

Posted in Films, Posts by Laura Grieve, Western RoundUp | Tagged carla balnda, colorado ranger, deputy marshal, dick foran, frances langford, Jackie Coogan, jacqueline fontaine, Jim Davis, Jimmy Ellison, joe sawyer, jon hall, Julie Adams, Marie Windsor, outlaw women, preston foster, richard rober, russ latimer, Russell Hayden, sam newfield, thomas carr, three desperate men, Virginia Grey, william berke | Leave a comment

Silents are Golden: The Wild Frontier of “Inceville”

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Lea Stans

The Wild Frontier of “Inceville”

“When the movies were young,” as the saying went, filmmakers’ heads were swimming with possibilities. Motion pictures cameras could take footage anywhere a tripod could rest, so why not take advantage of it? Outside the usual confines of the stage, anything was possible: immense battle scenes, staged floods and fires, sweeping landscape shots, breathtaking horseback riding stunts…at long last, the sky was truly the limit.

One such visionary filmmaker was Thomas H. Ince, a former stock company actor. After breaking into film acting at the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company in NYC, by 1910 he was working as a coordinator at Carl Laemmle’s nearby IMP Company and quickly proved himself capable of directing. Soon Ince was thinking bigger than the ramshackle east coast studios, where the stages tended to be open air and at the mercy of wind, rain and winter cold. Reportedly he was also concerned about the battles between the monopolizing Motion Picture Patents Company trust and independent companies like IMP. Heading to the west coast just might be a prudent move.

In September 1911 Ince met with Adam Kessel and Charles Baumann of the New York Motion Picture Company, who had recently opened a studio called Bison in a hilly neighborhood of Los Angeles (the same location would soon be reused for the famed Keystone studio). Bison specialized in making westerns, and Ince loved westerns. Playing it cool as he talked to the two executives, to his pleasant surprise he managed to cut a deal to make films on the west coast for $150 a week.

The original Bison Studios site (image credit- Silent Locations)

Ince arrived in the Edendale district Los Angeles with his wife Elinor, his lead actress Ethel Grandin, a cameraman and a property man. He was dismayed to find the studio consisted of a small house and a barn, with hardly enough space for the western epics he’d been imagining. He soon scouted out a more favorable location: 460 acres of land by Sunset Boulevard and the Pacific Coast highway, where rolling desert hills overlooked the ocean.

Getting to work on western dramas with titles like The Deserter (1912) and War on the Plains (1912), Ince was soon bringing in enough cash to lease even more open land: a full 18,000 acres owned by the Miller Brothers, who had a 100,000 acre ranch and their own Wild West show. Ince could finally bring his visions to life–and not just epic films, but his vision of having a sprawling, one-stop shop kind of studio with its own dressing rooms, indoor and outdoor sets, prop buildings, corrals, film printing laboratories, cafeterias, carpentry shops, offices, film vaults–everything a studio could need all in one handy location. It was an ambitious idea at the time. The Millers–who were happy to lend their Wild West performers to Ince’s productions–dubbed the complex Inceville.

Life at busy Inceville had adventure, romance, and a bit of surrealism. At the time, the Wild West Ince sought to capture onscreen was still very much alive and well. The Millers’ performers consisted of hundreds of real-life cowboys and cowgirls and a Sioux tribe who set up their own teepee village on the property. Cattle and bison herds and 600 horses grazed the rolling hills. The studio was alway swarming with cowboys, who considered themselves superior to the “lowly” actors, with more heading in from ranches in Wyoming and Montana regularly to earn some quick cash. The streets were lined with an eclectic assortment of buildings representing Puritan settlements, Scottish cottages, European villages, modern mansions, frontier towns–a bit of everything a director could need. Actors who traveled out from Los Angeles–taking a succession of streetcars to Santa Monica and then horse-drawn wagons that carried them past the broad Pacific beaches and up the road to remote Inceville–probably felt they were entering a different world.

A number of stars like John Gilbert got their starts as extras at Inceville, and it also boasted such talents as Louise Glaum, an early “vamp,” William S. Hart, the silent era’s biggest cowboy star. Key directors such as John Ford and his brother Francis, William Desmond Taylor, Frank Borzage and Henry King all worked for Ince. As for Ince himself, he was passionately involved in his many productions, writing and tweaking scenarios, writing dialogue for the actors (not the norm in that era), suggesting locations and camera angles to cameramen, and discussing tints and toning with editors. He would also accept feedback, making improvements such as building cabins for his actors when they complained about snakes and insects getting into tents they used as dressing rooms.

Still from War on the Plains (1912) — Still from *War on the Plains* (1912)

Thanks to his hands-on approach Ince was happy to claim the lion’s share of credit, famously opening his films with titles proclaiming: “Thomas H. Ince presents a Thomas H. Ince productions, supervised by Thomas H. Ince…” etc. The producer’s mania became a well-known joke to the rest of Hollywood. Buster Keaton’s short The Playhouse (1921), where the straight-faced comedian played all the roles in a stage show, took a jab at Ince in a scene where an audience member marvels: “This fellow Keaton seems to be the whole show.”

The studio had its share of hardships, experiencing wildfires in 1915 and 1923, a cutting room fire in 1916, landslides in 1916 and 1917–the latter claiming the lives of three employees when their scaffolding collapsed. But Inceville’s films managed to be profoundly influential, having a sweeping authenticity thanks to its rough-and-ready actors and natural locations.

As it turned out, Inceville’s heyday was relatively brief. Ince would form the Triangle Motion Picture Company with Mack Sennett and D.W. Griffith in 1916, moving his main base of operations to Culver City. In time he went back to operating his own studio, building a Mount Vernon-like administration building dubbed “The Mansion” which still stands today. William S. Hart continued to film at the old Inceville locations, but by the early 1920s it was largely abandoned, turning into a real-life ghost town. The structures that were left would burn in a 1923 wildfire–only a church set remained.

In 1924 Thomas H. Ince himself also suffered an unfortunate end. A dinner he had aboard William Randolph Hearst’s yacht the Oneida aggravated his peptic ulcers and angina, which had been lingering problems for him since the 1910s. Despite medical care, the resulting heart attack claimed his life. While his time as a filmmaker and producer had been brief–only 14 years–Ince was undeniably a key figure in early cinema. And the romance of long-gone Inceville, with its rolling hills and rough cowboys, lingers on in his early surviving films.

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–Lea Stans for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Lea’s Silents are Golden articles here.

Lea Stans is a born-and-raised Minnesotan with a degree in English and an obsessive interest in the silent film era (which she largely blames on Buster Keaton). In addition to blogging about her passion at her site Silent-ology, she is a columnist for the Silent Film Quarterly and has also written for The Keaton Chronicle.

Posted in Posts by Lea Stans, Silents are Golden | Tagged inceville, thomas h. ince, war on the plains 1912, william s hart | 2 Comments

Noir Nook: Uncommon Ladies of Noir: Rhonda Fleming

Posted on September 19, 2024 by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry

Uncommon Ladies of Noir: Rhonda Fleming

Rhonda Fleming was known as “The Queen of Technicolor.” As such, she’s not necessarily the first femme who comes to mind when you’re talking noir. With her titian locks, she was a standout in films like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949), Tropic Zone (1953), and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), but she also lent her talents to the dark side of the screen, with roles in five features from the noir era. This month’s Noir Nook shines the spotlight on the life of Rhonda Fleming and her memorable contributions to those shadowy films.

Born in 1923, the actress with the flaming red hair entered the world as Marilyn Louise Louis in Hollywood, California, the second of two daughters born to an insurance broker and his musical comedy actress wife. Marilyn was a bit of a tomboy as a child and loved sports as she got older; she was the captain of both the basketball and volleyball teams at Beverly Hills High School, and competed in sandlot baseball and bowling. She also harbored dreams of becoming a singer of light opera and took lessons for 10 years.

In 1943, Marilyn signed a six-month contract with 20th Century-Fox under the name of Marilyn Lane, making her big screen debut as a dance-hall girl in a John Wayne feature called In Old Oklahoma. Fox didn’t do much with her, but a chance meeting with Henry Willson, David O. Selznick’s talent scout, led to bigger and better things. After a luncheon date with Selznick, the young actress was signed to a seven-year contract without a screen test, and her name was changed to Rhonda Fleming. “It was a Cinderella story, but those things could happen in those days,” Fleming recalled years later.

After small parts in Since You Went Away (1944) and When Strangers Marry (1944), Fleming was introduced by Selznick to director Alfred Hitchcock, who cast her as a mental patient in Spellbound (1945), starring Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. Her small but showy role was singled out by famed columnist Hedda Hopper. “That was the biggest thrill I had during those first few years,” Fleming said. Her next few pictures were a mixture of first-rate offerings like The Spiral Staircase (1946) and more mediocre fare, including Adventure Island, an actioner with Rory Calhoun. But her career took a turn in 1947 when she stepped into the shadows of film noir.

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Out of the Past (1947)

Considered by many to be the quintessential noir, Out of the Past tells the often-complicated story of Jeff Bailey (Robert Mitchum), a former private dick turned filling station owner, who finds himself plunged into his previous life after a chance encounter. Fleming was in only two scenes, but she made an impact as Meta Carson, who works with mobster Whit Sterling (Kirk Douglas) in an effort to set Jeff up for murder.

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Cry Danger (1951)

Rhonda Fleming, Dick Powell, Cry Danger — Rhonda Fleming and Dick Powell, Cry Danger

This feature stars Dick Powell as Rocky Malloy, who has been recently released from prison after serving a five-year stretch for a murder and robbery that he didn’t commit. Fleming co-stars as Nancy Morgan, the wife of the man who was framed along with Rocky. Nancy appears to be a dutiful spouse, but it doesn’t take long before she’s making eyes at Rocky and discouraging his efforts to free her husband. Not so dutiful, after all.

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The Killer Is Loose (1956)

Rhonda Fleming and Joseph Cotten, The Killer Is Loose

Here, Fleming plays Lila Wagner, the wife of a police detective (Joseph Cotten) who, years earlier, accidentally shot and killed the innocent-bystander spouse of bank robber Leon Poole (Wendell Corey). The film’s action kicks off when Poole escapes from prison and heads for the Wagner home, determined to exact his tit-for-tat revenge by murdering Lila.

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Slightly Scarlet (1956)

Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl Slightly Scarlet — Rhonda Fleming and Arlene Dahl, Slightly Scarlet

This rare color noir stars Fleming and Arlene Dahl as red-headed sisters June and Dorothy. June is the upstanding, level-headed sibling, while Dorothy is a kleptomaniac who’s no stranger to spending time behind bars. Between trying to keep tabs on her troubled sister, and supporting her politician fiancé (Kent Taylor), June finds herself involved with a ruthless (but handsome) hood, played by John Payne.

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While the City Sleeps (1956)

Ida Lupino, Sally Forrest, Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, While the City Sleeps — Ida Lupino, Sally Forrest, Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, While the City

Set in the world of a multi-media conglomerate, this film serves up a star-packed cast that includes Ida Lupino, Dana Andrews, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, George Sanders, and Howard Duff. The plot centers on the efforts of the conglomerate’s employees to land the head job at the company after the owner’s death; the coveted position will be given to the first man (or woman) who can solve the case of the “Lipstick Killer” that is plaguing the area. Fleming plays the ex-Vegas showgirl wife of the company’s current owner (Price) – and the mistress of one of the competitors for the job of head honcho, photo service editor Harry Kritzer (James Craig).

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Away from the big screen, Fleming was married six times – the first was at the tender age of 16 and her fifth (and longest-lasting) was to millionaire theater-chain magnate Ted Mann, who owned (and renamed) the former Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Career-wise, Fleming used her training as a singer in several venues, including a stint at Las Vegas’s Tropicana Hotel, a tour with musician Skitch Henderson, and a one-woman concert at the Hollywood Bowl. She was also seen in a number of productions on the small screen, from Wagon Train to Kung Fu; her final acting appearance, after an 11-year absence. was in the 1991 television drama called Waiting for the Wind. In that feature, she played the world-weary wife of a farmer dying of cancer – Fleming later said that it was her younger sister’s death from cancer that had prompted her to take the role. She also established the Rhonda Fleming Mann Resource Center for Women with Cancer at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, and worked for many years with such humanitarian causes as Childhelp USA, City of Hope, and the Olive Crest Treatment Centers for Abused Children.

Fleming died in 2020 at the age of 97. Of her appearances in her film noir features, she said in a 2012 interview with film historian Rhett Bartlett: “I loved playing those parts. They were naughty gals, and I was such a sweet little nice girl!”

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– Karen Burroughs Hannsberry for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Karen’s Noir Nook articles here.

Karen Burroughs Hannsberry is the author of the Shadows and Satin blog, which focuses on movies and performers from the film noir and pre-Code eras, and the editor-in-chief of The Dark Pages, a bimonthly newsletter devoted to all things film noir. Karen is also the author of two books on film noir – Femme Noir: The Bad Girls of Film and Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir. You can follow Karen on Twitter at @TheDarkPages.
If you’re interested in learning more about Karen’s books, you can read more about them on amazon here:

Posted in Noir Nook, Posts by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry | Tagged cry danger, Out of the past (1947), Rhonda Fleming, Slightly Scarlet, The Killer is Loose, while the city sleeps | 1 Comment

Silver Screen Standards: Blithe Spirit (1945)

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Jennifer Garlen

Blithe Spirit (1945)

Supernatural comedy is one of my favorite movie genres any time of year, but I’m especially drawn to it once the first Halloween decorations start to materialize. After a recent viewing of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), I remembered that its leading man, Rex Harrison, also experiences a haunting from the other side of the veil in the 1945 adaptation of Noël Coward’s hit play, Blithe Spirit. In addition to Harrison, director David Lean’s British film version boasts a quintessential performance from one of my favorite character actresses, Margaret Rutherford, and visual effects that won the Oscar in 1947. While it’s neither a perfect movie nor a completely faithful adaptation of the play, Blithe Spirit offers plenty of fun if you’re in the right mood to appreciate its dark comedy and unlikable characters.

Blithe Spirit Kay Hammond — Kay Hammond is ghostly in green as the spectral Elvira.

Harrison plays author Charles Condomine, a widower who seems happy enough with his second wife, Ruth (Constance Cummings), until he decides to research a new book by inviting a medium to give a séance in his home. Madame Arcati (Margaret Rutherford) accidentally conjures the spirit of Charles’ first wife, Elvira (Kay Hammond), who initially charms Charles with her amusing conversation but upsets the territorial Ruth. Marital bliss among the living is soon shattered, and Elvira’s interference makes matters even worse. When Madame Arcati returns to perform an exorcism, Charles discovers that getting rid of either of his wives is a lot more trouble than he expected.

Blithe Spirit, Constance Cummings, Kay Hammond, Rex Harrison — Ruth (Constance Cummings) feels that three is definitely a crowd when Elvira comes between her and Charles (Rex Harrison).

If you’re looking for truly sympathetic characters here you won’t find them, although I rather like the goofy and free-spirited Madame Arcati, especially as she’s played by Rutherford. Hers is the plum role of the piece, which Rutherford originated in 1941 on the London stage. In later versions Madame Arcati has been played by great performers like Mildred Natwick, Angela Lansbury, and Judi Dench, but Rutherford has a unique physical energy that gives her version a lot of appeal. Charles and both of his wives are shallow, selfish creatures, witty at best but never wise, which ensures that we don’t much care what happens to them. The film ending, which I won’t spoil, is markedly different from the original play and infuriated Coward with its alterations, but I think the movie ending has a better sense of poetic justice. Some of the elements that remain faithful to Coward’s original haven’t aged well, including persistent misogyny passed off as comedy and some racist dialogue no actor would want to repeat today.

Blithe Spirit Margaret Rutherford — Margaret Rutherford steals her scenes as Madame Arcati, a role she originated in the stage production.

What still works to great effect is the presentation of the ghostly Elvira, whom Kay Hammond invests with fey gaiety. The Technicolor cinematography allows her to appear an otherworldly shade of green from head to toe, and unseen breezes blow her clothing in the stillness of the house. Her red lips and nails stand out against her eerie green skin, making her look even stranger. Stage productions of the play have represented Elvira’s ghostly nature in different ways, but the film’s method makes her absolutely mesmerizing to behold. The film is able to include scenes where Elvira is invisible but active, and these are also delightful. Because Elvira can only be seen by Charles, scenes alternate between showing both of them and showing only what other characters would see. These are especially amusing when Elvira takes the wheel on a country drive, so that it looks like Charles is riding in a self-driving car. Most ghost comedies use these tricks to varying degrees, but it’s always a pleasure to see them so well done in movies that predate CGI effects by many decades.

Blithe Spirit Kay Hammond and Margaret Rutherford — The invisible Elvira convinces Madame Arcati of her presence.

Most classic movie fans already know to look for Rex Harrison in Cleopatra (1963), My Fair Lady (1964), and Doctor Doolittle (1967), and Margaret Rutherford is best remembered today for her role as Miss Marple in films like Murder, She Said (1961), Murder at the Gallop (1963), and Murder Most Foul (1964). David Lean won Academy Awards for his direction of The Bridge on the River Kwai (1958) and Lawrence of Arabia (1963), but if you want another comedy I’m particularly fond of Hobson’s Choice (1954). Like Rutherford, Kay Hammond originated her role in Blithe Spirit, and she was primarily a stage actress. Constance Cummings also spent most of her career on the stage, but you’ll find her dealing with more mysterious business in The Mind Reader (1933) and Haunted Honeymoon (1940). I haven’t seen the 2020 film adaptation of Blithe Spirit that stars Judi Dench as Madame Arcati, but it only has a 27% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so be forewarned if you decide to see it for yourself.

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— Jennifer Garlen for Classic Movie Hub

Jennifer Garlen pens our monthly Silver Screen Standards column. You can read all of Jennifer’s Silver Screen Standards articles here.

Jennifer is a former college professor with a PhD in English Literature and a lifelong obsession with film. She writes about classic movies at her blog, Virtual Virago, and presents classic film programs for lifetime learning groups and retirement communities. She’s the author of Beyond Casablanca: 100 Classic Movies Worth Watching and its sequel, Beyond Casablanca II: 101 Classic Movies Worth Watching, and she is also the co-editor of two books about the works of Jim Henson.

Posted in Films, Posts by Jennifer Garlen, Silver Screen Standards | Tagged Blithe Spirit, constance cummings, david lean, kay hammond, Margaret Rutherford, Noël Coward, rex harrison | Leave a comment

Monsters and Matinees: When Flying Things Sting in Real Life, 1970s Bee Films Come to the Rescue

Posted on September 7, 2024 by Toni Ruberto

When Flying Things Sting in Real Life, 1970s Bee Films Come to the Rescue

They were cute little honey bees – just one or two fluttering around the walkway by my back stairs. Not an unexpected sight on a warm summer day and, knowing the importance of the pollinators, I left them alone.

I should have looked closer.

A few weeks later there was a swarm – OK, maybe just 6 flying creatures around the same spot – that had me running away like a scared toddler. Texting a photo to a bee expert, it turns out my cute bees were yellow jackets – AKA wasps – and they had been building a home. Not good.

Could this have been the yellow jacket that viciously attacked me? I fear so.

Here’s the thing about yellow jackets: They don’t let go. They are aggressive little buggers that don’t usually lose their stinger like a bee, so they can keep zapping you like one did when it latched on to my foot.

When the attack was over, it hurt – and not only that night, but the next day. When the pain subsided, it turned into an uncomfortable itch.

Whining to myself for days about how my “attack” by one yellow jacket could cause such pain, I realized I was lucky that I wasn’t stung by two of them.

Or attacked by a swarm.

Worse yet, what if they were the dreaded African killer bees?

This could all happen – I’ve seen the movies.

To feel better about my yellow jacket attack, I watched some classic movies about “flying things that sting” to see just how much worse it could have been.

I started with the giant wasp in Monster from Green Hell (1957) which sounded like a great idea but it wasn’t. The title creature in this lower-than-B-movie film had great potential but was underused.

Instead, we were subjected to long scenes of guys walking and walking on an expedition through Africa. The running time was only 71 minutes, but it felt like three hours. The nondescript white leaders who made the natives carry their gear were so ineffectual that when they finally met the giant wasp, nature had to save them.

I could have kept on a supersize route with the giant honey bee in the fantastic Mysterious Island (1961), but that bee had every right to be angry at the trespassing young lovers. Besides, it didn’t sting them, just built a honeycomb around them. They eventually escaped, so no harm, no foul.

Clearly, I would need to watch the dreaded African killer bees to get some closure.

Posters for three of the killer bee movies from the 1970s.

First, the real story

Often referred to as killer bees, the truth behind the Africanized honey bee started with the type of researcher found in many sci-fi movies: the altruistic scientist trying to do good before things go bad. The hybrid bee was introduced in 1956 in Brazil (hence the link to Brazil in these films) to help produce more honey, especially in hotter climates. When about 26 swarms reportedly escaped, it led to all sorts of doomsday-type scenarios and the misleading moniker of “killer bees.”

From the real world into the reel world, killer bees joined the “nature gone wrong” and environmental disaster movie trend of the 1970s in such films as Killer Bees, Savage Bees (and its sequel Terror Out of the Skies), The Bees and Irwin Allen’s all-star epic The Swarm.

The films do have some basis in reality. The insects will go after noise, so stop screaming. They will swarm victims and aggressively chase them at great distances (just like the yellow jacket that nabbed me). And whatever you do, don’t jump in the water thinking you’ll escape – they will keep attacking and you will drown.

Katharine Ross and Michael Caine are terrified to see a swarm of killer bees is ready to attack the quaint town of Marysville in The Swarm.

In the movies, the insects have an uncanny ability to arrive in town around a big event like the Rose Bowl Parade in The Bees, Mardi Gras in Savage Bees and a flower festival in The Swarm.

Swarms of bees often will overtake the skies as ominous black clouds. Victims may die by the shear mass of bees covering their body (always an effective sight) or their extra-lethal venom could kill with as little as three bee stings. This is where we must add a reality check: the venom in Africanized bees is no more potent than in other honey bees, but where’s the movie fun in that?

Here’s a quick look at a few of the films.

Gloria Swanson has a unique relationship with bees at her vineyard in *Killer Bees.*

Killer Bees (1974)

I’m starting here, but this film is not like the others. The bees traveled with the Van Bohlen family from Europe to California decades earlier and have a psychic bond to the matriarch. This “queen of the hive” is played by legendary film actress Gloria Swanson who is referred to as “Madame” by everyone including her family. Edward Albert is the prodigal son who returns home with his fiancée (Kate Jackson) who insists on meeting them despite warnings that they are “European” and reclusive, with their own rules and laws. She should talk to the townsfolk who stay clear of the Van Bohlen family and don’t become involved even when, say, a stranger passing through is killed after his car is engulfed by bees.

It’s one strange family and it’s funny to watch the men who are clearly afraid of Madam who can send a bee to sit on your face with a simple furrow of her brow. A heads-up that Killer Bees, an ABC movie of the week, is clearly a film of the era right down to that frustrating ‘70s ending.

Savage Bees (1976)

Premiering as an NBC movie of the week, Savage Bees was released the year after Jaws and that’s obvious in the plot. A dangerous element (killer bees) is threatening a town at the most inopportune time (Mardi Gras) and officials refused to call off festivities and lose tourist dollars.

A small-town sheriff (Ben Johnson), bereft at finding his dog dead, takes the animal into New Orleans to have an autopsy done. An assistant medical examiner (Michael Parks) discovers the dog’s stomach is filled with bees. The poor dog isn’t the only one: There are two crew members off a boat from Brazil and a child also dead from stings. (This film did not adhere to the cinematic idea that you never kill dogs and children.) Our assistant M.E. calls in a friend from Tulane University (“special guest star” Gretchen Corbett) to help. She has her own set of insect expert friends including Horst Bucholz who has created a newfangled suit that looks like it’s made from cheap aluminum foil.

Gretchen Corbett is trapped in a Volkswagen Beetle by killer bees in *Savage Bees*.

Bees will arrive, people will scream and make themselves targets and attempts to quell the attacks will fail. It leads to an odd, yet strangely interesting denouement of a bee-covered Volkswagen Beetle slowly driven to the Louisiana Superdome as a last hope. As strange as that sounds, the sequence builds tension, even if it is undercut by the overwrought sobbing inside the Beetle.

Its sequel, Terror Out of the Skies (78) features two bee experts played by Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Tovah Feldshuh and a pilot (Dan Haggerty) who face the vengeance of the savage bees.

The Bees (1978)

To call The Bees uneven is an understatement. We open in a genetic research station in Brazil where a desperate father and his young son try to steal honey bees to make honey and money for the family. Of course, they stumble into the wrong place and are attacked by a nasty swarm that gets loose. In retribution, an angry mob descends on the facility to kill the “devil bees,” and well, you know who wins that battle.

Cut to the United States, where a dashing John Saxon is addressing a group of important men about the development of hybrid bees that create more honey yet are less aggressive. In a scene recalling Roger Corman’s 1959 film The Wasp Woman (The Bees was financed by Corman’s New World Picture), one business is interested but not for charitable reasons. A cosmetic company wants to create money-making beauty treatments from the queen bee’s “royal jelly” and will go to extremes – including hiring hit men – to get it.

In a terrifying scene from *The Bees,* John Saxon and Angel Tompkins awaken to find themselves surrounded by killer bees.

The man they hire to sneak bees into the United States via a “bee belt” around his waist is stung to death on a flight to California. Welcome to the U.S., killer bees.

Leading the charge to save the world are Saxon plus a wheelchair-bound scientist called Uncle Ziggy (played by an elderly John Carradine) who talks to the bees, and his lovely and smart niece (Angel Tompkins).

There is an incredibly effective scene – perhaps one of the best in all the bee films – with the bees are covering every surface of a bedroom quickly shared by Saxon and the niece. It becomes even more horrifying as the bees cover the couple as they try to get out of the room.

Unfortunately, things go off the deep end when Saxon, channeling Uncle Ziggy, starts talking to the bees and then communicates their message to the United Nations that humans need to share the world – or else. I can’t help thinking that ultimatum was meant to be the plot of a sequel that was never made.

The Swarm (1978)

Film folklore has it that the release of The Bees was delayed a few months (money may have exchanged hands) so The Swarm could hit the big screen first with its all-star cast that includes five Oscar winners.

In short: bees attack a military installation in Texas right before the big flower show in a nearby small town, but the insects have their stingers set for a much bigger quarry in Houston and beyond.

Now I’m not going to sugar coat The Swarm. With a big budget, a major studio behind it and A-list stars, there was a lot expected from this film that was a follow-up to Irwin Allen’s blockbuster disaster films The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. Instead, it was universally maligned by critics and was a box-office failure.

Olivia de Havilland looks out in horror as bees attack her school in Irwin Allen’s *The Swarm*.

Forget all of that. Sit back and enjoy the impressive star power. Every time a door opens there’s another big name (and I mean that literally, as many doors will open to reveal the next big star): Richard Widmark, Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland, Fred MacMurray (in his last film role), Lee Grant, Patty Duke, Jose Ferrer (don’t blink or you’ll miss him) and a sweet turn by Slim Pickens as a distraught father.

The main problem – outside of bad dialogue – is that The Swarm is overly long. It has three distinct segments – an attack on the military base, an attack on the town and the surge on greater Texas and perhaps the world – that each could have stood as their own film. I watched the original 116-minute release (not the 155-minute home video version), and at least 25% of the film could have been trimmed without losing anything.

The film opens with music by Jerry Goldsmith resembling buzzing bees lending a nice tension as the military arrives at a Texas bunker to discover soldiers mysteriously dead. There’s also a doctor (Katharine Ross) who saved six others and a stranger with a shaky reason for being at the base. That’s Michael Caine as a world-renowned etymologist who has been predicting – and preparing for – a bee invasion. The military guys (led by Richard Widmark as the general) and Bradford Dillon (as a major) won’t believe him despite the fact that helicopters are downed by swarms and people die while they bicker.

By the time the warning comes over the loudspeaker, it’s too late for the school in *The Swarm.*

As the nearby town of Marysville is preparing for its annual flower festival (bee swarms and flowers – what could go wrong?), a husband and wife are engulfed by bees and killed when picnicking with their young son who escapes. While these bees cover their victims from head to toe, they don’t leave any marks, but if you survive, you will hallucinate giant bees.

To add a human element is the odd golden years triangle of the school principal played by Olivia de Havilland, the bowtie wearing town mayor/pharmacist (Fred MacMurray) and a retired newcomer (Ben Johnson). It’s sweet, but kind of sad, too.

Meanwhile, the military and scientists continue to shout over who gets to kill the bees and how. But nothing helps for long, even the highly destructive military alternatives that are far more dangerous to people and the planet than bees. (Those bees are laughing at the guys with flame throwers who burn down buildings and leave the bees unscathed.)

We know they’ll figure something out, but it takes so long to get there. Still, watching bees cover people like a blanket, swarm military officers and blow up a nuclear reactor did the trick for me. The next time I get stung by a single yellow jacket, I’ll think of those scenes from The Swarm and remember how lucky I was with my one sting.

– Toni Ruberto for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Toni’s Monsters and Matinees articles here.

Toni Ruberto, born and raised in Buffalo, N.Y., is an editor and writer at The Buffalo News. She shares her love for classic movies in her blog, Watching Forever and is a writer and board member of the Classic Movie Blog Association. Toni was the president of the former Buffalo chapter of TCM Backlot and led the offshoot group, Buffalo Classic Movie Buffs. She is proud to have put Buffalo and its glorious old movie palaces in the spotlight as the inaugural winner of the TCM in Your Hometown contest. You can find Toni on Twitter at @toniruberto.

Posted in Horror, Monsters and Matinees, Posts by Toni Ruberto | Tagged ben johnson, Fred MacMuray, gloria swanson, Irwin Allen, Kate Jackson, katharine ross, Killer Bees, michael caine, olivia de havilland, Savage Bees, Terror Out of the Skies, The Bees, The Swarm, Wasp Women | 3 Comments

Classic Movie Travels: Ann Rutherford

Posted on September 5, 2024 by Annette Bochenek

Ann Rutherford

Therese Ann Rutherford was born on November 2, 1917, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her parents were John and Lucille Rutherford. Her mother was a silent film actress, while her father was an operatic tenor. When Rutherford was an infant, her family relocated to San Francisco, California, and soon separated. Rutherford’s mother took Ann and her sister, Laurette, to Los Angeles, California.

As a child, Rutherford enjoyed stopping by radio studios to listen to voice actors during their performances. She indulged in this routine when she roller-skated home from middle school. Rutherford eventually applied for work at KFAC radio station with a faux acting history and soon secured a role in a radio drama. As the years went on, she attended Los Angeles High School.

By 1935, Rutherford began her film career, starring in Waterfront Lady (1935) for Mascot Pictures. She was also a regular in Western films at Republic (formerly Mascot Pictures) and soon left for a contract at MGM Studios. There, she appeared in A Christmas Carol (1938) and Pride and Prejudice (1940).

Reginald Owen and Ann Rutherford, A Christmas Carol (1938)

Rutherford was loaned out to Selznick International Pictures to appear as Careen O’Hara, Scarlett’s sister, in Gone with the Wind (1939).

Between 1937 and 1942, Rutherford appeared as Polly Benedict in MGM’s popular Andy Hardy series, starring Mickey Rooney. This role secured her screen popularity among moviegoing audiences. She also starred alongside Red Skelton in the mystery comedies Whistling in the Dark (1941), Whistling in Dixie (1942), and Whistling in Brooklyn (1943).

Ann Rutherford, Mickey Rooney and Virginia Grey, The Hardys Ride High, MGM — Ann Rutherford, Mickey Rooney and Virginia Grey, The Hardys Ride High

Throughout the 1940s, Rutherford left MGM and worked with a wide range of studios, appearing in Orchestra Wives (1942) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947).

In 1942, Rutherford married David May II, grandson of the May Company department stores founder. They had one child—Gloria May—and divorced in 1953. In 1953, she married William Dozier, creator of the Batman television series. They remained together until his passing in 1991.

By 1950, she retired from films altogether. Though Rooney wanted her to return as Polly Benedict in the final Andy Hardy film, she nonetheless did not appear in it.

In 1952, she became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

In her later years, she made several television appearances and returned to MGM in 1972 to appear in They Online Kill Their Maters (1972)—a film shot on the former Andy Hardy set. Rutherford also replaced actress Penny Singleton on radio as the title character in the Blondie series.

In the 1990s, Rutherford was offered the role of the older Rose in Titanic (1997) but turned it down, with the role eventually going to Gloria Stuart.

Rutherford made personal appearances at events and locations tied to the legacy of Gone with the Wind.

She passed away on June 11, 2012, in her Beverly Hills, California, home due to heart ailments. Rutherford was cremated and her ashes were given to her daughter, who has since passed in 2013. The whereabouts of her final resting place is not known to the public.

In 1930, Rutherford lived at 624 ½ S. Westmoreland Ave., Los Angeles, California. This home has since been razed.

In 1940, she resided at 6129 6^th St., Los Angeles, California. This home remains.

Rutherford lived at 826 Greenway Dr., Beverly Hills, California. The home stands.

Rutherford also has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring her work in motion pictures and television. Her stars are located at 6834 and 6331 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, California, respectively.

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–Annette Bochenek for Classic Movie Hub

Annette Bochenek pens our monthly Classic Movie Travels column. You can read all of Annette’s Classic Movie Travel articles here.

Annette Bochenek of Chicago, Illinois, is a PhD student at Dominican University and an independent scholar of Hollywood’s Golden Age. She manages the Hometowns to Hollywood blog, in which she writes about her trips exploring the legacies and hometowns of Golden Age stars. Annette also hosts the “Hometowns to Hollywood” film series throughout the Chicago area. She has been featured on Turner Classic Movies and is the president of TCM Backlot’s Chicago chapter. In addition to writing for Classic Movie Hub, she also writes for Silent Film Quarterly, Nostalgia Digest, and Chicago Art Deco SocietyMagazine.

Posted in Classic Movie Travels, Posts by Annette Bochenek | Tagged Ann Rutherford | Leave a comment

Western RoundUp: Westerns for Young Viewers

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Laura Grieve

Westerns for Young Viewers

Recently a longtime Twitter pal sought recommendations for traditional Westerns for her 11-year-old daughter to try.

An enjoyable discussion with several people ensued, and I got to thinking that if I fleshed out my thoughts it would make a nice Western RoundUp topic.

I’m thus expanding the short list I gave her with additional thoughts, and I’ve also tweaked my list slightly to include only films which have been released on DVD or Blu-ray. I wanted the films on this list to be as accessible to families as possible, and I thus swapped out my initial recommendation of Joel McCrea’s hard-to-find Saddle Tramp (1950) for Cattle Drive (1951).

It was only after I compiled a short list that I realized over half of the titles are John Wayne films, but what can I say?! Wayne was our greatest Western star, who made many crowd-pleasing films appropriate for all ages.

I’ve written about all of these favorite films here in various contexts over the last half-dozen years, but it’s been quite a while since I discussed some of them, and this is the first time I’ve compiled the titles into a list specifically with appeal for young viewers in mind.

Along with providing a thumbnail description, my comments here are focused on why the films might be especially likely to be enjoyed by children.

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Tall in the Saddle (Edwin L. Marin, 1944)

Tall in the Saddle, John Wayne, George 'Gabby' Hayes, Ella Raines, Ward Bond, Cast — John Wayne, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes, Ella Raines, Ward Bond, and Cast

This lesser-known John Wayne film is included simply because it’s fun. The land dispute plotline isn’t particularly notable, but the movie features fiery Ella Raines as a woman who can’t decide whether to shoot or kiss Wayne — or maybe both! They have great chemistry. The script, cowritten by Wayne’s friend and costar Paul Fix, has some excellent dialogue which is occasionally “laugh out loud” funny. Our kids loved this one, which at times seems to presage Burt Kennedy’s comedic James Garner Western Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969). The latter film, incidentally, is also a good option for children.

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Angel and the Badman (James Edward Grant, 1947)

Angel and the Badman, John Wayne, Gail Russell — John Wayne and Gail Russell

I include this title as it was one of my own childhood favorites. It’s a much quieter film than Tall in the Saddle, but I’ve always found this story about a gunslinger taken in by a Quaker family to be extremely compelling; in fact, it’s one of my all-time favorite films. John Wayne’s lovely romance with Gail Russell takes place against the background of her entire family warmly caring for him despite his being a stranger; we see their kindness work wonders not only on Wayne but on an ornery neighbor (Tom Powers). The film provides a good lesson in that regard, yet it never comes off as preachy. There are occasional outbursts of action punctuating the peaceful story which may help maintain younger viewers’ attention.

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Rio Grande (John Ford, 1950)

Rio Grande Claude Jarmin Jr, John Wayne — Claude Jarman Jr. and John Wayne

This classic “Cavalry Trilogy” film features John Wayne as a Civil War veteran heading a remote Rio Grande outpost. His life is turned upside-down with the arrival of his young son Jeff (Claude Jarman Jr.), a new recruit, and his long-estranged wife (Maureen O’Hara). Jeff makes friends with fellow troopers Travis (Ben Johnson) and Sandy (Harry Carey Jr.); it’s great to point out to kids that all three young men are doing all of their own “Roman riding” stuntwork! The thrilling climax, the successful rescue of a large group of children captured by Indians, is sure to be enjoyed by kids, especially as a child, Margaret Mary (Karolyn Grimes), plays a pivotal role.

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Cattle Drive (Kurt Neumann, 1951)

Cattle Drive Dean Stockwell, Joel McCrea — Dean Stockwell and Joel McCrea

A couple years ago I devoted an entire column review to this film, another of my childhood favorites which helped make me the Western fan I am today. It was also one of the first films in which I saw lifelong favorite Joel McCrea. McCrea plays a cowpoke on a cattle drive who rescues wealthy and rude young Chester (Dean Stockwell) when he’s inadvertently left behind in the desert after his train makes a water stop. Chester gains a nickname, Chet, as he also learns good manners and acquires a work ethic as he matures while serving as a cowhand until he can be reunited with his widowed father (Leon Ames).

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Bend of the River (Anthony Mann, 1952)

Bend of the River, Arthur Kennedy, James Stewart — Arthur Kennedy and James Stewart

I initially considered recommending Anthony Mann’s excellent Winchester ’73 (1950), which like Bend of the River stars James Stewart, but I ultimately chose my first and favorite Mann-Stewart film, which I’ve always considered “movie comfort food.” Although Bend of the River has moments as dark and bitter as its predecessor, I think Bend of the River is more accessible to younger viewers; the overall tone is more that of a family film, telling the story of pioneers traveling to settle in Oregon. Scenes with young Rock Hudson kindly carrying a young calf across his saddle seem straight out of a Disney film! There’s lots of excitement including a great escape out of a frontier town, with horses jumping onto a paddlewheeler as they flee.

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Hondo (John Farrow, 1953)

Hondo, John Wayne, Lee Aaker — John Wayne and Lee Aaker

Hondo is based on a Louis L’Amour story and was written for the screen by James Edward Grant, who also wrote and directed Angel and the Badman. John Wayne plays the title role, an army dispatch rider who’s lost his horse and stumbles across an isolated ranch which is the home of Angie Lowe (Geraldine Page) and her young son Johnny (Lee Aaker). Hondo tries to get Angie and Johnny to leave the ranch with him for an army outpost, as there’s unrest among local Indians, but Angie insists her husband (Leo Gordon) will return soon… I’ll leave off with the plot description there and let unfamiliar viewers discover this wonderful film for themselves. Hondo develops a marvelous relationship with six-year-old Johnny — which includes an unusual method of teaching Johnny to swim!

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Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks, 1959)

Rio Bravo, Ricky Nelson, John Wayne, DeanMartin — Ricky Nelson, John Wayne, and Dean Martin

I commented in the Twitter chat with my friend that while Rio Bravo is very long, at two hours and 21 minutes, “the best recommendation I can give it…is it was my most impatient child’s favorite movie when he was young.” (And probably still is!) This movie was so beloved by my children that they all agreed to name our dog Chance, after John Wayne’s Sheriff John T. Chance. Wayne’s sheriff, aided by a small number of friends (Dean Martin, Walter Brennan, Ricky Nelson, and Angie Dickinson), must fend off a murderous gang who want to break Joe Burdette (Claude Akins) out of jail. The camaraderie among Wayne and his pals is simply wonderful, and Nelson’s young gunslinger may add to appeal for teen viewers. Indeed, he plays a key role in the most exciting shootout in the movie!

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Ride Lonesome (Budd Boetticher, 1959)

Ride Lonesome, James Best, Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts, Randolph Scott — James Best, Karen Steele, Pernell Roberts, and Randolph Scott

I chose Ride Lonesome as the final title on this list as I think it’s simply a perfect Western, and at just 73 minutes it’s unlikely to lose young viewers’ attention. As the movie introduces young viewers to the classic Western trope of a group of disparate travelers who must unite to battle a dangerous outside force, wonderful humor is balanced with poignance and plenty of action. The great script was written by Burt Kennedy, director of the previously mentioned Support Your Local Sheriff! Costar James Coburn is so good that star Randolph Scott suggested that Kennedy write some additional dialogue to give Coburn more screen time. The moment where his pal, also wonderfully played by Pernell Roberts, tells Coburn he’s going to be his partner on a future ranch “’cause I like you” is both funny and touching. This one is a must-see.

Please feel free to add recommendations in the comments!

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– Laura Grieve for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Films, Posts by Laura Grieve, Western RoundUp | Tagged angel and the badman, angie dickinson, anthony mann, bend of the river, Cattle Drive, Claude Jarman Jr., Dean Martin, Dean Stockwell, gail russell, geraldine page, harry carey jr., hondo, howard hawks, james stewart, john ford, john wayne, Maureen O'Hara, paul fix, ricky nelson, ride lonesome, rio bravo, rio grande, tall in the saddle, walter brennan, westerns for kids | 4 Comments

Noir Nook: International Femmes

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry

Noir Nook: International Femmes

Film noir movies may be, generally speaking, set in urban American cities, but many of its inhabitants hail from the other side of the world. This month’s Noir Nook takes a look at the lives and careers of three noir dames who bring a bit of international flair to the shadowy proceedings of noir.

International Femmes Ida Lupino in Ladies in Retirement — Ida Lupino in Ladies in Retirement

A star on the silver screen and a pioneering director behind the camera, Ida Lupino was a native of London, born on February 4th (most sources agree that her birth year was 1918, but a few say she was born as early as 1914). She had quite the entertainment pedigree; her father was a dance hall performer, her mother was once touted as the fastest tap dancer alive, her paternal great-grandfather was a singer and acrobatic ballet dancer, her great uncles were stage headliners, and her cousin was popular comedy actor Lupino Lane. Ida joined their ranks at an early age – her grandfather taught her to sing, compose music, and recite Shakespeare, and when she was seven, she wrote, produced, and starred in her first school play. A few years later, she made her professional stage debut at London’s Tom Thumb Theatre, where she enacted segments from the latest musical comedies.

At the age of 13, Lupino enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and she got her first big break when she was featured as the ingenue in Her First Affaire (1932), helmed by American director Allan Dwan. Interestingly, Ida’s mother had originally tested for the part, but she was accompanied to the test by her daughter and Dwan wanted Ida instead. “I said, ‘What about her – can she act?’” Dwan recalled years later. “’She was Ida Lupino. And she was great.’” After appearances in several more movies, Ida attracted the attention of Hollywood and she made her American film debut in a pre-Code romantic comedy called Search for Beauty (1934).

In the 1940s and 1950s, Ida would star in nearly 10 noirs (or noir-adjacent features), including a period noir, Ladies in Retirement (1941), with her then-husband Louis Hayward, and a western noir, Lust for Gold (1949), starring Glenn Ford. Some of her other noirs are among my personal favorites from the era – Road House (1948) and Private Hell 36 (1954); in both, she deftly playing a hard-boiled nightclub singer.

International Femmes Nina Foch in My Name is Julia Ross — Nina Foch in My Name is Julia Ross

Nina Consuelo Maud Fock was born in Leyden, Holland, on April 20, 1924; her parents were Dutch symphony conductor and composer Dirk Fock, and American silent screen actress Consuelo Flowerton, who served as the famous “Poster Girl” during World War I. When Nina was two, her parents divorced, and she moved to New York with her mother. In her teens, after an extensive education in the arts, she thought she’d become either a painter or a pianist: “I was a failure in both professions at the age of 16,” she later said, “so I decided to try acting.”

Although she enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Nina found that landing her first acting job was easier said than done. Each time she applied for a part, she was turned down because she had no experience. But one day, she got wise, finally telling a producer that she’d had a featured role in a production called Life Is Like That. “It was a big lie. I made up the name on the spot,” she said. The producer believed her and gave Nina her first job, in summer stock. The following year (after changing the ‘k’ in her last name to an ‘h’ – “For obvious reasons,” she said), she made her big screen debut in The Return of the Vampire (1943), starring Bela Lugosi.

Nina’s noir output encompassed four first-rate features opposite such stars as Dick Powell, William Holden, and Glenn Ford; she was shown to her best advantage in My Name is Julia Ross (1945), where she starred in the title role of a secretary who is kidnapped by a wealthy matron and her psychopathic son.

Signe Hasso

Of the three dames featured in this month’s Nook, Signe Hasso may be the least recognizable to most readers – but she deserves an introduction. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, she was born Signe Eleonora Cecilia Larsson on August 15, 1915, the eldest of three children. Her businessman father died when she was four, leaving the family destitute. For a time, the family made ends meet by taking in boarders, but they were later forced to move to a six-floor walk-up in a housing project. “One room for five people,” Signe recalled. “Four families shared an outside toilet. We were so poor you couldn’t believe it.”

When Signe was 12, her luck changed. A classmate appearing in a production of the Royal Dramatic Theater became ill and suggested that the company look for a replacement in the Larsson household. Signe – who had her sights set on becoming a doctor – wasn’t interested, but her mother flipped a coin and Signe was selected to go. “I threw myself on the rug,” Signe said, “and drummed my heels and screamed that my sister should be in the play, not I.” She only relented when her mother gave her an orange. “We never had treats like that. So I went to the theater – with the orange in my pocket.” Signe was an overnight hit, and after appearing in numerous productions over the next several years, she debuted on the big screen in the 1933 feature Tystnadens Hus. She would go on to marry theater director Harry Hasso, keeping his last name after their 1940 divorce. (Her name, incidentally, was pronounced SEEN-yah HAH-so, but she once joked, “You can pronounce it any old way – it means ‘Bless you’ in Swedish.”) The same year of her divorce, Signe signed a contract with RKO, but after two years without a film, she moved on to MGM. Her first American film was Journey for Margaret (1942), starring Robert Young and Margaret O’Brien.

Signe’s introduction to film noir came in The House on 92nd Street (1945), a based-on-a-true-story feature where she starred as a Nazi spy. Her other noirs were Johnny Angel (1945), opposite George Raft; Strange Triangle (1946), where she was a standout as an unemotional femme fatale; and one of her best-known films, A Double Life (1947), starring Ronald Colman.

Got a hankering for some fine noir performances? You can’t go wrong with the films featuring this trio of international femmes. Treat yourself!

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– Karen Burroughs Hannsberry for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Karen’s Noir Nook articles here.

Posted in Noir Nook, Posts by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry | Tagged ida lupino, Nina Foch, signe hasso | Leave a comment

Mysteries of Oz Documentary Celebrates 85th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Annmarie Gatti

Hollywood’s crowning achievement is its greatest enigma

Here’s some exciting news for The Wizard of Oz fans (and who isn’t :))

Coming Soon! Mysteries of Oz: 85 Questions Answered is a new documentary from AMS Pictures that explores the magic, music, and myths surrounding the making of The Wizard of Oz in celebration of its 85th Anniversary. This fast-paced 3-part documentary series takes you over the rainbow and down the yellow brick road to answer 85 fascinating questions about the iconic film, revealing newly discovered truths, debunking age-old myths, and dispelling misconceptions about the motion picture that the Library of Congress calls the most-watched movie ever.

The series dives deep into the enchanting world of Oz with expert and insider interviews, rare images capturing moments both on and off the set, and behind-the-scenes footage offering a fresh perspective on the beloved classic. Each episode explores the lore and legacy of The Wizard of Oz, shedding light on casting choices, special effects, and the film’s cultural impact and enduring popularity. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or a newcomer to Oz, this series entertains, educates, and enchants, uncovering the untold stories and fascinating details that have made The Wizard of Oz a timeless masterpiece.

Here’s a quick trailer for your viewing pleasure 🙂

Currently in production, Mysteries of Oz: 85 Questions Answered is slated to be released in late 2024.

Can’t wait to see this one!

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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

Posted in Films | Tagged Mysteries of Oz, The wizard of ox 85th anniversary, the wizard of oz | Leave a comment

Silents are Golden: Slapstick By The Sea – 8 Edwardian Comedy Shorts

Posted on August 15, 2024 by Lea Stans

Slapstick By The Sea: 8 Edwardian Comedy Shorts

The women may not have worn bikinis and the men might not have gone around shirtless, but Edwardians enjoyed a sunny day at the beach just as much as we do today. By the 1910s the best beaches abounded with beautiful resorts, and seaside amusement parks like Coney Island enticed people to spend their free time by the water. Role models like the swimmer Annette Kellerman made swimming increasingly popular for fitness, and soon lighter (but still quite modest) bathing suits were becoming more common.

Naturally, all of this meant that some of our earliest silent comedies would find plenty of trendy material at the beach, whether they focused on water-centric gags, mishaps with goofy swimwear, or flocks of playful Bathing Beauties. Here’s just a few of the many Edwardian comedy shorts set “beside the seaside, by the beautiful sea!”

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8. By the Sad Sea Waves (1917)

Filmed around the time his popular “Lonesome Luke” series of 1916-17 was coming to a close, By the Sad Sea Waves features one of Harold Lloyd’s earliest appearances sporting his iconic round glasses. Lloyd plays a beachhound who sees all the girls fawning over a lifeguard and decides he should impersonate one himself. Naturally he’s thrown for a loop when an unfortunate swimmer is in need of saving. Much of this goofy short involves characters running around the beach in old-timey striped bathing suits, throttling each other, flirting with pretty girls and falling into the ocean. It’s a bit of fast-paced slapstick silliness that just might make your day.

7. Hearts and Flowers (1919)

This two-reel Sennett is an excellent go-to if you want to see his famous Bathing Beauties in their heyday. Ford Sterling, Phylis Haver and Louise Fazenda are the stars, with Ford playing a vain orchestra leader who goes after pretty Phylis while daffy flower girl Fazenda longs for him from afar. Soon everyone heads to the seashore, where Phylis sports a chic bathing suit and joins a group of cheeky Bathing Beauties playing sports on the beach. It’s a great example of how the Beauties were used in these comedies, where they were like a gang of mischievous sprites frequently laughing at the main characters’ blundering.

6. By the Sea (1915)

One of Chaplin’s simplest Essanay shorts merely shows him wandering around a seaside resort. His hat, held on with a string to withstand the sea breezes, gets tangled up with another fellow’s hat that’s similarly fastened. They soon lose patience with each other and a battle ensues. Peacemaking efforts in the form of getting ice cream cones lead to another brawl when they can’t decide who gets the honor of paying. Simple indeed, but well-paced with clean, sunny cinematography.

5. Miss Fatty’s Seaside Lovers (1915)

During his time at Keystone audiences always got a kick out of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle in drag, so the studio decided to really amp up the laughs and have him play the noticeably burly daughter of a “mothball magnate.” They arrive at a resort where three flirts immediately start vying for the “buxom heiress.” The action soon moves to the beach, with Arbuckle wearing a loud striped bathing suit with striped bloomers and a parasol. It’s all good, silly fun, and Arbuckle seems to be having a ball.

4. Neptune’s Naughty Daughter (1917)

With a waddling walk and hair piled high on top of her head, Alice Howell was a popular slapstick comedienne who looked like an early prototype of Lucille Ball. In Neptune’s Naughty Daughter she plays the underappreciated daughter of a boorish fisherman. She tries to make friends on the beach but gets rejected, but then she meets a young sailor and they fall for each other. Unfortunately the menacing Captain Brawn also wants to win her affections, and she gets kidnapped and taken to his ship. It’s a quick-moving short with some wonderfully cartoony gags.

3. The Water Nymph (1912)

This little split-reeler, one of the Keystone Film Company’s very first releases, is credited with kicking off a certain famous trend in silent comedies. It starred Mabel Normand, Mack Sennett as Mabel’s love interest and Ford Sterling as Mack’s father. When everyone heads to the beach the young couple decide it would be really funny to have Mabel “vamp” the father, who evidently hasn’t met her yet–a prank which works a little too well. The real excuse to work a beach into the plot, of course, was to show Normand in a one-piece black bathing suit (with matching tights) performing several diving tricks. Legend has it that the popularity of this short gave Sennett the seed of the idea for his famous Bathing Beauties.

2. Coney Island (1917)

After Arbuckle left Keystone he started his own company, Comique…and hired the legendary Buster Keaton as one of his supporting players. The wonderful Coney Island, filmed on location, is one of the many gems the two appeared in together. The “one thing leads to another” plot shows Buster, Arbuckle, and the wiry Al St. John vying for Alice Mann’s affections. It’s hard to resist the sight of Al and Buster weaving their way along the “Witching Waves” or Roscoe and Alice barreling down the “Shoot the Chutes”–and of course, Roscoe includes a few funny scenes where he has to don a woman’s bathing suit.

1. The Mystery of the Leaping Fish (1916)

Too bizarre not to include on this list, The Mystery of the Leaping Fish is a two-reel Sherlock Holmes spoof that relies heavily on the trivia about Holmes using a “seven percent solution” to focus his mind. Yes, this is a zany Edwardian short revolving around…narcotics hijinks, starring Douglas Fairbanks as “Coke Ennyday,” a brilliant cocaine-addled detective (he can never seem to quite make eye contact with the camera). He investigates an opium smuggling ring who hides the substance in inflatable beach toys called “Leaping Fish.” It’s certainly a short that must be seen to be believed…or so the saying goes. Did I mention it was directed by none other than Tod Browning of Dracula (1931) fame?

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–Lea Stans for Classic Movie Hub

You can read all of Lea’s Silents are Golden articles here.