Marty (1955)

Marty (Ernest Borgnine), a middle aged butcher, has given up on finding love, but his mom convinces him to go to a dance hall. It seems that there are tomatoes there. A man there ditches a girl he came with to go off with another, and Marty feels bad for her. They hit it off but he is pressured to brush her off.

The good-natured Marty finds someone he might be happy with but she isn’t pretty enough for his friends, or Italian enough for Ma. Marty touches on loneliness, self worth, and independence. And does so in a very simple and heartwarming manner. We watch young men looking for something to do on a Saturday night that would have resonated with young men in the mid-50’s and the mid-80’s. Today, the same people would stay home, put headgear on, and play online games throughout the night, but that’s just the grumblings of an old man.

Borgnine, of Mermaid Man fame, was mainly a heavy to this point in his career, but the unexpected success of Marty would improve the quality of his roles. Of eight Academy Award nominations, it won four Oscars including best picture and best lead actor. Maybe this is because of the movie’s refreshingly positive tone, or maybe because the for your consideration budget was higher than the actual production budget. Whatever works.

TV’s Jack Klugman had an uncredited role and I was surprised to see Frank Sutton, whom people my age will remember as Sgt. Carter. Oscar winning screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky also got a cameo. I don’t know much about him but film nerds speak his name in hushed voices. Those people, am I right?

Marty is just a pleasant watch. It provides a nice look into a particular slice of life that doesn’t really exist anymore. I don’t know if it was actually the best film of 1955, but I haven’t seen much that was nominated. But then again, Night of the Hunter wasn’t nominated.

“See, dogs like us, we ain't such dogs as we think we are.”

The Major and the Minor (1942)

Susan (Ginger Rogers), disillusioned with life in New York City, decides to move back home. Unfortunately, fares have increased and she can no longer afford her ticket. So naturally she dresses as a minor to get a half fare. The train ushers don’t buy it so she hides in the cabin of an Army Major (Ray Milland). He doesn’t doubt her for a second and they strike up a friendship.

Ginger Rogers has a youthful appearance and pulls off the child look to a degree, but it is a big ask of the audience to think that anyone taking a close look would actually believe she is a child. Major Kirby’s fiance sees Sue-Sue without pigtails and get’s the “wrong” idea, only to become convinced once the pigtails return.

Let’s get the big issue out of the way, which is the budding relationship between a 35 year old, engaged Army Major and someone he believes to be under twelve years old. That the viewer knows full well from the beginning that Susan is an adult helps keep the creep factor at bay, aided by the fact that Rogers is simply not believable as a preteen. Also, Billy Wilder’s comedic script keeps the tone light and deftly side-steps problematic notions.

Susan stays with the Major’s fiancee (Rita Johnson, two years younger than Ginger), bunking with her little sister (Diana Hill). Hill’s Lucy not only sees through the ruse but explains in detail why. They live at the cadet training institute that fiance's dad runs and Susan attracts the sometimes toxic attention of the none-the-wiser teenaged cadets.

Longtime screenwriter Wilder was given a chance to direct a Hollywood feature, and the result isn’t bad. It’s not one of his best, but certainly not a misfire. Not as funny or moving as his best work, and I didn’t care for the conclusion, but that’s setting a high bar. AMRU 3.

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

A man (Jimmy Durante) driving recklessly down a mountain road sails off the cliff. He just went sailing right out there. People from cars that he passed climb down to check out the accident. With his dying moments he tells the group of money buried in a park in Santa Rosa, California, underneath a giant W. I wonder if they can all work together to retrieve the loot? The police take a keen interest.

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World brings together some of the best comedy talent of the day in an ensemble cast that is unrivaled. Popular TV comics of the day, old Hollywood legends, up and coming talents, and character actors. This level of talent could never happen again.

And if you think I’m exaggerating, the five people who visit the crash site were played by Milton Burl, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney, and Jonathan Winters. Waiting in the cars are Ethel Merman, Edie Adams, and Dorothy Provine. Ok, Dorothy isn’t all that famous, but she starred in That Darn Cat! That’s not nothing.

Spencer Tracy is the tired police chief monitoring the people’s movements, and Phil Silvers, Dick Shawn, and Terry-Thomas have large, memorable roles. But a complete list of cameos and character rolls would be impractical, but I will at least to mention Buster Keaton and the Three Stooges (with Joe DeRita). It would almost be easier to list the exceptions.

The film is wall to wall stunts and gags. There were about one hundred stuntmen working in Hollywood at that time and about 80 worked on this film. It was essentially filmed twice: once with the stuntmen dressed as the stars (sometimes in blackface), and again with the stars themselves. When Hackett saw the stunt footage, he asked “What do you need us for?”

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is a long film. IMDb says three and a half hours, but my TCM recording was just short of 3. Apparently a couple scenes were cut before the premiere. I remember loving it as a kid before I knew who most of the cast was, and was curious to know how well it held up. Amazingly well, it turns out. I watched until the intermission then finished the film on a second day.

Which begs the question, how many pure comedies have an intermission? I can’t think of another. But Mad World does not drag. It’s a case study on how to use a large ensemble cast properly. Also, how to use stunts effectively. And better yet, the stunts supported the comedy, not just tacked on.

There are too many side stories about the production and potential casting choices to go into here, but Don Rickles was slighted by not being included. When I saw Rickles in concert a few years ago, he mentioned this. AMRU 4.5.

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.