Bedazzled (1967)

Stanley (Dudley Moore), a pathetic short order cook, is in love with a waitress (Eleanor Bron), but is too shy to ask her out. When he fails to commit suicide, he is approached by the devil (Peter Cook) and is offered a deal for his soul.

Stanley Donen, director of much more polished films, turned down Hello, Dolly! to work on this one. Written by the comedy team of Pete and Dud, it is mostly an extension of their BBC show. A riff on the Faust legend, Stanley is granted seven wishes he uses to win the affection of the pretty-ish Margaret. Unfortunately, the devil cannot be trusted.

The film has a low budget feel. Moore and Cook were not accomplished actors at that point and the audio wasn’t quite right. However the inventiveness of the comedy wins the day. There are some legitimate laugh out loud moments. Also, seven minutes of Raquel Welch, hot off her success in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years BC, doesn’t hurt. Rest in peace, Raquel. I thought you'd live forever.

Bedazzled is mostly a collection of vignettes, Stanley’s seven wishes, connected by a larger narrative. While some moments are tedious and outright cringy, much is original and genuinely funny. Cook makes for a charming devil and Moore is likable as the hapless romantic. AMRU 3.5.

Paper Moon (1973)

When attending the funeral of a woman he knew, a bible selling con man (Ryan O’Neal) agrees to take the deceased’s daughter (Tatum O’Neal) to her aunt in Missouri. Is she also his daughter? Well, Tatum is Ryan’s. They have the same jaw.

Ostensibly about the adventures they share, the film is actually about their relationship. How they begin to trust, appreciate, and help each other. Perhaps something Ryan failed to do with Tatum. Allegedly when Ryan learned that Tatum was nominated for an Oscar and he wasn’t, he hit her. Neither parent attended the ceremony when Tatum won and she would never be nominated again. Hollywood is a tough town.

John Hillerman of Magnum PI fame plays a double role. He also appeared in Peter Bogdanovich’s What’s Up Doc? and The Last Picture Show. We are also treated to a great early performance from Madeline Kahn as Trixie Delight, a floozie grifter who sets her sights on Ryan’s Moses Pray. Subtle performances were not her forte and here she is deliciously over the top.

Based on the book Addie Pray, Bogdanovich changed the title to Paper Moon and included a throw-away line to justify it. He asked Orson Welles what he thought of this title and Welles replied: "That title is so good, you shouldn't even make the picture, just release the title!" Welles was so helpful. Paper Moon is an amusing character study with excellent performances. AMRU 4.

Tortilla Flat (1942)

Troubled Danny (John Garfield) inherits two houses from his grandfather, and his good friend Pilon (Spencer Tracy) is there to keep him from the pitfalls of property ownership. By this I mean he scams him at every turn. Danny has an eye for Dolores, a hot Portuguese girl (Hedy Lamarr).

Based on the John Steinbeck novel, it is set in a humble California village populated by Mexican-Americans and other poor immigrants. A comedy in the “pleasantly amusing” rather than “actually funny” model, we follow the character’s antics as life goes on.

One issue is that the principal characters are of either Mexican or Portuguese descent, but as far as I can tell only Frank Morgan, who has an Argentinian grandparent, can claim this. This should come as no surprise. During Hollywood’s golden era it was considered progressive to even have Hispanic characters. But to the studio’s credit, they did make an attempt (Anthony Quinn, Desi Arnaz, Rita Hayworth, Maria Montez) but had to settle for Tracy, Garfield, Lamarr, and Betty Wells.

A bigger issue is that the actors spoke in a stilted manner that felt disrespectful. Maybe that's because that’s how Mexican characters spoke in looney tunes. But it was very distracting, especially out of Spencer Tracy’s mouth. I got over this before the film’s end and far be it for me to be offended on someone else’s behalf. I would be interested to know how Mexican-Americans feel.

Tortilla Flat is an amusing story, with many familiar faces in character roles, and my first Hedy Lamarr film, which is the reason I watched it. She invented WiFi, not really, but read about it if you are so inclined. AMRU 2.5.

Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)

Reporter Michael testifies against a man (Elijah Cook, Jr.) found at a murder scene. The suspect had threatened the deceased. Later, Michael finds himself in a very similar situation, and is now the suspect. It’s up to his pretty fiancee to prove both murders were committed by a mysterious stranger (Peter Lorre) only he saw.

I recently learned that this film is considered the first example of film-noir, and TCM was kind enough to air it a few days later. It wasn’t a critical or financial success, the style being a bit of a departure from mysteries and crime dramas of the day. It was called pretentious and artsy, an unusual reaction for an RKO B picture. It featured the desperate and pessimistic attitude, and expressionistic lighting of later noirs, and an extensive dream sequence.

Ethel Griffies, who was our hero’s cantankerous landlady, played the elderly ornithologist in The Birds some 23 years later. His neighbor is played by prolific character actor Charles Halton, who appeared in 174 feature films, 108 in a six year span between 1937 and 1942. He must have jumped from set to set shooting his scenes quickly then moving on. He has appeared in everything from classics to forgotten B pictures. He worked until he was 82, then died at 83. He needed the rest.

Peter Lorre was very Peter Lorre playing the Peter Lorre role. He had little screen time but was quite good. Elijah Cook had a surprisingly small role. Heroine Margaret Tallichet was quite charming, but having married director William Wyler, would retire a year later.

Perhaps the real villain was the criminal justice system, too quick to rush to judgment. Too eager for a conviction, truth be damned. Our hero learns this only when the shoe is on his foot. Also, he is kind of a jerk. Pretty Jane should think twice before marrying him. Stranger on the Third Floor does have a strange tone. Maybe a bit pretentious. Still, it’s interesting, and Peter Lorre is fun to watch as a demented killer. AMRU 3.