In watching the opening of Lady in the Lake (1947), if you didn’t know any better, you’d think that you’re about to take in a lightweight Christmas movie along the lines of It’s a Wonderful Life. You hear an earnest-sounding choir warbling “Jingle Bells,” “The First Noel,” and a medley of other Christmas favorites, and the names of the film’s performers are on cards featuring delightfully vintage holiday scenes.
But this ain’t no Christmas movie, and it’s no lightweight, either. It’s
undeniably noir – a fact that becomes clear when the last thing we see at the
end of the credits is the shot of a gun.
Lady in the Lake tells a typically complex noir tale of a private detective – Phillip Marlowe – who’s hired by a crime book editor to find her boss’s missing wife. The entire picture is presented in the unique “camera I” method of filming, in which the camera serves as the eyes of director and star Robert Montgomery. In addition to Montgomery, the cast included Audrey Totter as the book editor, Leon Ames as her boss, and Lloyd Nolan as a police detective.
Audrey Totter and Robert Montgomery
In celebration of the holiday season, this month’s Noir Nook serves up
some trivial tidbits about this non-Christmas Christmas movie.
Robert Montgomery, who plays Marlowe, is only
seen on screen as a reflection in mirrors or windows, or in a few scenes when
he directly addresses the viewer.
The film’s trailer touts the movie as a
“revolution innovation in film technique” and “a startling and daring new
method of storytelling – a milestone in movie making . . . mysteriously
starring Robert Montgomery and YOU!”
The movie was based on a 1944 Raymond Chandler
novel.
Raymond Chandler wrote the original screenplay for the movie, but Montgomery wasn’t satisfied with it and hired writer Steve Fisher to do re-writes. Chandler was unhappy with the changes that Fisher made to his story, but he still demanded a screenplay credit. When he saw the final result, though, Chandler asked that his name be removed from the picture.
Incidentally, Steve Fisher wrote the 1941 novel I Wake Up Screaming, and went on to pen the screenplays for several other noirs – Dead Reckoning (1947), I Wouldn’t Be In Your Shoes (1948), and Roadblock (1951).
Robert Montgomery and Lloyd Nolan on set
Lady in the Lake was Robert Montgomery’s directorial debut. He’d been wanting to direct for a number of years, and while appearing in They Were Expendable in 1945, he’d filled in when director John Ford fell ill. Montgomery did such a commendable job that the execs at MGM told him that he could pick a script and they’d allow him to be at the helm. He picked Lady in the Lake.
The film was Montgomery’s last picture for MGM,
where he’d been under contract for nearly 20 years.
The reviews for Lady in the Lake were mostly favorable. The film was described in Time as “unusual, effective and clever,” and the critic for the New York Times stated: “You do get into the story and see things pretty much the way the protagonist, Phillip Marlowe does, but you don’t have to suffer the bruises he does. Of course, you don’t get a chance to put your arms around Audrey Totter, either.”
The film’s credits list the actress Ellay Mort in the role of Crystal Kingsby – also known as the Lady in the Lake. The credit is an inside joke – the name is the phonetic spelling of the French phrase “elle est morte” or “she is dead.”
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– Karen Burroughs Hannsberry for Classic Movie Hub
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:
Silents are Golden: 6 Important Flappers Of The Silent Screen
Earlier this year I wrote a column about how youthful “flapper” trends influenced silent films and vice versa. I briefly went over the notable screen flappers, just so you’d get the gist of who was popular. Well, I’ve decided those brief mentions simply aren’t enough–let’s take a closer look at some of the most influential 1920s screen flappers, the bobbed-haired gals who would inspire a generation.
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6. Gladys
Walton
Gladys Walton
While touring the William S. Hart studio one day in 1919, the teenaged Gladys Walton was asked if she had any interest in appearing in pictures. After talking the matter over with her mother, who thought it sounded like fun, Gladys embarked on a busy and profitable movie career.
The “flapper” as we know her today was just
coming into vogue when Gladys entered films. Hardworking and full of bubbly
energy, she was a natural fit for screen flappers. Her madcap characters in
features like Pink Tights (1920) and The Guttersnipe (1922) earned her the
title of “Little Queen of the Flappers.” Universal would capitalize on her
popularity in film after film.
They churned out so many films, in fact, that Gladys grew exhausted. After a
three-year stretch without a break from filming, she took an impromptu vacation
to Hawaii without informing the studio. After this, she would only appear in a
few independent productions before retiring from show business to happily focus
on raising a family.
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5.
Marie Prevost
Marie Prevost
Born in Canada and raised in Los Angeles, Marie Prevost became a Sennett Bathing Beauty in 1917. An attractive brunette who was a talented swimmer, she was soon a featured player in Sennett’s comedies, gaining fans with appearances in Hearts and Flowers (1919) and Down on the Farm(1920). She headed to Universal in 1921, where she became one of the earliest actresses to be identified with flapper roles.
A big star of the 1920s, Marie stayed busy in a number of light comedies. By the end of the silent era, she transitioned to talkies but began to have a hard time getting featured roles. Sadly, she became concerned with gaining too much weight and started using extreme diets in an attempt to control it. This, combined with alcoholism, lead to her early death at age 38 in 1937.
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4.
Virginia Lee Corbin
Virginia Lee Corbin
Virginia Lee Corbin’s career started when she was only four years old. An angelic-looking, golden-haired youngster (she was a natural brunette but her mother decided she would be blonde), she was an artists’ model for Christmas cards and the like before getting into films. Signing with the Fox Film Company in 1917, she became a major child star, thanks to her “kiddie” roles in Jack and the Beanstalk and the subsequent Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp and The Babes in the Woods, all filmed in 1917.
As she grew older, she took breaks from the screen but made personal appearance tours and acted in vaudeville. As her teen years approached, she started to find a new niche as a “flapper type.” She had a variety of roles in the 1920s but films like Broken Laws (1923) and The Honeymoon Express (1926) were keys to this new “jazz baby” image, culminating in the classic Bare Knees (1927). Of flapper culture, Virginia once said, “It’s not what you wear on your body that counts. It’s what you wear in your head.” Her personal life was unhappy, involving clashes with her mother and a divorce that resulted in separation from her two children, but she had the distinction of being one of the few child stars to successfully transition to adult roles.
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3. Joan
Crawford
Joan Crawford
Yes, that Joan Crawford, of the shoulder pad and severe eyebrow fame. While today we know her for roles in films like Mildred Pierce, in the late 1920s she was the embodiment of flapper culture–with a strong emphasis on the Charleston.
Her real name was Lucille LeSueur, and she had
an unhappy childhood in a broken family. A talented dancer, when she was a
teenager she started working in theater and eventually became a chorus girl in
New York City. Looking to break into pictures, she got a five-year contract
with MGM and her name was changed to the catchier Joan Crawford (although she
thought it sounded like “crawfish”).
Eager to become a star, she gained publicity by performing in Charleston contests. MGM started giving her bigger roles, and her dancing skills shone in Jazz Age features like Our Dancing Daughters(1928). Her marriage to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. also heightened her stature in Hollywood. While she’s known more today for brooding film noir and bitter feuds, it’s fascinating to know that in the 1920s she was the symbol of youthful exhilaration.
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2.
Clara Bow
Clara Bow
Few who knew Clara Bow when she was a tomboy from an impoverished Brooklyn family probably imagined she would become one of Hollywood’s brightest stars. Clara’s family life was tumultuous and she often escaped by going to movies. While a teen, the naturally radiant Clara entered a 1921 Fame and Fortune Contest, which she managed to win. One thing leads to another, and small film roles started coming her way.
Studios started taking notice of her charisma, and she began to be associated with flapper roles. Expressive and sexy, with a touch of wistful sadness, she soon rocketed to stardom in films like The Plastic Age(1925) and It(1927).
Her thriving career was marred by the talkies, which she found very stressful, and growing schizophrenia. She married the thoughtful Rex Bell and had two sons, but toward the end of her life, she had to live apart from them, looked after by a nurse.
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1..Colleen Moore
Colleen Moore
Regular readers might remember the buoyant Colleen from my article on her last year. And if you aren’t familiar with her, you should be–she was arguably the biggest embodiment of “flapper culture” in Hollywood. Getting the acting bug at a young age, family connections allowed her to try for a screen test in Chicago, which lead to a modest six-month film contract. When she got off the train in Hollywood, she knew she was home.
Once the contract was up, Colleen pressed on,
spending years playing a series of ingenues until hitting upon the role of Pat
Fentriss in Flaming Youth (1923). She
loved the role and decided she was meant for the “flapper” niche, solidified by
her freshly-bobbed hair. Audiences adored Colleen and she starred in hit after
jazzy hit, becoming one of the biggest stars of the Roaring Twenties.
By now you might be wondering: Where is Louise Brooks? While she’s considered an icon today, in the 1920s she was not considered a major star. Always cynical of Hollywood, she did her best work with G.W. Pabst in Europe. Fading from the cinema scene by 1940, she was fortunate to be rediscovered by critics in the 1950s. Let’s give Louise a nod.
Louise Brooks
I hope you enjoyed this brief overview of these stars–as charming and lively today as they were back in the Jazz Age. Hopefully, they’ll continue to be appreciated for many decades to come.
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 Quarterlyand has also written for The Keaton Chronicle.
Claude Jarman Jr. Child Star of The Yearling
Talks about The Yearling, Director Clarence Brown and More
CMH is thrilled to say that we’re kicking off a series of exclusive video interviews and articles with Claude Jarman Jr. today. Claude made his feature film debut starring as ‘Jody Baxter’ opposite Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman in the beloved classic film, The Yearling. The film premiered in Los Angeles 73 years ago today on December 18, 1946, so we thought this was a wonderful way to celebrate!
Claude chats with us today about how he was discovered and what it was like filming his debut film with director Clarence Brown. He also shares some personal photos and shows us a very special gift given to him by Clarence Brown and producer Sydney Franklin.
Claude also provided some photos and press clippings from his personal collection (below) — so please enjoy those too!
A Big Thank You to Claude for his time — and for sharing his wonderful memories with us!
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Photos and Clippings from Claude’s Personal Collection:
Claude and his family at the Premiere of The Yearling, December 18, 1945 – Los Angeles. Claude Jarman Sr. (his dad), Mildred Ann Jarman (his sister), Claude, Mildred Jarman (his mother)
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Cover of the Program for the LA Premiere of The Yearling, 1946
Stay tuned for more from Claude Jarman Jr. over the next few months, including more videos and some guest articles. And, if you want to learn more about Claude’s experiences in Hollywood, you can read his book My Life and the Final Days of Hollywood. It’s delightful and I highly recommend it!
Thanks so much for watching and reading. Hope you enjoyed!
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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
About Claude Jarman Jr.: Claude Jarman Jr. was discovered in a fifth grade class room in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1945 by film director Clarence Brown, taken to Hollywood where he starred with Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman in THE YEARLING. After receiving an Academy Award for his performance he went on to appear in ten additional films including John Ford’s RIO GRANDE with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara and also William Faulkner’s story of racial strife in INTRUDER IN THE DUST.
The Funny Papers: A Christmas Miracle Comes for Trudy Kockenlocker
Many a cinephile enjoy debating what films merit the definition for a holiday movie. Ever since Preston Sturges directed The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944), the controversy surrounding the film was less focused on whether it’s a Christmas movie, but more on the shock that it ever passed the production code under Breen’s watchful eyes.
Eddie Bracken and Betty Hutton star in a holiday screwball
Written and directed by the king of screwball comedies, Preston Sturges, The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944) is a silly, madcap twist on a wartime immaculate conception like a Mayberry vision of the Hollywood Canteen crossed with the birth of baby Jesus. Well, not exactly.
Hutton, Demarest, and Lynn make for a silly, slapstick trio.
Betty Hutton portrays Trudy Kockenlocker a small-town girl with a big, patriotic heart for soldiers going off to World War 2. Eddie Bracken is Norval Jones, the nervous, klutzy fella-next-door who has always been in love with her. Trudy is the prettiest gal in town who charms with a sweet disposition, high octane energy that thumps like a snare drum, and emotions ready to bubble up at the drop of a hat. Trudy’s family includes her fourteen-year-old sister Emmy (Diana Lynn) who is mature beyond her years, level-headed. and dry-humored and her overly strict cop dad, Constable Kockenlocker (William Demarest). There are many character roles of note that frequently pop up, including Brian Donlevy (as “Gov. McGinty”) and Akim Tamiroff (“the Boss”), reprising their roles from Preston Sturges’s The Great McGinty (1940).
Trudy takes Norval’s car for a ride that forever changes both their lives.
After Trudy convinces Norval to go solo on their date so she
can sneak away to entertain the deploying troops at a dance, what she believes
to be her patriotic duty, things don’t exactly go as planned. At the dance, she
drinks spiked lemonade and receives a head injury on a mirrored ball while
dancing with a constant stream of dancing soldiers. Trudy meets up with Norval
at eight o’clock in the morning with an intoxicated glow and a very foggy
memory of the night’s events. Norval gets her home and takes the heat, despite
his complete lack of any wrongdoing.
Confiding privately to her little sister, Trudy reveals a
wedding ring with a vague memory of giving pseudonyms for a marriage ceremony.
She admits she has no memory of who her ‘husband’ actually is. Sure enough, Trudy
and Emmy visit both the town doctor and attorney to reveal that Trudy’s
pregnant, and with no clue or recourse of what to do next. Emmy is confident
that Trudy must marry Norval immediately to hide this secret.
Emmy (on Papa’s reactions): “He won’t say much, he’ll
just shoot Norval so full of holes he’ll look like a swiss cheese.”
Emmy (on how Norval fits into this): “He brought you home at 8 o’clock in the morning, didn’t he? He fits in like a skin on a wienie.” (On Norval’s suitability to marriage) “He was made for it. Like the ox was made to eat, and the grape was made to drink. I’ll get you the swiss on rye.”
Porter Hall, Betty Hutton, and Eddie Bracken hilariously stammer through an elopement.
As Trudy tries her best to recall her mystery husband, all she can remember is that his last name was something ending in a “z” or “ski”, like “Private Ratzky-Watzky.” Things grow more chaotic and screwy from there, as Norval and Trudy attempt to elope. In a hilarious scene of nerve-wracked nuptials, Betty Hutton and Eddie Bracken stutter and stammer through this scene like none ever witnessed on the big screen. Their covert attempt to salvage Trudy’s reputation is interrupted with a bevy of various law enforcement that results in Norval being taken to jail. Equally funny is the scene where Constable Kockenlocker helps him break out of jail and into a bank. Needless to say, everything goes all haywire.
You may be asking yourself by now, where does this film
become a Christmas movie? Everything gets resolved on Christmas day when Trudy-
and Norval, by proxy- become parents, in the most extraordinary way that
becomes a world-wide event. Even Hitler himself becomes rattled. For the sake
of those who haven’t seen this screwball delight, I’ll keep some details and the
ending our little secret.
No one is safe from satire in this classic slapstick. This
film mocks motherhood, marriage, shotgun weddings, small towns, the criminal
justice system, law enforcement, unrealistic and repressive societal morality
codes, and, frankly, pretty much everything.
If you pause to think about it, it’s not exactly the most flattering view of our servicemen going off to war. I’m still amazed this passed the censors in 1944. Consider the portrayal of the mystery military serviceman- who essentially took advantage of a girl (who was either loopy from spiked lemonade and/or a concussion from a disco ball- regardless she was not in her right head), then marries her after he suggested doing so under phony names. To recap, our Ratsky-Watsky gave false names for a fast wedding to a compromised young woman that he just met that night, which results in pregnancy, knowing he was shipping off to war the next morning and made no attempt to contact her or leave even a note, let alone a copy of the marriage certificate. The film simply assumes they’ll never see this soldier again, which is hardly a vote of confidence that he ever had any decent intentions. Trudy’s limited memory only recalls his name as “Ratzky Watzky” and the fact that his name begins with “rat” doesn’t seem like merely a coincidence.
Meanwhile, nervous Norval’s inability to serve his country is
explained as an extreme case of anxiety-driven nerves and hypertension, where
he envisions ”spots” every time he attempts to sign up. He’s a jumpy, bundle of
overly-excited energy. And yet, not only does he consistently do the honorable
thing at every turn, he stands up for Trudy no matter what. He displays the
most clear-headed, calm confidence when defending his love for Trudy. Despite
his frequent fears, Norval faces them, time and time again. Ultimately and
unexpectantly, he’s the cowardly lion that turns out to possess more courage
than them all.
Norval (dancing around the topic of marriage on the porch):
“Can’t expect a girl to see much in a civilian, these days. Even an unwilling
civilian. If they had uniforms for them, it might be a little different.”
If anything, this film seems to be championing the unsung heroes of the war. Who is braver? The one in the uniform who goes off to war but lacks honor back home? Or the men and women who must continue forging onward back home but exhibit their honor and bravery without a uniform? I don’t think The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (1944) is actually suggesting all soldiers were engaging in dishonorable send-offs or lacked integrity as a whole. In fairness, we never meet the mystery GI so his side of the story is impossible to assume.
This is an all-out, belly-laughing, screwball comedy, after all; not a societal morality bellwether. But, to this day, I find it to be a startling surprise in the Hays Code annals of golden Hollywood history. If you’re a fan of screwball classics like Sullivan’s Travels (1941) and The Palm Beach Story (1942), I think you’ll really enjoy Preston Sturges’s The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek, especially during the holidays.
When not performing marketing as her day gig, Kellee Pratt teaches classic film courses in her college town in Kansas (Film Noir, Screwball Comedy, Hitchcock, Billy Wilder and more). She’s worked for Turner Classic Movies as a Social Producer and TCM Ambassador (2019). Unapologetic social butterfly, she’s an active tweetaholic/original alum for #TCMParty, member of the CMBA, and busy mom of four kids and 3 fur babies. You can follow Kellee on twitter at @IrishJayhawk66 or her own blog, Outspoken & Freckled (kelleepratt.com).
But in SCCM, the Martians wear green tights, matching capes and a football helmet with weird metal protrusions that give the appearance of a Halloween costume gone wrong. I can deal with that.
Wouldn’t you be grumpy like Voldar (Vincent Beck) if you had to wear that outfit? That’s probably why he doesn’t want Santa Claus (John Call) and his holiday cheer on Mars in Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
SCCM is the seasonal equivalent of Plan 9 From Outer Space. Both were made with little money (and look it), both were panned on their release, yet both have persevered to gain “legendary” status as cult classics.
It almost didn’t happen, though, until SCCM was pulled from obscurity with an appearance on The Canned Film Festival, a 1986 late-night TV series, and the Mystery Science Theatre 3,000 Christmas special in 1991. In 2011, it “won” a Fandango poll when it topped the list of the 10 worst Christmas movies.
Since then, the movie is frequently shown
around the country and has had multiple stage versions, including a recent one
in Denver. And why not? In a time when holiday fare has the same “boy/girl meet
in a small town and discover the meaning of Christmas,” a strange sci-fi
seasonal film just might provide some holiday cheer – unusual as it may be. Let’s
start with the story.
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Martian parents are worried. Their kids are
depressed. They’ve lost their appetites, don’t rest without sleep spray, and
blankly stare for hours at the “video set.” (Ah, too much screen time is not
just a problem on Earth.)
Like all Martian children, King Kimar’s kids are glued to KID-TV, broadcasting Santa Claus from the North Pole all the way to Mars. That’s Pia Zadora at right as young Girmar.
Even King Kimar (Leonard Hicks), the Martian leader, is having trouble with his son (Bomar) and daughter (Girmar) who binge-watch “ridiculous Earth programs” broadcast from KID-TV where it’s Santa Claus all the time. (Note the cleverness of “mar” for Martians in their names: Kimar for King Martian, Bomar for Boy Martin and Girmar for Girl Martian.)
The king and his council seek advice from the
800-year-old wise one who identifies the problem immediately: the Martian kids
were never kids! They never played, laughed or had fun. So while Earth children
are joyfully anticipating Santa’s arrival, the kids on Mars are pouting and
asking questions like “What’s a doll” and “What’s tender loving care?”
Martian kids see Santa Claus show off his Martian toys in a broadcast from Earth’s KID-TV.
So what’s a Martian King to do? Kidnap Santa
Claus to bring holiday cheer to Mars, of course.
But not everyone is into the idea – namely
council member Voldar (he has a handlebar mustache, so we know he’s evil).
“All this trouble over a fat little man in a
red suit,” Voldar grumbles.
Wait until he sees all the fat little men in red suits on Earth. Who is the real Santa? Well, little Earthlings, Billy and Betty can help with that, especially if it involves a trip to the North Pole.
Martians, led by King Kimar, center, stumble upon Billy and Betty on Earth. Although the king is kind, Voldar (left) has other plans for Santa and the kids.
But these kids quickly realize Voldar has it in for them. And once the Martians find Santa (who charms their most evil weapon, Torg, a tin foil robot, they’re all on a road trip to Mars for equal doses of peril, laughs and weirdness.
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Santa Claus Conquers the Martians sprung from the imagination of producer and writer Paul Jacobson who wanted to create family entertainment. He later called it “a yuletide science-fiction fantasy.” I don’t know how the film played on its original release since it’s such a mish-mash of oddities. Most of the Martians are kind, but there are children in peril scenes, which are always uncomfortable at best – even if it involves an attacking polar bear who is clearly just a guy in a furry suit.
Our villain Voldar is a bit goofy despite trying to kill Santa and the kids (there’s that peril again). When he leads a group to sabotage Santa’s factory and stop the “toy nonsense,” it plays out like a comedy bit with The Three Stooges.
The first meeting between the Earth kids and their frowny Martian counterparts doesn’t go as well as the cheerful King hoped. Luckily, Santa is about to make an appearance.
But I do love the excitable script that is packed with statements that demand an exclamation point: “Something is happening to the children of Mars!” …. “We need Santa Claus on Mars!”… “Now you belong to Mars!”
How does Santa Claus conquer the Martians? Let’s just say the big finale isn’t as much a battle for survival as it is a kids’ fight with bubbles. Terrifying? No. High drama? Not even close. But is it a Yuletide science-fiction fantasy B-movie? Absolutely.
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Trivia
This was the first film to feature Mrs. Claus.
The Martian King’s daughter, Girmar, was played by 8-year-old Pia Zadora – best remembered as the Golden Globe winner for the incest film Butterfly.
The wonderful actor playing Santa Claus is John Call, who was appearing on Broadway in Oliver!
It’s widely reported that SCCM used the same military stock footage seen in the opening of Dr. Strangelove.
* * * * *
One last note. If you’ve seen Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, you’ll notice it bears more than a striking resemblance to SCCM (although Nightmare is far superior in all ways). Both have a leader (King Kimar on Mars, Jack Skellington in Halloweentown) who wants to do good by his people. Each kidnaps Santa Claus (pronounced Santy Claus on Mars, Sandy Claws in Halloween Town) to bring Christmas home with disastrous results. Each film has a ridiculously catchy theme song, too. I can’t help but think that Burton has seen SCCM and it influenced his creativity in some way.
Where to watch SCCM
It’s available for sale; to rent on such services such as Google Play and iTunes; and to stream on Amazon Prime.
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–Toni Ruberto for Classic Movie Hub
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.
Toni was the president of the former Buffalo chapter of TCM Backlot and now
leads 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.
The Bridge on the River Kwai: Honor, Duty and Madness – an Unforgettable Film even 62 Years Later…
In honor of the anniversary of the US theatrical release of The Bridge on the River Kwai on December 14, 1957, a mere 62 years ago today, I am reprinting an article that I wrote for Sony GetTV a few years ago about the film… This movie left such an indelible impression on me, I was compelled to write about it, and I’d like to share it with you now. If you haven’t seen the film, I strongly recommend it, but brace yourself for a powerful and quite unforgettable film. Here is my article in its entirety, with some images added for good measure…
The Bridge on the River Kwai, winner of 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (Alec Guinness)
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I’ve been a classic movie fan for as long as I can remember. Whether watching screwball comedies or romantic dramas with my mother, or learning all about The Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, and W.C. Fields courtesy of my father, some of my fondest childhood memories revolve around enjoying these wonderful films. As time went on, it became second nature for me to watch these films over and over again. I sought out new classics to enjoy, but it was only on rare occasion when I would step out of my genre ‘comfort zone’ and purposely watch a war film.
That said, I distinctly remember the first time I watched The Bridge On The River Kwai. It just so happened to be on television one night as I was flipping through the channels, so I dutifully decided to watch it for no other reason than to simply cross if off the list of movies that I hadn’t seen yet. I was fully aware of the film’s reputation and accolades, so I was relatively sure that I’d appreciate it in some capacity – but I really wasn’t prepared at all for the impact it would have on me. It’s hard for me to put it into words except to say that I still think about the conflicts and implications of the film, and I was absolutely stunned by the unfolding of the final events. Perhaps The New York Times said it best in their original review of the film on December 19, 1957: “Brilliant is the word, and no other.”
Alec Guinness as Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson
Directed by the now-legendary David Lean, The Bridge On The River Kwai is an epic WWII war film starring Alec Guinness, Sessue Hayakawa, and William Holden. The 1957 movie was adapted from the 1952 best-selling novel Le Pont de la Riviere Kwai by Pierre Boulle, which, although largely fictitious, was based on Boulle’s own war experiences. It also pulls historical context from the construction of the POW-built 1942-43 Burma-Siam railway.
The film is set in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma (filmed in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka) where camp commandant Colonel Saito (Sessue Hayakawa) and newly-arrived prisoner, British officer Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness), clash over Saito’s insistence that POW officers work as laborers to build a railway bridge. This begins an intense battle of wills that ultimately leads to an ironic outcome as Nicholson tasks himself and his men (officers included) with building the bridge – not only a bridge, but a ‘proper bridge’ – to raise morale and showcase British superiority to the Japanese. Meanwhile, American prisoner Commander Shears (William Holden) manages to escape the un-escapable camp, but is later coerced into joining a British-led commando team that must return to the camp and destroy the bridge. Now, I don’t want to spoil the ending of this exquisite and powerful film for you, so I’ll just say that the iconic last line of the movie captures it all: “Madness! Madness!”
Sessue Hayakawa as camp commandant Colonel Saito
So what is it that draws me to this film? Yes, it’s the masterful direction of David Lean. Yes, it’s the dynamic performances of the stellar cast. Yes, it’s the beautiful cinematography. Yes, it’s the scale and scope of it all. And, yes, it’s even more. But what really sets this film apart for me is the tremendous battle of wills that plays out between Saito and Nicholson. Each man is bound by a strict moral code of honor and duty that compels him to win at all costs. If Saito fails to complete the bridge on time, he is bound to perform ritual suicide; Nicholson would rather risk death than yield to Saito’s commands which violate wartime law. And, although Saito and Nicholson are stubbornly and diametrically opposed, they are essentially operating under the same code of honor. As the conflict evolves, honor and duty are again taken to extremes as Nicholson becomes obsessed with building the bridge as a testament to British ingenuity – seemingly oblivious to the fact that he will now be aiding the enemy, a potentially treasonous act. It is this dynamic that makes me wonder… Is it honor and duty that eventually drive these men to ‘madness’? Or is it honor and duty that help these men stay sane under extreme and extraordinary circumstances? How could I not thoroughly enjoy a movie that can immerse me in questions like these?
Hayakawa and Guinness are each magnificent in their roles. Although playing disciplined and unyielding officers, their performances are laced with nuances that allow us to understand and appreciate their characters’ mindsets, dilemmas, and subsequent choices, painting compelling portraits of honor and duty that are inherently and tragically flawed.
William Holden as Commander Shears
Box office draw William Holden plays the cynical but pragmatic Shears whose storyline adds an action/adventure aspect to the film and, more importantly, provides the ultimate conflict that propels us to the spectacularly ‘mad’ finale of the film.
David Lean, Alec Guinness, Sessue Hayakawa on set of The Bridge on the River Kwai
The Bridge On The River Kwai was the first of David Lean’s five epic films and the third of six movies that he made with Alec Guinness. It was released in the US on December 14, 1957, taking in a reported $17M+, which made it the highest-grossing film of 1957. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, wining seven — including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Alec Guinness), Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Music, Scoring. It won Best Screenplay for author Pierre Boulle, although the actual screenwriters were Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson who unfortunately were blacklisted at the time; however, they were both awarded their Oscars posthumously in December 1984 and their screenwriting credits were restored by the WGA in 2000. Sessue Hayakawa received his only Academy Award nomination for this film (for Best Supporting Actor), but lost out to Red Buttons for Sayonara. In 1997, the film was inducted into the National Film Registry by the US Library of Congress.
As much as I love this film, I am sure I am grossly understating its impact on film history and artistry. I will simply sum things up by, once again, quoting that New York Times review (and I couldn’t agree more): “Here is a film we guarantee you’ll not forget.”
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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
PS: I would be remiss if I didn’t add this gif from the iconic ending scene…
Silver Screen Standards: The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
Our new house got a surprise addition last month when a neighbor showed up with a little stray kitten in her arms. Mojo Jinx Mephisto is now an official member of the family, bringing the total number of cats up to three, and I spend a lot of time with at least one fuzzy companion asleep on my lap. That gives me ample opportunity to contemplate cats in classic movies, but the one that I think about most is the kitten in The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), a film noir gem starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, and Kirk Douglas. Directed by Lewis Milestone, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is a terrific noir picture with powerful performances from some of the genre’s biggest stars, but its opening stands out for its focus on the childhood of a femme fatale and the process by which she becomes a dangerous woman whose love is both strange and fatal to those around her.
Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott, and newcomer Kirk Douglas star as the adult characters in the 1946 film noir, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.
While Barbara Stanwyck plays the adult Martha through most of the film, Janis Wilson tackles the role of the young Martha during the dramatic opening sequence, in which we first see Martha trying for the fourth time to run away from her wealthy but vindictively cruel aunt (Judith Anderson). Wilson, who only appeared in seven films during her brief acting career, is a provocative choice for the teenaged version of Martha because she looks quite a lot like Judith Anderson, with sharp angles to her face and eyes narrowed in calculation. She’s no angel even at thirteen, but we get enough of her backstory in the opening to understand that Mrs. Ivers has already been hard at work destroying her niece’s innocence and capacity for simple happiness. Mrs. Ivers insults Martha’s parents, saving particular scorn for the penniless young man, Mr. Smith, who married Martha’s mother and carried her away from the Ivers family home. Determined to eliminate every tie between Martha and her dead father, Mrs. Ivers has even had Martha’s surname legally changed to Ivers instead of Smith. It’s no wonder that Martha keeps trying to escape her aunt’s clutches, but the Ivers family is so powerful in Iverstown that only Martha’s young friend, Sam (Darryl Hickman), is brave enough to help her.
Throughout this first act of the story, Martha’s kitten functions as both a plot device and symbol. The film opens with Martha and Sam hiding out on a train as they hatch their latest escape plan, with Martha clutching a tabby kitten named Bundles close to her. Like Martha, the kitten is half-grown, not a cute little ball of fur anymore but clearly so beloved by Martha that she cannot bear to leave it behind. We soon find out that Mrs. Ivers, of course, hates the cat, and Martha has to keep it well away from the vicious old lady. Like Martha’s father and Sam, the cat is viewed by Mrs. Ivers as a worthless interloper, but the cat is also like Sam and the late Mr. Smith because Martha truly loves them. We can read the kitten as a symbolic stand-in for both Martha and her father and friend. It’s inevitable, then, that Mrs. Ivers takes the first opportunity to beat the kitten mercilessly with her cane. The camera doesn’t show us the harm inflicted on the kitten, but we hear Bundles yowling in agony as Mrs. Ivers strikes with an expression of pure hatred on her pinched face.
Back at her aunt’s house after her latest attempt to run away, Martha holds her beloved kitten while talking to Walter, who might or might not have told the adults where Martha and Sam had gone.
This act of extreme cruelty finally sends Martha over the edge; she snatches the cane from her aunt’s grip and strikes the old woman with it, causing Mrs. Ivers to tumble to her death at the bottom of the stairs. Act One ends with Martha, now the sole heir to the Ivers fortune, freed from her aunt but controlled by her opportunistic tutor, Mr. O’Neil (Roman Bohnen), who helps to cover up the truth about Mrs. Ivers’ death so that he can marry his son, Walter, to Martha and thus gain access to the Ivers wealth.
This opening sequence gives us a lot to ponder about the creation of a femme fatale. At thirteen, Martha is already hardened, manipulative, and rebellious, but she’s still a child capable of deep, pure love for her kitten. Her bad qualities are partly her aunt’s influence making her more like her aunt and partly her attempts to resist that influence. If you’ve ever held a kitten, you know that kittens are curious, contrary, vulnerable, and full of wide-eyed life, very much like an adolescent human. They’re so easily hurt but are recklessly brave in spite of it, eager to experience everything life has to offer. Martha’s kitten embodies those qualities in Martha as well as her ability to love something for its own sake. Mrs. Ivers wants to destroy everything alive and good about Martha, qualities symbolized by the kitten, but Martha’s ultimate act of defiance ironically signals the death of everything Martha was really trying to protect.
All grown up, Martha has become a destructive femme fatale with a deadly hold over her alcoholic husband, Walter.
For cat lovers like myself, it might be deeply gratifying to see brutal Mrs. Ivers beaten with her own cane – it’s poetic justice, after all – but it seems like Martha is doomed no matter what she does. If she lets the old lady kill her kitten, she loses, but if she strikes back to protect or avenge it, she still loses. That’s the kind of world film-noir presents, where you can’t save your kitten and you can’t save your soul, even if you try. Martha learns that lesson early in life, and it explains her behavior as an adult. Everything she does later stems from that night when seeing her aunt’s cruelty to an innocent kitten changed her from a victim to a killer with no way back. When her old friend, Sam (Van Heflin), turns back up in Iverstown many years later, the consequences of that night catch up with Martha in dramatic fashion, but something in her has already been dead for a very long time.
Because The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is in the public domain, you can easily watch it online or find it on a streaming service. The film marked the silver screen debut of Kirk Douglas and earned an Oscar nomination for its original story by John Patrick. You can see more of Janis Wilson in Now, Voyager (1942), Watch on the Rhine(1943), and My Reputation (1946). For more cats in classic film noir, check out This Gun for Hire (1942) and The Third Man (1949), or delve into horror noir with Jacques Tourneur’s iconic Cat People (1942).
Classic Movie Travels: Burl Ives – Illinois, Los Angeles and Valley Forge
Burl Ives
In reflecting upon the many stars who entertained audiences throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood, it is easy to notice that the vast majority of these individuals were multi-talented. Their combination of many skills made them highly employable and delightful to audiences all over the world. Though Burl Ives did not initially intend to pursue a career in entertainment, he would soon explore this creative path and prove himself to be a man of many endearing talents.
Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives was born in Hunt City, Illinois, an
unincorporated town in Jasper County. His father, Levi, was a farmer and
contractor for the county. His mother, Cordelia, worked on the farm, in
addition to tending to each of the seven children in the Ives family. As a boy,
Ives was a Lone Scout until the group merged with the Boy Scouts of America. Ives
and his mother enjoyed singing while Ives played the banjo. The duo was once
overheard singing in the garden by Ives’s uncle; charmed, Ives’s uncle invited
Ives to sing at a soldiers’ reunion, with the young Ives performing a moving
rendition of “Barbara Allen”.
As the years went on, Ives enrolled at the Eastern Illinois
State Teachers College in Charleston, Illinois. He was an active player on the
school football team and a member of the Charleston Chapter of The Order of
DeMolay but soon left the school during his junior year. While attending his
English class lecture on Beowulf, he
felt that he was wasting his time and walked out the door. The story goes that
his professor made a curt remark as Ives was leaving and Ives slammed the door
behind him, shattering the glass on the way out.
A young Ives with his guitar
Throughout the 1930s, Ives traveled all over the country as a musician. He worked many odd jobs and played his banjo during his travels, essentially living as a 20th-century troubadour. While in Richmond, Indiana, Ives recorded “Behind the Clouds”, though it was rejected and destroyed by the Starr Piano Company’s Gennett label. Later, he was jailed in Mona, Utah, for vagrancy and for singing the bawdy “Foggy Dew”.
By 1931, he was performing regularly on WBOW radio in Terre
Haute, Indiana. Around the same time, he returned to school, attending the
Indiana State Teachers College. Soon after, his education continued at the
Julliard School in New York.
While in New York, Ives made his Broadway debut in The Boys from Syracuse. He and his fellow actor friend, Eddie Albert, both left the show for Los Angeles and shared an apartment in Hollywood’s Beachwood Canyon community.
In 1940, Ives had his own radio show called The Wayfaring Stranger. He popularized
many traditional folk songs, including “The Blue Tail Fly”, “Big Rock Candy
Mountain”, and numerous others. He also sang regularly with the Almanacs, a
folk-singing group.
By 1942, Ives found himself drafted into the U.S. Army, spending time at Camp Dix and Camp Upton. While at Camp Upton, he became part of the cast of Irving Berlin’s musical, This Is the Army. During his service, Ives achieved the rank of corporal and transferred to the Army Air Force once the show went to Hollywood. After an honorable discharge, Ives traveled to New York to work for CBS radio.
In 1950, Ives was blacklisted as an entertainer due to supposed ties to the Communist Party. Having cooperated with the House Un-American Activities Committee, his blacklisting was ended and he appeared in movies. Some of his film credits include his role as Sam the Sheriff in East of Eden(1955), Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), and The Big Country(1958). Ives would win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Big Country.
Ives’ Oscar win for The Big Country (1958)
Over the next few decades, Ives would continue to record music in addition to appearing in film and television roles. For more contemporary audiences, he is likely best remembered for providing the speaking and singing voice to Sam the Snowman in the Rankin/Bass NBC-TV stop-motion animated special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from 1964. Ives would also provide the voice for Sam Eagle, an audio-animatronic host to former America Sings attraction at Disneyland in 1974.
Ives was the voice of Sam the Snowman in the 1964 holiday movie, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
In 1989, Ives announced his retirement, though he continued
to perform as part of benefit concerts. He passed away from oral cancer on
April 14, 1995, in his Washington home at age 85 and was buried at Mound
Cemetery in Hunt City Township, Illinois.
Burl Ives 6/14/1909 – 4/14/1995
Today, there are many tributes and places of relevance to
Ives in his home state and beyond.
At the corner of Jourdan and Van Buren in Newton, IL,
visitors will find the town’s key tribute to Ives: a statue featuring Ives on a
bench with his guitar. While the key feature of the memorial plaza is Ives,
other Jasper County notables are also memorialized as part of this tribute.
Statue of Burl Ives in Newton, IL
Eastern Illinois University, from which Ives famously
dropped out, now has a building named after Ives. The building in question is
the Burl Ives Studio Hall. The school is located at 600 Lincoln Ave,
Charleston, IL 61920.
The Burl Ives Art Studio Hall on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois.
Thanks to his many achievements, Ives was also inducted into
the DeMolay Hall of Fame.
In 1948, Ives was listed as living at 14716 Nordhoff St. in
Los Angeles, California. Here is a shot of the property today:
Ives’ Los Angeles residence
Ives continued his ties with the Boy Scouts of America and
the organization inducted him in 1966. They granted him their highest honor—the
Silver Buffalo Award, which is on display at the Scouting Museum in Valley
Forge, Pennsylvania. The museum stands at 1601 Valley Forge Rd, Valley Forge,
PA.
The Boy Scouts of America Museum
Though Ives continues to remain relevant to fans of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, his filmography, and strong contributions to the folk genre, he is also remembered through many other tributes in his honor.
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.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! As the temperature drops, I’ve begun thinking about where Cooking with the Stars was at this time last year. I had decided to turn the concept into a column, but on my own blog, and I had just purchased an edition of Good Housekeeping magazine dated December of 1964. The magazine contains a mini-cookbook with a wide array of celebrity recipes perfect for the holiday season, and while last year I whipped up some delicious batches of Gina Lollobrigida‘s Christmas Wreath Cookies to send to family members, I also knew as soon as I first opened the pages that this cookbook would make a wonderful Cooking with the Stars tradition to revisit every December. So, this month I’m doing exactly that, combining this fantastic vintage find with the delightful seasonal flavors of apples in the wintertime to make an intriguing dessert originally made my an even more intriguing star: Lucille Ball!
Lucille Ball as a toddler, c. 1910s.
Lucille Désirée Ball was born on August 6, 1911, in Jamestown, New York to Désirée “DeDe” Evelyn Ball and Henry Durrell Ball, a lineman for the Bell Telephone Company. Henry was transferred often in his job, which forced the Ball family to travel place to place during Lucy’s formative years. When she was only three years old, however, Henry died of typhoid fever at the age of twenty-seven, while DeDe was pregnant with Lucy’s younger brother Fred. After her father’s passing, Lucy and her family moved in with her maternal grandparents two miles from Jamestown in a town called Celoron, NY, which at the time was a famed resort spot with a theme park by the water and lots of entertainment in the form of vaudeville and theatre.
Four years after Henry’s passing, DeDe married Edward Peterson and Lucy and Fred lived with Peterson’s strict puritan parents while the couple searched for work. When Lucy was caught admiring herself in the house’s only mirror, she was scolded and considered vain, which harmed her self-esteem for years afterward. Her stepfather saw her potential, however, and urged her to audition as a chorus girl.
Lucille Ball in a scene from Five Came Back (1939), one of my favorite film performances of hers.
The applause and feeling of gratitude that her audience gave her made Lucy hungry for a life of performing. Around the same time, she became romantically involved with a local beau who was far older than her and someone who her mother considered to be a bad influence, so DeDe decided to send Lucy to the John Murray Anderson School for the Dramatic Arts, which boasted alumni like Bette Davis, in an effort to end her relationship.
Lucy took the bait, but later claimed that “All I learned in drama school was how to be frightened.” Her teachers were harsh and saw no potential for her in show business, but their criticism only lit a flame underneath her, and she began work as a model and in the chorus on stage in shows produced by the likes of Earl Carroll and Florenz Ziegfeld. She landed her fair share of bit parts in the film too, first appearing as an extra in a variety of comedies and shorts in the early thirties and eventually working her way up to substantial scenes in some of the Astaire and Rogers features like Roberta (1935) and Follow the Fleet (1936).
Two years later, Lucy landed a supporting role in yet another film alongside her distant relative Ginger Rogers in Stage Door (1937), and she even tested for the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), but as far as her early work goes, I always treasure her in her role in Five Came Back (1939).
Lucille Ball and Gene Kelly in a gorgeous publicity photo for Du Barry Was a Lady (1943). Technicolor did her wonders!
After that film, Lucy’s career was somewhat stagnant; despite starring in some notable pictures like Dance, Girl Dance (1939) with Maureen O’Hara, Too Many Girls (1940), where she met the love of her life, Desi Arnaz, and The Big Street (1942) with Henry Fonda, audiences still weren’t taking notice of her in a big way just yet. It wasn’t until Ann Sothern passed on the leading role in Du Barry Was A Lady (1943) that Lucy really got the chance to shine in a Technicolor MGM production that was worthy of her larger-than-life persona.
Throughout the decade she became a bonafide movie star, appearing in a multitude of quality productions from MGM and beyond in features like Ziegfeld Follies (1946), Easy to Wed (1946), and Lured (1947).
In 1948, Ball joined the cast of My Favorite Husband, a successful radio series in which she portrayed a zany housewife. When asked to develop it for television, she was receptive to the idea, but only if she could work with her real-life husband Desi Arnaz. Their marriage was rocky at the time due to his infidelity, her jealous streak, and their demanding work schedules, and at first, the network wasn’t sure how well American viewers would handle an interracial marriage on television. It wasn’t until the couple tested the idea in a traveling stage show that CBS decided to produce I Love Lucy (1951-57).
I Love Lucy was a groundbreaking television series for its time and is still considered one of the greatest sitcoms even today.
I Love Lucy, spearheaded by Lucille Ball’s own production company Desilu Studios, proved early on that it was incredibly before its time. Not only was Desilu Studios the first TV production company helmed by a woman, it was also one of the first television shows to be filmed in front of a live studio audience, on reused adjacent sets, and most importantly, it was one of the first shows to be filmed on actual film reels rather than kinescope. Kinescope was more commonly used in the early days of television, especially for live shows such as What’s My Line? (1950-75), but the quality of these productions resulted in a far inferior print; it was Lucy’s astute decision to film her show on reels that allowed it to live on in the pristine condition that it’s in today.
After I Love Lucy reached its end, Lucille Ball continued to star in a variety of spinoffs like The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour (1957-60), The Lucy Show (1962-68), and Here’s Lucy (1968-74), while also producing shows like Star Trek (1966-70) and Mission: Impossible (1966-75), and she even starred in a few more critically acclaimed movies such as Critic’s Choice (1963) and Yours, Mine, and Ours (1968). In the final years of her life, Ball mentored other funny ladies of the small screen like Barbara Eden and Carol Burnett and starred in one final television show of her own, Life With Lucy (1986).
She passed away on April 26, 1989, at the age of seventy-seven of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. She was cremated and initially interred at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, but in 2002 her children moved her remains to her family plot at Lake View Cemetery in Jamestown, New York.
Lucille Ball’s Apple John
For the filling:
2 ¾ pounds cooking apples, thinly sliced and peeled (I used Pink Lady apples)
½ cup of sugar
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup of water
For the biscuits:
2 cups Bisquick
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons melted butter
½ cup milk
Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
Fill casserole with apples, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon peel, lemon juice, and water. Toss together with a fork.
Bake, covered, 1 hour or until apples are tender.
Turn oven heat up to 450 degrees F.
In a bowl, combine Bisquick and sugar. Quickly stir in melted butter and milk.
Drop, by rounded tablespoonfuls, around the top edge of casserole, and one in the center of the biscuit ring.
Bake, uncovered, 12 to 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden and done.
Cool slightly. Serve warm, with vanilla ice cream on top of each serving.
Makes 9 servings.
My take on Lucille Ball’s Apple John!
As soon as I read this recipe in its entirety, I believed
that I had a hit on my hands. To me, it basically looks like apple pie filling
with biscuits on top instead of a top and bottom pie crust, and I thought that
this recipe was essentially fool-proof for that reason. Everything started out
great with the preparation as I listened to Nat King Cole Christmas tunes and
thinly sliced the apples, but as I poured the lemon juice into the mixture and
added the lemon rind, my mind flashed back to a horrible experience that I had
in my early days of making classic movie star recipes. It was another holiday
season a few years ago not too unlike this one, and I spent what felt like half
the day preparing Jimmy Stewart’s Apple Pie recipe. I had never made an apple
pie recipe before, and as I painstakingly sliced each apple, I was so scared of
the apples browning that I added more and more lemon juice, not thinking
anything of how this would affect the end result. As I proudly presented and
served my pie to my family, what I hoped would be a bunch of happy faces were
actually sour ones, for obvious reasons!
Ultimately, I think the lemon juice did this recipe in as well, though not quite as terrible as my first apple dessert! While the vanilla ice cream balanced the sour flavor out well, I would halve the amount of lemon juice and zest, or even just omit it altogether. Who really needs lemon juice in a dessert like this, anyway? My other issue with this dish was the use of Bisquick. I had never used it before, and at the start, the biscuits seemed to mold together nicely, but the smell and taste were just strange to me, especially paired with the over-lemoned filling. I definitely enjoy the idea of a biscuit-topped apple john, but I think handmade is the best way to go here. All in all, I’m so glad that I tried Lucy’s recipe out for the holiday season, and I give it four Vincents! Her cranberry sauce recipe is still my favorite (and honestly one of my favorite Old Hollywood recipes of all time), but I think with a few adjustments, this could be a slam dunk!
Ball’s Apple John gets 4 Vincents!
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–Samantha Ellis for Classic Movie Hub
Samantha resides in West Chester, Pennsylvania and is the author of Musings of a Classic Film Addict, a blog that sheds light on Hollywood films and filmmakers from the 1930s through the 1960s. Her favorite column that she pens for her blog is Cooking with the Stars, for which she tests and reviews the personal recipes of stars from Hollywood’s golden age. When she isn’t in the kitchen, Samantha also lends her voice and classic film knowledge as cohost of the Ticklish Business podcast alongside Kristen Lopez and Drea Clark, and proudly serves as President of TCM Backlot’s Philadelphia Chapter. You can catch up with her work by following her @classicfilmgeek on Twitter.
That’s Right, We’re Doin’ It Again! The Give A Gift, Get a Gift Holiday Contest.
Greetings CMH Fans and Followers!
For the past 2 years, we’ve run a special holiday giveaway contest to express my sincere gratitude to our followers and our columnists. That said, I am very happy to say that the Give A Gift, Get a Gift Giveaway Contest returns again this year!
As you may know, Classic Movie Hub is a labor of love for me, one that I launched several years ago. It started out as my final project for a website development course I was taking at NYU (it was just a one-page site at that time) – and has since grown quite a bit (may I say that’s an understatement?). For me, it’s been an extremely exciting adventure that has allowed me to pursue my passion, learn an awful lot — and (truly) meet wonderful like-minded fans and bloggers, many of which I now count among my friends! Not to mention the fact that it’s mind-boggling to think that we now have over 1.1M Facebook fans, 78K Twitter fans and 45K Pinterest fans — wow — and that’s all thanks to you – the wonderful and passionate Classic Movie Community! (I know, I know… I said ‘wonderful’ too many times, but that’s how I feel…)
So here we go… Please think of this contest as my way of extending a Big Thank You to everyone who supports Classic Movie Hub… I appreciate it VERY MUCH!
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Here’s how the giveaway works:
Our monthly columns, each with a niche classic film theme, are authored by some of the best writers in the classic film community. To better acquaint you with these fabulous writers and to show them some fan love in return, this contest asks you to read as many of these featured posts as you like and leave a comment of feedback for each of those you’ve read. For every comment submitted, you get an entry into our contest. The more comments you give, the more chances you have to win!
We call the contest Give a Gift, Get a Gift… The gift you’re giving is the gift of time by reading and commenting on the post(s)… The gift you’re getting is an entry (or entries) into the contest… As for me, to show my appreciation for your participation, I have tried to put together some nice prize packages — and all of the DVDs have been purchased by me (they were not supplied by any outside company)…
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The Weekly and Grand Prize drawings:
The contest will run from now through December 28, 2019, 8PM EST. In order to qualify to win one of these prizes via this contest giveaway, you must read and comment on any of the featured posts listed below (as many as you want). For each comment submitted, you will gain one entry into the contest. However, the sooner you get started, the more chances you will have to win – because in addition to the Grand Prizes awarded at the end of the contest, we will also be giving away one DVD a week (as listed below). And, if you win a DVD during one of the weekly drawings, you are STILL ELIGIBLE to win one of the Grand or Runner Up Prizes at the end of the contest!United States (all 50 states) and Canadian residents are eligible this time. All prizes will be awarded via random drawings. Prizes will be shipped to our winners in mid-January.
Dec 7: Christmas in Connecticut DVD (1 winner announced Dec 8 at 8PM)
Dec 14: Christmas in Connecticut DVD (1 winner announced Dec 15 at 8PM)
Dec 21: Christmas in Connecticut DVD (1 winner announced Dec 22 at 8PM)
Dec 28: Christmas in Connecticut DVD (1 winner announced Dec 29 at 8PM)
Dec 31: Grand Prize Packages (a total of 5 winners… each winner will be announced around midnight on Dec 31, to help ring in the New Year)
Grand Prize #1: winner’s choice of 4 DVDs (listed below) + one surprise gift
Grand Prize #2: winner’s choice of 4 DVDs (listed below) + one surprise gift
Grand Prize #3: winner’s choice of 4 DVDs (listed below) + one surprise gift
Runner Up Prize #1: winner’s choice of 3 DVDs (listed below)
Runner Up Prize #2: winner’s choice of 3 DVDs (listed below)
We will announce each week’s winner on Twitter @ClassicMovieHub or this blog, depending how you entered, as noted above.
See full rules below.
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Here are the DVDs up for grabs (winner’s choice of 3 or 4, as noted above, and while supplies last):
Alfred Hitchcock: 20 Films (The Lady Vanishes 1938, The Farmer’s Wife 1928, The Manxman 1926, Easy Virtue 1926, Jamaica Inn 1939, The Lodger 1926, The Ring 1927, Young and Innocent 1937, Rich and Strange 1932, The Thirty-Nine Steps 1935, Secret Agent 1936, Champagne 1928, Blackmail 1929, Juno and the Paycock 1930, Sabotage 1936, The Skin Game 1931, Number Seventeen 1932, The Man Who Knew Too Much 1934, Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Cheney Vase, Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, trailers)
NOTE: if for any reason you encounter a problem commenting on any of the blog posts, please feel free to tweet or DM us, or send an email to clas…@gmail.com and we will be happy to create the entry for you.
ALSO: Please allow us 48 hours to approve your comments. Sorry about that, but we are overwhelmed with spam, and must sort through 100s of comments every day.
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Last but not least, the Rules:
Contest will run from Nov 29, 2019 to Dec 28, 2019 at 8pm EST.
Limited to United States (yes, all 50 states can enter this time!) and Canadian residents only.
Every time you read a column article (from the list above) and leave an eligible feedback comment, you will receive one entry into the Contest.
Only one comment per post/article is counted as an entry.
Each comment must be positive, and must be more detailed than simply “great post!” Some good examples:
“Karen, I really enjoyed learning about the noir gem, WICKED WOMAN. Who knew the writing/directing duo behind that film created the story of Doris Day/Rock Hudson classic PILLOW TALK?? Thanks for teaching me something new about classic film!”
“Laura, I learned so much about Hopalong Cassidy and other western greats in WESTERN FILM BOOK LIBRARY- Part 2. That was a fascinating list of recommendations. Thanks!”
Yes, you can win the weekly DVD giveaway, and still be eligible to win a Grand Prize or Runner Up Prize package.
Spammers (i.e. using bots to make generic comments) are ineligible.
Updates will be posted on CMH social media channels on a regular basis.
Each winner will be notified by email or Twitter and will have 48 hours to respond with their shipping information or a new winner may be chosen. If any Prize or Prize notification is returned as undeliverable, the winner may be disqualified, and an alternate winner may be selected.
Prizes will ship after the contest period is over. Please allow up to 2 to 4 weeks for prize delivery. Classic Movie Hub is not responsible for prizes lost or stolen.
Family of Classic Movie Hub is not eligible for entry……
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The more feedback comments you give, the more chances to win. See? Give a Gift, Get a Gift! We hope you enjoy participating in our Holiday Contest to honor this season for giving.
A Big Thank your for participating! And a Happy and Healthy Holidays to All,
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