Royal Wedding (1951)

Famous brother-sister dance team (that’s a thing) are hired to perform for the Queen’s wedding, so they hop on a ship and set sail for a caricature of Merry Old England. On board playa sista (Jane Powell) meets up and falls in love with fellow playa and rat-packer Peter Lawford, who in this context is a British Lord. Brother (Fred Astaire) must wait until England before he falls for … Winston Churchill’s daughter? Ok, so that happened. Will love bloom? Right, we addressed that.

Jane Powell playing Astaire’s sister defied credibility as she was and very much looked thirty years his junior. She acted in only twenty two features, of which I’ve only seen the problematic Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Here she used a vocal technique called screeching. She passed away only last fall.

The only thing I knew about Peter Lawford is that he was in Frank Sinatra’s rat pack. Was, as in, was kicked out because of something to do with the Kennedys and Sinatra's ties to the mob. Probably more to it than that. Peter's career would falter and would die at 61, because of drink, I’m guessing.

Old buddy Keenan Wynn has a vaguely amusing double role. He has appeared in a ton of things, both great and terrible. I’ll always remember him as Winter. But let’s talk about Mae Clarke. She was a natural for sexy pre-code roles but personal problems and a car accident put her career on the skids. When sexy roles dried up during production code enforcement, she was relegated to B pictures. I suspect, however, that her slide had more to do with personal issues than production codes. Here, she earned the role of “Telephone Operator #1 (uncredited)”.

Astaire dances with a coat rack, on a rocking ship, and finally on the ceiling, using the rotating set originated by my buddy-pal Buster Keaton. If that is your thing, likely you will more than tolerate Royal Wedding. I’m sure it represents Astaire’s latter career just fine. For me, the song and dance numbers were tedious, the chemistry unconvincing, the story paper-thin, and the comedy incidental. AMRU 2.5.

The Navigator (1924)

A rich dink (Buster Keaton) plans his honeymoon then announces to his love that they are to be married. When she rejects him, he decides to go to Hawaii alone. Criminal backstory has them both set adrift on the USS Navigator, neither knowing the other is onboard.

Buster made twelve silent comedy features, seven of which I have seen. The last five are the lowest (but not low) rated of the bunch, and I will pick them off. That’s just what I needed. Another list to complete.

After Buster’s rejection he sees a loving couple driving in a car. They also happen to be black, and loneliness is the take-away. How progressive, I thought. That thought didn’t last long. Later, when on the boat, they come across an island peopled with angry cannibals. Yea, you know how that went down.

The Navigator is Buster Keaton at the top of his game, the gags innovative and effective. There is an amusing (and dangerous) underwater scene and a set piece that would later inspire a scene in Inception and in a film I will get to very soon. To say it’s in the top five of Keaton’s silent comedies doesn’t sound like high praise, but it actually is. AMRU 4.

Dressed to Kill (1946)

Bad guy in prison knows the location of stolen loot and the cops are desperate to find out where. Cohorts on the outside need to buy junky music boxes because reasons. Watson’s buddy runs afoul of the bad guys, and Holmes is on the case.

It was nice to see old friend Ian Wolf again. This is our fifteenth film together and forth in the Holmes series. So, why Dressed to Kill? Maybe because the lady-baddy was a fancy dresser, but I suspect it’s because movies need titles. I understand the story (as is The Pearl of Death) is loosely based on Sir Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Six Napoleons” and not the 1980 Angie Dickinson/Michael Caine vehicle. There was also a silent film and a mostly forgotten noir-adjacent film from 1941 by that title.

Not exactly a mystery. We know who the bad guys are and what they are trying to accomplish. It’s just the nature and location of the loot, and what the music boxes have to do with anything, that we are to learn. And that’s just fine. Consistent in tone and complexity, these films are just fun to watch. Were I to complain, though, it would be where our heroes get into trouble by being absurdly dumb. I get it, if Holmes were always two steps ahead, there would be no danger or drama. But they aren’t supposed to be dumb, either. Holmes, anyhow.

This is my penultimate Holmes film and the last chronologically. I don’t know if I will miss them once I’m done and I doubt I will ever revisit them, but for now I am enjoying them. The last one will require a trip to the library. AMRU 3.5.

The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)

When Professor Jonathan Drake has a vision of three skulls, he knows his brother Kenneth is in danger. But by the time he arrives at the country mansion, Kenneth is already dead. Routine heart attack, nothing suspicious. No need to run a toxicology scan. Oh, and his head is missing. The police suspect foul play but professor Drake knows it’s the family curse.

Directed by schlockmeister Edward Cahn who helmed 72 films in his career. Not a bad total, but impressively he directed 44 features between 1956 and 1961 alone. That averages to over seven films a year. That’s … exhausting. How did he rush through that many films? Simple. He rushed through them. Everything about this picture felt rushed. The script, acting, stage direction, everything. I’m sure only the most disastrous takes were redone. Cahn would direct two more in 1962, then die. And so it goes.

I thought I had seen The Four Skulls just before I started my blog but apparently that was The Screaming Skull. I watched a lot of this sort of thing in the year prior to blogging. Obvious bad guy type Henry Daniell is the obvious bad guy. Coming from the stage, he seemed to be the only actor to rehearse their lines (such as they are) prior to filming. This is the eleventh film I’ve seen him in, including three Sherlock Holmes.

Despite itself, The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake was enjoyable to watch. The sets were fine, the story made sense, and was barely over an hour long. It held my interest without taxing my slip glazed brain. What more could one want? AMRU 3.5.

The 400 Blows (1959)

A French schoolboy with a less than ideal home life keeps getting into trouble.

The title refers not to physical blows, but mischievous tricks or pranks that a boy might play. And get into trouble for. This radically changes our expectation of the film. This semi-autobiographical film is the first and arguably most famous film directed by François Truffaut, and is a landmark of the French new wave.

To some degree The 400 Blows relies on the viewer sympathizing with the child, but he just makes one dumb decision after another. As details of his imperfect family are revealed, we find out just how imperfect it is, especially by 1950’s standards. While I found the story compelling, I am at a loss to understand what all the hype is about. It’s an interesting, well made film about a boy who gets into trouble. Freeze frame and roll credits. AMRU 3.5.

Nightmare Alley (1947)

Stan Carlisle (Tyrone Power) is a sideshow mentalist who yearns for the big time. When he learns that a fellow carnie and her husband have a system that got them to the big time before he fell into a bottle, Stan must learn more.

Power was a swashbuckling matinee idol, but thirsted for darker roles. When he learned of the script, he begged for the role. It was his favorite role and a box office flop. Audiences weren’t interested in seeing their knight in shining armor scam people and play with their emotions.

A hundred years ago I saw Power in Witness for the Prosecution and enjoyed his performance. I have no interest in seeing his pirate and costume romance flicks, but there are a few good films on his CV, this being one. It was nice to see Joan Blondell in a middle role. She came up with Jean Harlow and Barbara Stanwyck, and that crowd back in the pre-code cheesecake era and did cameo-adjacent roles in films like Grease and The Cincinnati Kid in her late career. But here, she is still attractive, likable, and intrinsic to the plot.

Here also is pretty Coleen Gray in only her third film role. Her acting was noticeably weak compared to her costars, but it’s easy to forgive because she was absolutely adorable. And she was still adorable fifteen years later in the forgettable Phantom Planet.

Based on a book, the film drops hints of darker elements. When told she has a big heart, Blondell’s Zeena replies “Sure, as big as an artichoke, a leaf for everyone.” A later scene doesn’t make sense unless you infer carnal activities. The background characters have depth and leave the audience wanting more.

Nightmare Alley is a fun and interesting watch. It’s reputation improved from it’s initial failure. It saw TV syndication after Power’s untimely death. There, audiences embraced it, no longer considering it “distasteful” as Darryl Zanuck called it. It has atmosphere, texture, and a persistent sense of danger. AMRU 4.5.

“I'm about as reliable as a two dollar cornet.”

2021 Retrospective

I may have burned myself out a little in 2020 and took it easy in 2021, but still blogging 52 films. I also chose to watch more foreign films, better films, and films I actively want to see, rather than those I felt I should see. I watched five foreign language films but stopped mid-year for some reason. I watched two essential films, and five notoriously bad films. I predicted I would see a fair number of Hitchcock films, and I watched five (six if you count Pleasure Garden, which I saw in December). I think I have twenty three of his films left and I expect to like only a couple. Fifteen films I rated 4.0 or better.

My local library has a film discussion group over Zoom. Once class didn’t conflict, I started participating. They alternate between a classic film and a modern one. Five I covered this year came from that group. It's been great. I don't have anyone to talk film with anymore.

I saw two silent (three if you count Pleasure Garden), The Lodger being my favorite, six musicals (two Marx Brothers), Umbrellas of Cherbourg being my favorite. I finally watched a Sophia Loren film and saw two. The five foreign language films makes ten in the past two years compared to seven in all prior years. Only one documentary, though. I can’t even think of another must-see feature length pre-1980 documentary. Woodstock, maybe?

I saw two Marx Brothers films with only one left, the disowned Love Happy. I watched one more of the Basil Rathbone Sherlock Holmes films and have two to go. I couldn’t bring myself to watch an Elvis film. I’m guessing that won’t change this year.

The best film I saw in 2021 was La Strada. I really enjoyed watching it and frequently think back to it. Godfather fans may take exception but this blog is no democracy. Part II was the only Best Picture winner I saw. Other honorable mentions are the noir Born to Kill, the essential horror Rosemary’s Baby, The Odd Couple, Hitchcock’s The Lodger, Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole, Two Women, Bicycle Thieves, Harold and Maude, Manchurian Candidate, and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Note that four of the five foreign language films I saw are listed here.

The worst film was probably Night of the Lepus. It wasn’t terrible. Some of the effects were kinda interesting, but the story and overall execution was pretty bad. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians was supposed to be terrible, and was by no means good, but I found it just dumb and forgettable. Yes, I was disappointed that it wasn’t worse. Other dishonorable mentions are The Gorilla, featuring The Ritz Brothers, and the Marx Brothers The Big Store, both unfunny and unlikable.

Looking forward I intend on continuing the trend. Maybe six foreign language films, four or five Hitchcock’s, more silent film, and complete the Sherlock Holmes and Marx Brothers films once and for all. It’s hard being a completionist. Other than that, I hope to get north of 50 again and enjoy what I watch.

Goodbye for now.