I’m a little late with my post. I honestly didn’t realize that it was only one day, I thought I had the weekend. Whoops. I attended a baseball game (employee appreciation function) with my coworkers that evening and just didn’t have time. Anyway, better late than never, right? I didn’t want to miss out on writing about one of my favorite movies, Funny Face from 1957.
I recently saw The Devil Wears Prada 2, the sequel to the first film that came out in 2006. I’m not the first person to make this observation, but The Devil Wears Prada shares a lot of similarities with Funny Face, a film that predates it by more than 50 years. Both The Devil Wears Prada and Funny Face feature a protagonist, Anne Hathaway’s Andy and Audrey Hepburn’s Jo, respectively, who initially dismisses fashion as frivolous until they find themselves swept up in the glamour and prestige of the fashion industry. Andy has to deal with a demanding boss in the form of editor Miranda Priestley (Meryl Streep) and Jo has the less demanding, but very particular Maggie Prescott (Kay Thompson). Both Miranda and Maggie have dutiful assistants. Miranda has Emily (Emily Blunt) as her #1 assistant and Maggie has an entire army.
Andy and Jo even both have a male confidant who helps them navigate the fashion world around them, as well as serve as a bit of a buffer between them and their demanding boss. In The Devil Wears Prada, Andy has Nigel (Stanley Tucci), the art director of Runway magazine and Miranda’s right-hand man. In Funny Face, Jo has Dick Avery (Fred Astaire), the photographer of Quality magazine. He also helps her please Maggie. One difference between The Devil Wears Prada and Funny Face in this regard is that Nigel and Andy aren’t paired up romantically, whereas Dick and Jo are. As an aside, I’ve read many criticisms of the pairing of Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn. While yes, Astaire is 30 years older than Hepburn, I think they make a charming pairing. I also read that they both signed onto the film because they wanted to work with the other which I find very endearing.
Fred and Audrey’s charming dance to ‘S Wonderful
The Devil Wears Prada and Funny Face both feature an annual trip to Paris that everyone looks forward to–one of the perks of working at a fashion magazine. While the circumstances of their respective trips to Paris differ, with Andy being present as part of Paris Fashion Week, and Jo actually appearing as a model in a show. However, both Andy and Jo’s trips are presented as a big moment in their careers.
However, this isn’t to say that The Devil Wears Prada is a remake of Funny Face. Both films are different enough that they can stand as their own original story. I’m not going to go into detail about the plot of the former, as this isn’t a blog about The Devil Wears Prada. In a nutshell, however, this film is an adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same title. In the story, Andy, a recent college graduate and aspiring journalist, lands a job at Runway magazine as an assistant for the highly demanding and critical editor, Miranda Priestley. Andy thinks the world of fashion is frivolous, compared to the more “important” publications for which she wants to work.
Audrey Hepburn’s “funny face”
In Funny Face, Audrey Hepburn plays Jo Stockton, an employee who works in a bookstore devoted to philosophy. Jo, in particular, is interested in the philosophy of empathicalism. The editor of Quality magazine, Maggie Prescott, decides that she needs a new backdrop for the latest fashions modeled by her cover girl, Marion. Maggie and photographer Dick Avery come across Jo’s bookstore and invite themselves in. They quickly cause chaos and ruin the store’s organization, as they decide to rearrange everything to make the books look more interesting. After the photo shoot, Dick stays behind to help Jo clean up. This scene hints at the future romance in the film.
Jo is very dismissive of Maggie, Dick, and the entire staff at Quality. What she doesn’t know is that Dick snapped some photos of her face, because he saw something in her “funny face.” He convinces Maggie that Quality needs a new face, a different face. Marion is kicked to the curb and Jo is in. However, she doesn’t want to be in. She finds fashion to be shallow and unimportant, but when Dick tells her about the annual trip to Paris, she’s intrigued. Her idol is Professor Flostre, who lectures on his ideas of empathy. He is based in Paris and she wants to hear him speak. She agrees to model for the fashion show that Quality is sponsoring in exchange for the trip.
This is my favorite part of Audrey’s fashion show.
Of course, like in The Devil Wears Prada, when Andy starts to like how she looks and feels in the high fashion designer clothes, Jo starts to enjoy the fashion shoots in Funny Face for an upcoming issue of Quality. Dressed in beautiful outfits and photographed in various locales around Paris, Jo looks exquisite. Also, if there’s one thing I love, it’s an in-movie fashion show. My particular favorite is the red strapless column gown she wears as she descends the stairs exclaiming to Dick, “take my picture! take my picture!” However, Audrey Hepburn could wear a paper bag and it’d look like Givenchy haute couture. Givenchy of course designed Hepburn’s wardrobe in this film as he designed all her costumes in her films–including Sabrina for which Edith Head memorably won the Best Costume Oscar.
I love the “Clap ‘Yo Hands” number with Fred Astaire and Kay Thompson
I love Funny Face. Mainly because Audrey and Fred are so charming together. I also loved Kay Thompson. She was mainly a vocal arranger, choreographer and Liza Minnelli’s godmother! She also wrote the popular children’s picture book series, Eloise. Eloise is about a little girl who lives at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Thompson and Astaire perform a very funny musical number, “Clap Yo’ Hands,” while they pretend to be entertainers from Tallahassee, Florida. They are crashing an event at the home of Professor Flostre to find Jo and bring her back to the hotel for the fashion show.
There’s also an iconic performance by Audrey Hepburn, at a beatnik club in Paris. Dressed in slim black pants, black turtleneck, white socks, and black loafers, Audrey delivers a fantastic dance number–full of energy. I remember seeing this entire scene play out again and again on television in the early 00s in a Gap ad advertising skinny black pants, except this time she was dancing to AC/DC’s “Back in Black.” While I don’t know about deceased celebrities being used in advertisements, there’s no doubt that Audrey is an icon, and in particular, a fashion icon. Gap was smart to use her to advertise something simple like slim black pants. People may not know Funny Face, but they know Audrey Hepburn.
This blog entry is going to have three parts: 1) My memory of the Drive-In; 2) My answers to the Drive-In Movie List Game; and 3) My highlight of a very funny scene in The Facts of Life (1960) that takes place at a Drive-In.
1. My Memory of the Drive-In
Site of the former North Salem Drive-In, now the Highway Fuel Co. Note that the site has the cone Drive-In shape.
Having been born in 1984, I missed the heyday of the Drive-In. By the time I was old enough to be out watching movies in a theater, or even at the Drive-In, most of the Drive-Ins in my hometown (Salem, OR) were long gone. I performed some research at cinematreasures.org and discovered that Salem had the following Drive-Ins:
North Salem Drive-In, Opened 1954. Closed 1982.
South Salem Drive-In #1, Opened 1953. Closed 1961.
South Salem Drive-In #2, Opened 1970. Closed 1993.
The South Salem Drive-In #2, is the one that I visited when I was in the third grade in 1992. From reading about the history of South Salem Drive-In #1, it sounds like the Drive-In closed in 1961, then was finished off for good by a fire in 1964. The South Salem Drive-In #2 opened in 1970 a few miles away. Interestingly, the original site of the South Salem Drive-In has never been developed and it still has the classic cone shaped plot that Drive-Ins often had. From this bird’s-eye view, it is easy to make out the layout of the Drive-In.
Current bird’s-eye view of the former site of the South Salem Drive-In. It closed in 1961.
As for the South Salem Drive-In #2, I remember the last film I saw was Wayne’s World (1992). I cannot recall any specifics about the experience, and I have to think that we saw another film too since Drive-Ins often show double features. I have vague memories of my dad setting the radio station to pick up the movie, and our snacks that we brought from home. I remember also being able to look around and see glimpses of the other movies being screened.
The site of the old South Salem Drive-In. The building with the pin is the current Regal multiplex. The rectangle on the left still shows the berms from one of the old screens. Another access road is seen on the left.
The old derelict South Salem Drive-In sign that stood for 13 years past the Drive-In’s 1994 closure, finally being torn down in 2007.
The electrical components of the South Salem Drive-In marquee. This is what they looked like after 13 years of sitting unused, out in the elements.
The South Salem Drive-In ended up closing in 1993. In 1994, there was a “mysterious fire” in the projection booth and concession stand. It was officially ruled to be arson, but the community was very skeptical. Later, the same year, another fire all but put an end to any remaining structures at the Drive-In. One would think that the Drive-In closing, and the actual building of the multiplex Santiam 11 Regal Cinemas (the first in Salem with stadium seating!) in 1999, that the South Salem Drive-In marquee sign would be torn down. Nope! Not only did the South Salem Drive-In sign continue to stand for 13 years after its closure, until it was finally torn down in 2007, Regal Cinemas STILL hasn’t built an entrance sign for the theater. The Drive-In sign became something of a Salem landmark. It was only torn down when it was deemed a Safety hazard.
2. My Answers to the Drive-In Movie List Game
1. What is your favorite science fiction movie featuring aliens?
Science fiction and movies with aliens aren’t typically my cup of tea. Occasionally aliens will be fun, like Alf, the Neutrinos in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Jeff Goldblum and Jim Carrey in Earth Girls Are Easy. I also like the alien cast of Third Rock From the Sun. However, to answer this question, I do enjoy the original The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), with Michael Rennie as the alien Klaatu and The Blob (1958) starring the alien, The Blob.
The Blob, star of “The Blob.”
2. What is your favorite science fiction movie that has no aliens?
Again, science fiction isn’t really my thing, but in researching what films were considered science fiction that don’t have aliens, I found that I did enjoy a lot of films on the list. Most of the films I like involved time travel. I love Back to the Future (1985) with Michael J Fox traveling back to 1955 from 1985 and inadvertently preventing his parents from meeting. Time is of the essence as he pretends to be high school student “Calvin Klein” and tries to get his future parents to go to the dance together. The dance is where they met.
3. What is Your Favorite Movie Featuring Action Heroes or Superheroes?
I love Frank Drebin, played to perfection by Leslie Nielsen in the Naked Gun trilogy. He is the perfect spoof of the 1980s/1990s action hero with car crashes, intense student driving lessons, fun Bond-like gadgets, and high stakes missions, like preventing the assassination of Queen Elizabeth II at an Anaheim Angels baseball game. Frank memorably goes undercover as Enrico Pallazo and umpires the baseball game as he looks for which player has been set-up to kill the queen. Aside from the Naked Gun films, I also love the 1980s/1990s Batman films, with Batman Returns (1992) being my favorite. Michelle Pfeiffer is the quintessential Catwoman. I saw this movie in the theater in the third grade and had all the commemorative cups from McDonalds.
Enrico Pallazo showing off his moves in “The Naked Gun.”
4. What is Your Favorite Movie Featuring Outcasts or Antiheroes?
I love The Brady Bunch Movie (1995) and A Very Brady Sequel (1996) featuring the iconic Brady family living in 1990s Los Angeles. The world around them has become grungier and less squeaky clean, but the Bradys remain firmly entrenched in the 1970s. The entire Brady family, dressed to the hilt in 1970s leisure suits and polyester, are ridiculed to their faces and behind their backs, with the family members oblivious to the insults. Marcia is hilariously still popular (despite her dated clothing) but is ridiculed by Doug Simpson “the big man on campus,” and neighbor Eric who says “she’s harder to get into than a Pearl Jam concert.” They think Marcia is such a goody goody because she won’t let a boy put his hand on her shoulder on a first date (that’s third base), let alone sleep with them. Marcia doesn’t even give them a second thought though as her biggest drama is having two dates for the same evening. The Brady family stick out like a sore thumb in the 90s, but you can’t help but root for Marcia to brush her hair 100 times, get Davy Jones to appear at the high school prom and win $20,000 in the talent show to pay their tax bill and prevent losing their home.
5. What is Your Favorite Horror Movie Featuring Monsters?
I love Little Shop of Horrors (1986) with Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin, and of course, Audrey II. I love that Audrey II is sassy and vulgar and sings the banger, “Mean Green Mother From Outer Space.” The music in this film is fantastic. I love Steve Martin’s “Dentist” song and Audrey’s “Somewhere That’s Green” where she dreams about watching I Love Lucy on the 12″ screen. The Henson Company’s puppetry is fantastic. The puppet itself is also very impressive. The cast is also great. Who knew Rick Moranis was such a good singer?
Audrey II in “The Little Shop of Horrors.” I love the little plants.
6. What is Your Favorite Horror Movie with No Monster?
I am not a big horror fan either, but I do like thrillers or really cheesy slashers like the original Friday the 13th. However, I am willing to give any genre a chance if the film intrigues me. One of my favorite monster-less horror movies is the original version of The Stepford Wives (1975) starring Katharine Ross. Ross plays Joanna and moves from New York City to the idyllic community of Stepford, Connecticut. She befriends the local wives, including Paula Prentiss and Tina Louise. Soon she starts noticing that some of the other wives seem to be robotic, incredibly submissive, and devoid of any distinct personality. Then she witnesses one of the women repeating herself over and over–almost like she’s a broken record. I love this movie. It’s so delightfully beautiful and creepy.
7. What’s Your Favorite Movie Featuring Motorcycles or Cars?
I love Smokey and the Bandit (1977). I’ve seen this movie at least a dozen times, but a few years ago, my sister and I saw it in the theater and it was amazing. This movie is perfection with the cool and somewhat reckless Burt Reynolds as the titular Bandit, and Sally Field as the gorgeous, yet sassy and bitter “Frog.” Paul Williams plays Little Enos. Then Jerry Reed plays not only Bandit’s BFF “The Snowman” who travels with his basset hound, Fred, he also sings the catchy and fantastic theme song of the movie, “Eastbound and Down.” As great as Reynolds’ black Trans Am is and as fun as the car scenes are, this film’s greatest asset is Jackie Gleason as Buford T Justice, aka “Smokey Bear.” Every single thing that Buford T Justice says is hilarious. Some day, I’d love to go into Carl’s Jr that has a Diablo burger and say “Get me a Diablo sandwich and a Dr Pepper and make it quick because I’m in a goddamned hurry!” However, I don’t want a Diablo burger and I also think the staff would have no idea what I’m saying, so I’d just look like a jerk.
Jr. tries to keep Papa Buford’s hat on his head in “Smokey and the Bandit”
8. What is Your Favorite Movie Featuring Gangs or Criminals?
I love film noir, so there are a million films that I love that fit this criteria. One of my favorites is White Heat (1949) starring James Cagney as gangster Cody Jarrett who has a mommy complex and reoccurring debilitating migraines. He is being tailed by FBI agent Fallon (Edmond O’Brien) who manages to get inside Cody’s gang. Cody has an explosive temper and ending. Virginia Mayo who plays Cody’s girlfriend has one of my all-time favorite lines, “Money’s just paper if you don’t spend it.” Other gang or criminal movies I love are The Killing (1956), Gun Crazy (1950), and Double Indemnity (1944).
9. What is Your Favorite Movie Featuring War or a War Setting?
I am not a big war person. However, I love movies about the World War II home front, or if it prominently features war, I’d rather the war have something else like a romance or some other story intertwined and not focus solely on the battle and maneuvers. The actual scenes of war with battles and maneuvers and such don’t usually excite me. One of my favorite war movies is From Here to Eternity (1953) that takes place in the days leading up to December 7, 1941. This movie only really has war at the end, but the audience knows that it’s coming while the soldiers are practicing mundane drills and such. There are also two romances and drama that I enjoy. Another war movie I love is Cry Havoc (1943) about a group of volunteer women (mostly civilians, some nurses) who live together and administer aid and care to the wounded soldiers.
Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in that iconic beach scene from “From Here to Eternity”
10. What is Your Favorite Movie Featuring a Mystery?
I love film noir, Hitchcock, the mystery-comedy movies like The Thin Man series, but my favorite is probably Mildred Pierce (1945) where the mystery of who murdered playboy Monte Beragon (Zachary Scott) is revealed. Mildred Pierce (Joan Crawford), wife to Monte, is brought in for questioning. The entire action of the film is unveiled via flashback. We learn about Mildred’s divorce from husband Bert (Bruce Bennett) and her children, especially her horribly spoiled daughter, Veda (Ann Blyth). Jack Carson and Eve Arden are the buddy comedy that we never knew we wanted as they provide support to Mildred throughout the film. This movie is fantastic and I love Veda. Veda is my queen.
11. What is Your Favorite Movie Western?
I haven’t seen a ton of Westerns, but I am trying to watch more. I love Shane (1953) starring Alan Ladd as the titular Shane. This is one of those typical stranger arrives in town type films. Shane comes to the aid of the local Starrett family, led by Van Heflin and Jean Arthur, whose land is at risk of being taken over by a wealthy cattle baron. Ladd is fantastic in this film as are Heflin and Arthur. Shane is known as a great gunslinger and his presence in town threatens the cattle baron. He in turn hires Jack Palance, another great gunslinger to take on Shane. This film is gorgeous to look at and exciting to watch.
Alan Ladd in “Shane”
12. What is Your Favorite Adventure Film?
I love The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) with my favorite, Errol Flynn. Despite Flynn not being particularly excited by the role, he was born to play Robin Hood. He is sheer perfection in this film as are Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian and Claude Rains as Prince John. The Adventures of Robin Hood is as close to a perfect film as one can get. The Technicolor is gorgeous. The costumes are gorgeous. The scenery is beautiful. The action scenes are exciting. The score is fantastic. Everything about this film is perfection.
13. What is Your Favorite Movie Featuring a Female Lead?
My #1 favorite movie of all time is The Long, Long Trailer (1954) starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Made in the middle of I Love Lucy, this film plays more or less like a 90 minute long episode, sans the Mertzes. The Long, Long Trailer is hilarious. I have seen this movie at least 100 times (no exaggeration). I wore out two VHS, two DVD, and now I have a blu ray. I’ve seen it on the big screen twice. My favorite part of this film is when Lucy falls out of the trailer, on her back, into a giant mud puddle. The scream she lets out is hysterical.
Lucy tries to cook dinner in the back of a moving trailer in “The Long, Long Trailer.” It does not go well.
14. What is Your Favorite Movie Featuring Beaches and Rock and Roll?
If there’s another type of film I love besides film noir, women in prison, and The Long Long Trailer, it’s teen beach movies–especially 1950s and 1960s teen beach movies. My favorite of the teen beach movies is the OG, Gidget (1959), starring Sandra Dee as everyone’s favorite girl surfer, and teen idol James Darren as Moondoggie. Cliff Robertson plays The Big Kahuna. Gidget features another teen beach movie trope, the luau. James Darren croons two songs, including the title track “Gidget” and “The Next Best Thing to Love.” I also love the sequel, Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) with Deborah Walley as a redheaded Gidget and Darren again as Moondoggie. Carl Reiner and Jeff Donnell play Gidget’s parents.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Beach Party movies. I love Beach Blanket Bingo (1965) with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. Linda Evans shows up as “Sugar Kane” a singer with whom Frankie is instantly smitten, much to Annette’s chagrin. Like in all Beach Party movies, Frankie says/does something dumb and Annette is mad at him. Then there’s the world’s oldest teen gang member, Eric Von Zipper, who gets involved. Joel McCrea’s son, Jody, meets a mermaid. And Buster Keaton spends the entire movie chasing a bikini girl. Then there’s my girl, Deborah Walley, playing a skydiving instructor. This movie makes absolutely no sense, but I love it.
For a more serious teen beach movie with rock and roll, I love Where the Boys Are (1960) starring Dolores Hope, Paula Prentiss, Yvette Mimieux, and Connie Francis. The four women play college students who decide to leave their snowy college town for a week long, warm spring break in Florida. Each girl hopes to meet a boy, but each have different goals and personalities. Their beaus end up being George Hamilton, Jim Hutton, a disgusting creep named Dill, and Frank Gorshin. Yvette Mimieux probably gets the saddest, but juiciest part. In between the drama however, are a lot of hilarious scenes and a fantastic title song sung by Connie Francis.
Honorable Mentions for favorite beach rock and roll movies: Dr Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) with Vincent Price;Beach Party (1963) with Frankie and Annette; Muscle Beach Party (1964) with Frankie and Annette; It’s a Bikini World (1967) with Deborah Walley; For Those Who Think Young (1964) with James Darren, Pamela Tiffin, Nancy Sinatra, Bob Denver, Tina Louise, Paul Lynde (!) and Ellen Burstyn!; Girl Happy (1965); and Clambake (1967) both starring Elvis and Shelley Fabares.
For those who love horror and teen beach movies and would love to see the two combined, I recommend Psycho Beach Party (2000) which follows the Gidget storyline almost exactly, but in this film, Gidget acts more like Michael Myers.
Moondoggie teaches Gidget how to surf in “Gidget”
3. Movie Featuring the Drive-In–“The Facts of Life” (1960)
An interesting movie poster for this film
After I Love Lucy and The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour ended in 1960, and her divorce from Desi Arnaz, Lucille Ball signed on to co-star with longtime friend, Bob Hope. The Facts of Life (not to be confused with the 1979-1988 television show of the same name) featured Ball and Hope as Kitty and Larry, a pair of friends who embark on an extra-marital affair. Both have issues in their respective marriages that drive them into each other’s arms. Kitty’s husband is always working or gambling. Larry’s wife is so preoccupied with the children, not paying any attention to him unless it has to do with the kids. Every year, Kitty and her husband, Larry and his wife, and another couple all take the same vacation to Acapulco. However, this year, after a series of illnesses and events, Kitty and Larry find themselves on the vacation alone. Eventually, we know it will come to a point where they’ll need to decide whether their relationship is worth breaking up two marriages.
Scene of the Drive-In in “The Facts of Life” (1960)
Despite The Facts of Life being a rather mature film for 1960 and for Lucille Ball and Bob Hope, two actors primarily known for comedy, there is a very comedic scene in this film that takes place at, you guessed it, a Drive-In! Before Kitty and Larry deliberate about whether to divorce their respective spouses for each other, they try to carry on their affair discreetly, under everyone’s noses. One evening, Kitty and Larry arrange to rendezvous at the local Drive-In. However, Larry is detained when his wife, Mary, asks him to go to their son’s scout meeting.
Lucy and Bob Hope rendezvous at the Olympic Drive-In in LA. According to the internet, it is long gone and is now a car dealership.
Larry finally arrives at the Drive-In and climbs into Kitty’s car. They embrace and kiss. However, while they’re kissing, Kitty sees Thompson, the dry cleaner, who makes regular house calls to all her friends’ homes (including Larry’s) in the neighboring car. Thompson of course, recognizes her. Kitty warns Larry about Thompson. Knowing that Thompson can see Kitty, Larry must keep his back to him to hide their affair. After accidentally hitting the horn, causing it to be stuck, and annoying all the neighboring moviegoers, Kitty and Larry decide that they need to leave. To keep Larry’s identity secret, he and Kitty continue to kiss while they attempt to drive a car together with Larry’s foot on one pedal and Kitty’s on the other. Thompson is none the wiser, all he knows is that Kitty was making out at the Drive-In.
Lucille Ball and Bob Hope kiss at the Drive-In before they have to co-drive a car together
Today (June 1, 2026), marks the 100th anniversary of Norma Jeane Mortensen’s birth. Norma Jeane, of course, would be christened “Marilyn Monroe” in 1946. For the sake of clarity, I will refer to her as “Marilyn” from here on out. To say that Marilyn’s childhood was tumultuous and difficult would be an understatement. In 1942, at the age of 16, Marilyn married James Doughtery. They would be married for 4 years, until divorcing in 1946. Marilyn signed an acting contract in June of 1946. Husband Doughtery was against her having a career, and her contract stated that she needed to be unmarried, because they couldn’t risk her becoming pregnant. Marilyn filed for divorce, stating that the marriage didn’t make her unhappy, but it didn’t make her happy either. She was bored.
A young Marilyn Monroe before she was “Marilyn Monroe”
While the divorce sucked for James Dougherty, it was great for us as the audience, because it paved the way for Marilyn to become “Marilyn Monroe.” After toiling away in bit parts for a few years, memorably in 1950’s All About Eve and The Asphalt Jungle, Marilyn finally landed her star-making role in my favorite of her films, Howard Hawks’ Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1953. This film would cement the iconic Marilyn Monroe look and persona–the platinum blonde hair, figure hugging costumes, breathy voice, and sex appeal up the wazoo. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes also features what is perhaps one of the most iconic Marilyn Monroe moments of all time, perhaps only second to the subway grate scene in The Seven Year Itch, the “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” number featuring Marilyn in the bright pink strapless gown.
LORELAI: Don’t you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn’t marry a girl just because she’s pretty, but my goodness, doesn’t it help?
Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn plays Lorelai Lee, a singer who travels from New York to Paris with her best friend, Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell), via ocean liner. Lorelai and Dorothy are singers who are traveling to Paris for Lorelai’s upcoming wedding. She is engaged to the hilariously nerdy and wimpy, but wealthy, Gus Esmond Jr (Tommy Noonan). The senior Esmond, Gus’ father (Taylor Holmes), does not like or trust Lorelai (despite never having met her), as he thinks she’s a gold digger. Esmond Sr would be correct, as Lorelai is laser-focused on finding a wealthy husband who can keep her supplied in diamonds. Dorothy on the other hand, is more interested in finding someone she’s physically attracted to, regardless of his wealth.
Marilyn in the iconic “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” number. Future Oscar-winner, George Chakiris, is in the background on the right, mouth obscured.
Determined to prove that his dislike of Lorelai is warranted, Esmond Sr hires private detective, Ernie Malone (Elliott Reid), to spy on Lorelai and Dorothy and obtain evidence that Lorelai isn’t worthy of marrying his son. Esmond Jr asks Dorothy to keep an eye on Lorelai and keep her from doing anything that could break up their engagement. Also onboard the ocean liner are the wealthy Beakmans, “Piggy” (Charles Coburn) and his wife Lady Beakman (Norma Varden). Piggy owns a diamond mine and Lady Beakman has her diamond jewelry onboard, including a diamond tiara. Mr. Henry Spofford III and his valet are also onboard, leading to a hilarious scene where Lorelai discovers that he’s a child. Later Henry helps Marilyn out of a tight spot, literally, when she finds herself stuck inside a porthole window. Henry has a very funny voice for a child, it reminds me of Charlie Brown’s. Finally, the entire US Men’s Olympics Team is on the ship–which brings a lot of joy for Dorothy.
MR. ESMOND SR: Have you got the nerve to tell me you don’t want to marry my son for his money?
LORELAI: It’s true!
MR. ESMOND SR: Then what do you want to marry him for?
LORELAI: I want to marry him for your money!
Taylor Holmes and Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
Lorelai and Dorothy try to pass the time onboard, with Ernie tagging along trying to keep watch of them. One very funny scene has Dorothy and Lorelai trying to recover a roll of incriminating film from Ernie. In another scene, Piggy and Lorelai reenact a scene he saw while traveling in Africa: a python wrapping itself around a goat’s neck and strangling it until it dies. Piggy was the python and Lorelai was the goat. My favorite part of the movie actually doesn’t involve Lorelai, but it involves Dorothy watching the US Men’s Olympic Team work out (the men dressed to give the illusion of nudity) while she sings “Ain’t There Anyone Here for Love?”
DOROTHY: (singing) …I like big muscles and red corpuscles…
Jane Russell singing “Ain’t There Anyone Here for Love?” in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Jane Russell checking out the scenery in the ship’s gymnasium during the greatest musical number of all time, “Ain’t There Anyone Here for Love?”
Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” number comes towards the end of the film after Lorelai and Dorothy have arrived in Paris. By now, Ernie’s report on Lorelai and Dorothy’s onboard shenanigans has made it back to Esmond Sr, who has canceled Lorelai and Dorothy’s line of credit that his son had promised them. Having spent all of their cash on clothes and other trinkets, Lorelai and Dorothy are broke. They are forced to find work at a local revue.
DOROTHY: Now let’s get this straight, Gus. The chaperone’s job is to see that nobody else has any fun. Nobody chaperones the chaperone. That’s why I’m so right for this job.
Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Lorelai goes on stage in her bright pink, strapless gown to sing about not wanting rhinestones, only diamonds. This is a very striking musical number. It was a bold choice to juxtapose Marilyn’s bright pink dress against a bright red background–two colors that traditionally clash. The male background dancers, including a young George Chakiris, are made up to look like dignified ambassadors (with greying temples). The women in the number’s faces are covered with a black mesh, as they appear as part of the chandelier, as well as in pink dresses in a lighter tone than Marilyn’s.
Jane Russell imitates Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn’s performance in “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” is firmly cemented in pop culture, not just American, but dare I say, internationally. There are countless homages and imitations of Marilyn’s performance. In 1985, Madonna famously imitated Marilyn in her music video for “Material Girl.” At the 2024 Oscars, Ryan Gosling performed “I’m Just Ken” from my favorite 2023 film, Barbie. In 2001’s Moulin Rouge! Nicole Kidman’s Satine would memorably hang from a trapeze bar while crooning “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Kidman is good, but she’s no Marilyn Monroe. Actually, I think I’d rather have heard her Moulin Rouge! co-star, Ewan McGregor, belt out the song. He would have killed it.
DOROTHY: Honey, did it ever occur to you that some people just don’t care about money?
LORELAI: Please, we’re talking serious here.
Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Marilyn regrets being “the goat” to Charles Coburn’s python
William Travilla’s costumes in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes are fantastic. Aside from Marilyn’s hot pink dress, there are a lot of other great outfits. I love Jane Russell’s outfit she wears in my favorite number “Ain’t There Anyone Here for Love?” She wears a very chic black jumpsuit with a black buffalo plaid coat with yellow lapels, and some fantastic turquoise earrings. The opening musical number outfits, the matching red sequined gowns with the deep V-neck that Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell wear are amazing. The fit is perfection. My husband and I saw these dresses at the Academy Museum a few years ago, and they were just as fantastic in person as they are in the film. I also loved the outfit Marilyn wears when she and Piggy are reenacting the python and goat bit. She dons a long sleeved teal top with a deep V-neck portrait neckline with sapphire blue slacks and a purple sash around the waist. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is truly a feast for the eyes.
Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell in the fantastic opening number, “Two Little Girls From Little Rock.”
I love Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. I have seen it many many times. I’ve seen it in the theater. I never tire of it. It’s such a fun movie. Marilyn and Jane are both fantastic. The songs are fantastic. The performances are fantastic. The costumes are fantastic. Everything is perfection.
Marilyn Monroe finds herself stuck in a porthole as George Winslow attempts to help. I Love Lucy would recreate this scene (sub Ricky and Ethel for George) in an episode of “I Love Lucy.”
HENRY SPOFFORD III: Alright I’ll help you. I’ll help you for two reasons.
LORELAI: Never mind the reasons. Just help me.
HENRY SPOFFORD III: The first reason is I’m too young to be sent to jail. The second reason is you’ve got a lot of animal magnetism.
George Winslow and Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is the ultimate buddy comedy and perhaps romance (without the “romance”). Lorelai and Dorothy are so devoted to one another, with Dorothy even impersonating Lorelai at one point to get her out of a spot. I’ve read some other interpretations of the ending of this film, featuring the dual wedding of Lorelai and Dorothy, that the two women are actually marrying each other; but had to have the men in the scene due to the production code. While I don’t think there’s any romantic interest between Lorelai and Dorothy, these two women have a bond and a friendship. I also love that the ending features a chorus singing the “Diamond’s Are a Girl’s Best Friend” song. It reminds me of the ending of a Disney princess movie, just like the wedding ending. I’d like to think that Dorothy and Lorelai live happily ever after–regardless of how their respective marriages turn out.
Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe in the final scene
Along with Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn would also make How to Marry a Millionaire and Niagara in 1953. If she had only made one of those films, she would have been an instant star; but she made all three. Aside from these films, Marilyn would also make an iconic appearance in The Seven Year Itch, a film that I don’t particularly enjoy, but there’s no doubt that Marilyn is fantastic in it and in my opinion, the only reason to watch it. Marilyn standing over the subway grate as her iconic pleated white halter dress flies up around her cemented her legacy as a Hollywood legend (much to husband Joe DiMaggio’s chagrin, but whatever). She would also appear in other films like Some Like it Hot and The Prince and the Showgirl.
DOROTHY: He looks like he’s going to explode.
ERNIE MALONE: What was that?
LORELAI: Just equal parts of Scotch, Vodka, Brandy, and Gin!
Jane Russell, Elliott Reid, and Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
By 1961, Marilyn had tired of her sexpot image and wanted to do drama. Sadly, her last completed film, The Misfits, proved that Marilyn could have asserted herself as a good dramatic actress. She was not just a lightweight blonde bombshell. She was an actress. Unfortunately, her life was cut short, perhaps mysteriously, perhaps not, but I don’t want to speculate here. Had she been able to go on, I think Marilyn would have shocked everyone as the 1960s wore on, and she’d aged out of her “Marilyn Monroe” image, and turned into a gritty, dramatic actress. However, because she wasn’t given the opportunity, and passed away at the age of 36 in 1962, Marilyn Monroe will forever be remembered as the ultimate blond bombshell. People still try to emulate her, but they’ll never be her–there’s only one Marilyn Monroe.
Lucy Ricardo does her best Marilyn Monroe impression to prove she looks more like her than Ethel does. Fred Mertz thinks he looks more like Marilyn than either Lucy or Ethel!
MARILYN MONROE: I’ve never liked the name ‘Marilyn.’ I’ve often wished that I held out that day for ‘Jean Monroe.’ But I guess it’s too late to do anything about it now.
I’m not a big fan of war movies, however, what I do love are movies set against the backdrop of war, where a different story unfolds, something that isn’t just one battle scene after another. While there are films set during pretty much every war (some major, some minor), perhaps no other war inspired as many war films as World War II (1939-1945). While there were many films that focused on the individual WWII military campaigns, battles, prominent figures, etc. there were just as many films focused on the homefront in the United States after December 8, 1941, the day that the United States officially entered the war–the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is these homefront films that I find more compelling and interesting than the films that just depict the military.
World War II was an era of great patriotism in the United States, citizens were encouraged to do their part to support the war effort. Hollywood stars used their celebrity to sell war bonds which helped to finance the United States’ military efforts. Star Carole Lombard was one of the war’s first American casualities when she died in January 1942 in a Nevada plane crash on her way home to Los Angeles from selling war bonds in her home state of Indiana. Other stars like Bette Davis and John Garfield formed the Hollywood Canteen to provide food, drinks and entertainment to the troops.
Ordinary citizens were issued ration stamps for both food and fuel to manage shortages of essential goods and supplies. Victory gardens were grown by countless families across the country as a way to reduce the strain on public food supplies. Women drew lines on the backs of their legs to simulate the seams of their stockings, because all nylon production was devoted to manufacturing parachutes and other war-related objects. Another way that citizens were asked to help the war effort was by offering up extra rooms in their homes to help alleviate the housing shortage. After the United States’ entry into World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the government halted all non-essential construction projects, citing that all building materials were needed for the military effort. The subsequent housing shortage is the subject covered in one of my favorite comedies, Director George Stevens’ The More the Merrier, from 1943.
Jean Arthur keeps Charles Coburn on schedule.
In The More the Merrier, Jean Arthur plays Constance “Connie” Milligan who lives in a 2-bedroom apartment in Washington DC. To do her part for the war effort, she sublets out half of her apartment for $12/week ($229 in 2026) and puts out an ad. Retired millionaire Benjamin Dingle (Charles Coburn), who has arrived in DC two days early to discuss plans with a government bureaucrat to alleviate the housing shortage, answers Connie’s ad. Mr. Dingle lives by the mantra, “Damn the torpedos! Full speed ahead!” where he’s just going to go for “it” regardless of the potential consequences. It’s a great mantra, because frankly, sometimes you just have to take a risk (provided what you want to do isn’t illegal or harmful). Connie is reluctant to sublet half her apartment to a man, but relents after Mr. Dingle tells her a fictitious scenario where she rents her apartment to a dumpy looking roommate who is always dirty and insists on borrowing all her things. The next day, Mr. Dingle meets Sergeant Joe Carter (Joel McCrea) who needs somewhere to stay for a week while he waits to be shipped overseas. To help out Joe, Mr. Dingle sublets him half of his half for $6 ($114/week). Connie is not pleased.
MR. DINGLE: Well, any woman, no matter who, would insist upon borrowing that dress you got on right now. Because it’s so pretty. CONNIE: I made it myself. MR. DINGLE: And how would you like it if she spilled a cocktail all over it…at a party you couldn’t go with her to because she borrowed it to go to it in. CONNIE: She might have something I could wear. MR. DINGLE: Not her. CONNIE: Why not? MR. DINGLE: Because she’s so dumpy looking. Never has anything clean. That’s why she’s always borrowing your dresses.
Charles Coburn and Jean Arthur in The More the Merrier.
JOE: What do you do? MR. DINGLE: I’m a well-to-do retired millionaire. How about you? JOE: Same.
Joel McCrea and Charles Coburn in The More the Merrier.
MR. DINGLE: What’s your name? JOE: Carter. MR. DINGLE: Bill Carter? JOE: Joe Carter. MR. DINGLE: I used to know a party named Bill Carter. JOE: Wasn’t me. MR. DINGLE: Don’t you suppose I know that? JOE: What’d you ask for then? MR. DINGLE: Get you to know I know what Bill Carter looked like. JOE: Not like me. MR. DINGLE: Then you know Bill Carter? JOE: No I don’t. But he sounds like a great guy.
Charles Coburn and Joel McCrea in The More the Merrier.
MR. DINGLE: Oh. Maybe you think it is none of my business. JOE: Maybe I do. MR. DINGLE: Probably your name isn’t even Bill Carter. JOE: Probably not. It’s probably Joe Carter.
Charles Coburn and Joel McCrea in The More the Merrier.
Charles Coburn struggles to keep up with Jean Arthur’s extremely tight morning routine
The entire scene where Connie gives Mr. Dingle the lowdown on her schedule is hysterical and one of my favorite parts. First of all, Mr. Dingle is retired, why does he need to follow her schedule? Connie should just do her thing and leave him to do his. Second, Connie is an extremely efficient and organized woman. Here is the schedule that she gives to Mr. Dingle:
7:00am Connie’s alarm goes off, she and Mr. Dingle get up. 7:01am Connie goes into the bathroom. Mr. Dingle goes out to the hall to get the milk. 7:05am Mr. Dingle starts the coffee. 7:06am Connie leaves the bathroom. 7:07am Mr. Dingle enters the bathroom. 7:08am Connie starts to get dressed for the day. 7:11am Connie drinks her coffee. 7:12am Mr. Dingle leaves the bathroom. 7:13am Connie puts her eggs on the stove and finishes dressing while the eggs cook. Mr. Dingle puts on his shoes. 7:16am Connie takes her eggs off the stove. 7:17am Mr. Dingle starts shaving. 7:18am Connie eats her eggs. 7:21am Connie is in the bathroom fixing her hair. 7:24am Mr. Dingle is in the kitchen putting his eggs on the stove. 7:25am Mr. Dingle makes his bed. 7:26am Connie makes her bed. 7:27am Mr. Dingle eats his eggs, while Connie takes out the papers and cans. 7:29am Mr. Dingle washes the dishes. 7:30am Connie and Mr. Dingle are all finished, ready for the day. 7:32am Connie’s carpool comes to take her to work.
Jean Arthur meets Joel McCrea as matchmaker Charles Coburn looks on.
This woman does not leave herself much wiggle room in her schedule. 32 mins total from wake-up to carpool and in between she gets ready for work, has time to put on some sort of bed jacket while she eats her eggs, then puts on her actual work clothes, puts out her trash, and does the dishes! Mr. Dingle cannot keep up and has a hilarious scene where he accidentally brings the coffee into the shower with him.
Mr. Dingle quickly realizes that Connie and Joe are very compatible and should be together. The only person who stands in their way is Connie’s fiance of 22 months, Charles J. Pendergast (Richard Gaines), a 42-year old businessman who wears a terrible toupee and makes $8600/year ($164k in 2026), not too shabby. One of my favorite quotes in this movie comes in the scene where Joe and Mr. Dingle razz Connie about her relationship with Pendergast.
CONNIE: You look messy. Don’t you ever brush your hair? JOE: I s’pose Mr. Pendergast combs his hair every hour, on the hour. CONNIE: Mr. Pendergast has NO hair!
Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea in The More the Merrier.
Joel McCrea and Jean Arthur’s sexy scene on the stoop
Eventually, we know that the relationship between Connie and Mr. Pendergast is going to fizzle out. It has to! He is NO hunky Joel McCrea. We especially know that Connie and Joe will end up together after they share a very romantic scene on the front stoop of the apartment building. The scene between Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea on the stoop is one of the sexiest scenes in Classic Hollywood. Apparently, Arthur’s stage fright made her extremely nervous and anxious and she was having trouble with the scene. McCrea decided to ad-lib and distract her by nuzzling and touching her hands, shoulders and arms. Arthur’s nervousness is present, but it comes across as her character obviously becoming somewhat aroused by Joe’s actions, versus an actress nervous about shooting a scene.
CONNIE: What happened? Nothing. I’m not the kind of person anything happens to.
Jean Arthur in The More the Merrier.
There is also a scene with Morton (Stanley Clements) who may be the most annoying character ever committed to film. I hate this character. He’s too old to join the Scouts so who cares whether he’s the camp craft-type or not? I don’t want to talk about him any more because I hate him so much. However, his character does serve as the plot device that brings about the third act of the film–where Mr. Dingle is able to finish his scheme to bring Joe and Connie together.
Boo! The “L” must be for “loser.”
Charles Coburn won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, which I think his deserved, because he’s hilarious in this movie. Except when I see he beat Claude Rains for Casablanca, it’s hard to accept whether Coburn deserved the award instead of Rains. If only there’d been a tie. Coburn gets to do a lot of physical comedy in this film, one of my favorite bits being his reoccuring schtick with his suspendered-pants repeatedly getting caught on something and flying out the window.
Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea make for a great pairing. They appeared together in two other films aside from The More the Merrier, The Silver Horde (1930), and Adventure in Manhattan (1936). They have amazing chemistry together and McCrea was one of the few actors that could relax the notoriously anxious Arthur and calm her nerves. Arthur also has fun chemistry (thankfully not romantic) with Coburn, having memorably appeared with him earlier in 1941’s The Devil and Miss Jones. It also helps that Arthur and McCrea are very attractive people and make for an even more attractive couple.
Joel McCrea is fawned over by a bunch of women, including Ann Savage on his left.
There is a very funny scene where Connie and Joe dance together at a nightclub. They were just introduced by Mr. Pendergast after he is introduced to Joe courtesy of Mr. Dingle. Mr. Pendergast just happens to be the bureaucrat with whom Mr Dingle was planning to meet to discuss the housing shortage. After their dance, a group of Connie’s acquaintances (including an uncredited Ann Savage!) show up and fawn over Joe, and Connie is only too happy to show that he’s with her. I guarantee that they don’t fawn over Mr. Pendergast.
I would highly recommend this film as it features everything that I want in a film. It’s hilarious, it’s romantic, and it captures a unique moment in United States history. Why doesn’t this movie have a Blu Ray?! The More the Merrier also has great dialogue with Joel McCrea getting in a lot of funny sarcastic lines. The only blights on this film are McCrea’s comment about “being a Jap” to scare Morton away, and every single scene involving Morton. I loathe him.
I do love “Picnic” and who doesn’t want some beefcake on their page?
Director Otto Preminger’s The Moon is Blue (1953) is memorable for being featured in a 1982 episode of M*A*S*H, “The Moon is Not Blue.” M*A*S*H took place during the Korean War (1950-1953) and during this particular episode, Hawkeye and BJ try to obtain a copy of the newly released film, The Moon is Blue, having heard about its scandalous content. Upon finally viewing the film, the two men are dismayed about how innocent and non-salacious it was. One of the other characters states that a character did say “virgin,” and Hawkeye replies with “that’s because everyone was!”
This movie has a great poster!
The Moon is Blue, debuted on my birthday June 22, 1953, albeit 31 years before I was born. It was memorable for being the first film to be released into theaters nationwide, without PCA (Production Code Administration) approval. This was a landmark decision by United Artists (who distributed The Moon is Blue) and was the beginning of the end for the production code. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) starring Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak would follow suit a couple years later and also be released without PCA approval. The modern ratings system would come into play in 1968 and put an end to the production code once and for all.
Now why was The Moon is Blue so controversial? This film, based on the 1951 play of the same name, depicted the modern and progressive attitudes about sex exhibited by 22-year old Patty O’Neill (Maggie McNamara in her film debut). The Moon is Blue starts with a kicky (and corny) theme song and opening credits and then segues into a scene taking place inside the Empire State Building. We spot Patty, then we spot architect Don Gresham (William Holden) spotting Patty too. Immediately smitten, Don follows Patty up to the fabeled observation deck at the top of the Empire State Building.
William Holden, Maggie McNamara, David Niven
It’s immediately obvious to the audience that Don is putting on the charm and trying to pick up Patty and she allows him to try and pick her up. She’s not oblivious. He tells her that he paid for her ticket, he gets her to try and sew a button on his jacket, he gives her a dime for the telescope so she can get a closer look at New York… Don does everything. Eventually, he lowers the boom and invites Patty over to his apartment for dinner and drinks. This seems wildly dangerous to meet a stranger at his home, but it’s 1953, and Patty takes him up on it.
William Holden is knocked out by Maggie McNamara’s overprotective father, Tom Tully.
Throughout their conversation, Patty shares that she’s a virgin, but not because she’s pious or self-righteous or anything. She just hasn’t made the choice to have sex yet. Patty asks Don point blank if he’s trying to seduce her, to which he’s taken aback. However, it’s obvious that that was his intent. Patty’s frank talk about sex intrigues Don. When she discovers a photo of Cynthia (Dawn Addams), Don’s ex-fiancee, Patty asks him if Cynthia is his mistress. In 1953, a mistress was a sexual partner, not “the other woman.” Again, Don is somewhat shocked by Patty’s frankness and apparent lack of decorum when it comes to asking personal questions. Despite this however, Don finds Patty charming and interesting, and continues trying to seduce her.
Adding to the tension in the film is Don’s neighbor, David Slater (David Niven), who also happens to be Cynthia’s father. I do have to say that Niven’s casting is odd. In the film, he states that he’s 41, but Cynthia is stated to be older than Patty, who is 22. This means that David I guess was a teen father. This is the only weakness in the film, imo, I think Niven’s character should have been made older, or perhaps Cynthia maybe should have been another neighbor in the building. But I digress. David is presented as a bit of a playboy, who is always on the prowl. David discovers Patty’s attitudes re: sex and also makes it a mission to try and seduce her.
Cynthia, Don’s ex-fiancee, just can’t accept that the relationship is over.
Don eventually becomes frustrated with Patty. He more or less finds her a tease, and that she seems to have made her virginity her entire personality—it’s all she talks about. Patty tells Don that she won’t lose her virginity without marriage. She tells Don that men find virgins boring and prefer a life without monogamy. Patty expends a lot of effort informing Don that women are also sexual beings, to the point that Don asks her why she’s preoccupied with sex. Patty responds with a glib, “Don’t you think it’s better for a girl to be preoccupied with sex, than occupied?” Finally, Don has had enough and accuses Patty of being a “professional virgin.” This criticism is on the nose, maybe too on the nose, and Patty is offended. Don rubs salt in the wound by stating that someone who talks about their experience all the time probably doesn’t have any. This scene reminded me of Where the Boys Are (1960) where Merritt spends much of the film expelling various progressive philosophies about sex, only for us to discover that she’s all talk.
David Niven’s character, David, is an odd one. He’s not a particularly good character. He’s always trying to get Patty to “sin” by drinking or smoking–behaviors that she likens to high school, saying that it’s immature to do these things without having a craving. David is also always trying to seduce Patty, in fact, he proposes marriage to her within hours of meeting. Obviously, this was his desperate attempt to bed her by appealing to her virgin status. He is a lech throughout the film, and tells this horrible story about his ex-wife and hitting her with a hot muffin pan. However, he’s weirdly entertaining as well.
William Holden puts the moves on Maggie McNamara.
William Holden plays his usual type, however, he is very good and it’s easy to see why Patty would be so smitten. His character, Don, is handsome, has a good job, a nice apartment, and is charming. Don would obviously be a much better partner than David, since he’d probably be loyal. David would drop Patty the second someone else came along. Don also finds Patty’s attitudes about sex somewhat funny, even if he’s somewhat taken aback and shocked by them. There is also a funny scene where Don is watching TV and sees the “sophisticated actress” Patty, appearing in a “Chloro-foam Beer” commercial. Terrible beer title. “Chloro-foam, more like Boro-foam!” (to paraphrase Billy Madison).
Patty McNamara was United Artists’ attempt at finding their own Audrey Hepburn. McNamara had the pixie, gamine type quality of Hepburn, but she lacks the European sophistication, stature, and glamour of Hepburn. McNamara’s Patty was very young and sweet, but also naive despite her progressive views on sex. Patty reminded me very much of Debbie Reynolds’ character, Julie, in The Tender Trap (1955). In the film, Julie is also old-fashioned (or seems old-fashioned) and informs Frank Sinatra, David Wayne, and Celeste Holm, of her exact plan for her life–marriage, 3 children, life in the country, kids attending school in Scarsdale, NY. Both Patty and Julie seem to believe they’re mature when it comes to sex and marriage; but when conversing with older adults who have lived more life than they have, it’s obvious how immature they are.
David Niven and Maggie McNamara
The Moon is Blue is tame by today’s standards, even tame by 1982 standards when Hawkeye and BJ watched it in M*A*S*H. But it caused quite the scandal in 1953. Nice society just didn’t talk about seduction, mistresses, or virginity. Even in 1952, I Love Lucy was not allowed to say the word “pregnant,” despite Lucy Ricardo (and Lucille Ball!) being a married, pregnant, woman. Instead, she was ‘spectin. However, The Moon is Blue is an interesting time capsule of the early-to-mid 1950s and shows just how much the world was changing after World War II. Stars like Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Elvis Presley burst onto the scene in the 1950s and all of them shocked the country with their blatant shows of sexuality and sensuality–things that wouldn’t have been on the screen even just ten years prior. While The Moon is Blue is not a household name in the movie world, it is an important film as it was the first film to challenge the puritanical production code, and weaken its interference in filmmaking.
For this event, I decided to be a little unorthodox and write specifically about my experience seeing a screening of The General at the Hollywood Theatre in Portland, OR. Like The General, the Hollywood Theatre is also turning 100 years old this year. I am also a member of the Hollywood Theatre, and am able to attend many screenings for free or at a discount (it’s not entirely “free” I do pay monthly dues). I have already written about The General and its filming in Cottage Grove, OR. Read my article here.
I planned on getting a shot of The General on the Hollywood Theatre’s marquee after the screening, but discovered that they switch it out during the screening! Here’s a photo from my screening of “The Cameraman.”
The General has had multiple screenings at the Hollywood Theatre. I would have to imagine that it also screened at the theatre back in late 1926 or early 1927 when it originally came out. The Hollywood Theatre officially opened its doors on July 17, 1926. The General would start filming in Cottage Grove (about 125 miles south of Portland) about a month prior to the Hollywood Theatre’s grand opening. In the 100 years since The General‘s debut, the film has returned to the theater many times to celebrate special anniversaries for both the theater and the film–each time a sellout. I have to imagine that the film’s connection to Oregon is just one reason for it being a repeat screening–aside from just being a great movie! For the screening I attended on February 28th, The General was being screened as part of the Hollywood Theatre’s year-long celebration of its centennial.
The General was screened as part of the Hollywood Theatre’s regular series, “Pipe Organ Pictures.” Pipe Organ Pictures is put on as part of a collaboration with the Columbia River Theatre Organ Society (CRTOS). This group, made up of donors and volunteers, is devoted to restoring and promoting the theatre organ. the Hollywood Theatre happens to own a 1926 Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ–the only working theatre pipe organ in Oregon. It is quite a beautiful and unusual instrument. If you have the opportunity to attend a silent film screening with an accompanist playing a theater organ, I highly recommend it.
While I have seen The General at the Hollywood Theatre before (which was also put on by the CRTOS), this screening was particularly special–I was watching a 100-year old film, while sitting in a 100-year old theater, listening to a 100-year old theatre organ.
Buster Keaton mural on the Cottage Grove Hotel in Cottage Grove, OR
The Pipe Organ Picture screenings often start with organist Dean Lemire’s rendition of “Hooray for Hollywood!” and then a cartoon. I have to imagine that is done to add some runtime since silent films are often on the shorter side. Plus, who doesn’t want to see a 1919 Felix the Cat cartoon? However, for this particular screening, we were treated to a 1929 silent film, “John Makes Whoopee.”
Lemire explained that he selected this short because it was filmed in Oregon and depicts a young man who leaves his small rural home in Scappoose and heads to the big city of Portland. Scappoose is a small town on Highway 30 (connects Portland to Astoria, located where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean) located about 20 miles northwest of Portland. Even today, the town only has a population of 8200. John goes to Portland on foot. We can only imagine how long that took. When John arrives in Portland, he is seen downtown and later at an amusement park in Jantzen Beach (North Portland, located across the Columbia from Vancouver, Washington). This film was the cliche tale of the naive small town hick moving to the big bad city full of “wicked city women” (to borrow a line from an episode of I Love Lucy). John, of course, is quickly fleeced out of all his money by a woman and has to return home to Scappoose. Undetered however, he vows to return.
The 100 year old Wurlitzer Organ at the Hollywood Theatre
Next, it was time for the main feature, The General. Organist Dean Lemire performed his original score while the packed house (384 seats) watched intently, as Buster Keaton took on the Union soldiers in his train engine, “The General.” Cottage Grove, OR stood in for the small Confederate town of Marietta, Georgia. Usually I have to deal with some annoying talkers, people who can’t sit still, or people who eat popcorn so loudly they sound like they’re inhaling the bag. However, during this screening, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop (to borrow a cliche), except when it was time to laugh at Buster’s stunts, facial expressions, and comedy.
One particular stunt of Buster’s gained spontaneous applause–the scene where he rides on the front of the engine while trying to get loose railroad ties off the track before his engine hits them and risks derailing. That scene was apparently very dangerous to film and it looks dangerous. Another scene that people loved was the famous bridge collapse.
Buster Keaton clearing the way for “The General.”
I have attended multiple Buster Keaton screenings at the Hollywood and they’re always a hit. In fact, a month after The General screening, I saw The Cameraman which was also a packed house and received very well. I’ve also seen Our Hospitality, One Week, Sherlock Jr, and The Navigator and all of them were hits. While I’m not the biggest silent film person (nothing against them, I just haven’t seen a ton), I do love the silent film comedians–especially Keaton. It is exciting to see that even 100 years later, Keaton still sells out the house and still captivates moviegoers of all ages–even children who famously have touble being quiet and staying still. Kids can’t keep their eyes off Buster Keaton. I often see conversations about introducing children (and adults) to silent and classic film, and what makes a good gateway film. I’d like to recommend The General.
King of the Hill is a newer topic than what typically write about on this blog, but I love this show so much and this episode so much, that I have to write about it. “Dances with Dogs,” which originally aired on December 1, 2002 is hysterical. It has such a ridiculous plot: Bobby Hill wants to enter the “Musical Canine Freestyle,” a dog-dancing contest which is a sensation in Canada.
At the start of the episode, Bobby watches as his parents, Hank and Peggy Hill, leave to get ice cream. He’s been waiting for his parents to leave, so he can practice dog dancing for an upcoming contest with Hank’s beloved 13-year old Bloodhound, Lady Bird (named after the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson). Bobby puts on The Beatles’ rendition of “Twist and Shout” and starts practicing. However, then Hank and Peggy come home unexpectedly after Hank is incensed that the employee put his fingers in his ice cream and killed his mood for ice cream. Hank, who seems perpetually embarrassed by free-spirit Bobby’s actions, is horrified to see his son dancing with the old Lady Bird. “She’s got arthritis!” Hank says.
Bobby, needing a new dog to dance with, goes next door to neighbor Kahn Souphanousiphone’s home and asks if he can dance with their West Highland Terrier, Doggie, in the upcoming contest. Kahn agrees, but Bobby has to clean up Doggie’s poop in their yard. Bobby agrees. Meanwhile, Hank realizes that Lady Bird seems to be benefiting physically from dancing. He decides that he’s going to enter the dog dancing contest. Hank chooses Patsy Cline’s “Walkin’ After Midnight” as his and Lady Bird’s song.
Hank and Lady Bird
Hank then walks in on Bobby practicing with Doggie and is upset that he’s dancing with neighbor Kahn’s dog. This scene brings the funniest exchange in the entire episode:
HANK: You’re dancing with the neighbor’s dog against me and Lady Bird?! BOBBY: Well what was I supposed to do? Not dance with a dog?! Anyway, you said Lady Bird was too old to dance. If you pumped her full of pain pills, I’ll make sure you’re both disqualified. HANK: Well, what do you care? Looks like you’ll dance with any dog that will have you!
Bill and Rex
Hank and Bobby continue bickering and trash talking each other about dog dancing, with Hank being offended that Bobby would deign to dance with Kahn’s dog. Eventually Peggy, my queen, has had enough:
PEGGY (to HANK): You both want to dance with dogs. You each have a dog you can dance with. You take your dog to the garage. You dance with her there. Bobby gets to dance with his dog in his bedroom. Everybody gets to dance with a dog. Everybody wins.
Meanwhile, Hank’s friend, eternal sad sack Bill Dauterive, decides that he’ll also get a dog to dance with. He ends up buying Rex, an ill-tempered Rottweiler, from an animal shelter. He selects Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” as their song. However, every time Bill tries to dance with Rex, he ends up being mauled. At the contest, Bill tries to dance with a muzzled Rex and is forced to remove the muzzle.
Bobby and Doggie
On the day of the dog dancing contest, Hank is humbled by Bobby. Hank, thinking that dog dancing is easy, more or less does a very simple slow dance with Lady Bird. Bobby on the other hand, took the dog dancing much more seriously and has choreographed a very impressive routine to Technotronic’s “Move This” with Doggie. Bobby is an excellent dog trainer and has obviously put a lot of work into the contest. The commentators, one being Scott Hamilton as “Sketch Randall,” (the 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist in Men’s Figure Skating), and the other “Dud Jeperson,” are hilarious as they speak in awe about Bobby’s performance.
SKETCH: We are witnessing a dream. I hope I never wake up. DUD: Are they even touching the floor? Amazing!… I don’t even know how to describe that move. SKETCH: I wish everyone who denies the pure athleticism of dog dancing could see what I’m seeing now.
Eventually, the dog dancing contest comes to an end and the winners for the “Beginners Off-Leash Musical Freestyle” contest are announced. Rhonda Clark and her Border Collie, Rusty take third place. Bobby and Doggie take second. Hank, way too optimistic about his lukewarm performance, assumes that he and Lady Bird will win first. However, Helen Bradley and her toy poodle, Buddy (same first name as my bird!) take first. “It’s a young dog’s sport,” Hank says to console Lady Bird.
This is from “The Apple” (1980). This film is terrible and I could not find any entertainment in it. It was just stupid, and not in a good way.
What makes a good bad movie? For me, it’s simple. An objectively bad movie has to be entertaining. A lot of my favorite good bad movies are extremely campy. Campy films often contain a lot of theatrics and over the top aesthetics. One of my favorite campy films is Valley of the Dolls (1967). Everything in that film is over the top: the sets, the production, the melodrama, and the performances. Patty Duke snarling “Sparkle, Neely, Sparkle” is everything to me. Another of my favorite over the top camp classics is Barbarella (1968) where Jane Fonda travels through space in her ship, complete with floor to ceiling shag carpeting. The production design is out of this world (pardon the pun) as are Fonda’s costumes.
While Valley of the Dolls and Barbarella were “camping up” the theaters in the mid-late 1960s, a camp classic was airing on television–Batman starring Adam West as the Caped Crusader, along with Burt Ward as the “Holy Boy Wonder, Batman” and the ever rotating roster of villains: the Joker (Cesar Romero), the Penguin (Burgess Meredith), Catwoman (Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt), and the Riddler (Frank Gorshin), to name a few. Appearing as a villain on Batman was a hot commodity in the 1960s–every star wanted the job. The Batman television show is incredibly cheesy with Robin’s constant “Holy [insert thing here] Batman,” all the Bat-gadgets, the slanted photography for the villain scenes, the onomatopoeia Pow! Kapow! type phrases populating the screen during fight scenes…the list goes on. Batman did have a fantastic theme song (Na na na na na na BATMAN!)
Alicia Silverstone, George Clooney, and Chris O’Donnell
In the late 1980s, director Tim Burton brought Batman back to the movie screens–except he didn’t want to follow in the campy footsteps of the 1960s Batman. His version starred Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson as Batman and the Joker, respectively. The film has a decidedly darker tone than the 1960s television show, albeit Nicholson is given some wacky scenes to play after he is disfigured and becomes the Joker. Burton and Keaton were back in 1992 with Batman Returns, this time bringing Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer in as the Penguin and Catwoman. The darker tone remained.
After Batman Returns failed to turn as large of a profit as Batman due to it being deemed too dark and scary for children (though I saw it in the theater in 1992 at the age of 8), Warner Brothers decided they wanted the series to move in a different direction. This “different direction” saw the removal of Burton and the entrance of Joel Schumacher. Michael Keaton also declined to return as he was not interested in appearing in this new interpretation of Batman. Schumacher used the 1960s Batman as one of his main influences for the reimagining of the series.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Uma Thurman
Batman Forever was released in 1995 with Val Kilmer as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Dick Grayson/Robin was introduced in this installment with Chris O’Donnell in the role. Nicole Kidman played Batman’s love interest, Dr. Chase Meridian. The villains were Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent/Two-Face and Jim Carrey as Edward Nigma/The Riddler. I also saw Batman Forever in the theater and I just saw it again in the theater last year for the film’s 30th anniversary. I have to say that this film is so over the top, but Carrey is incredibly entertaining. I actually really like this movie. Batman Forever was a huge hit, so obviously a sequel was coming.
It took me too long to get to this point, but here we go. The fourth film in the series, Batman & Robin, was released in 1997. This installment in the series is famously known as the one featuring the Batsuit with nipples. The film starred George Clooney (then a star on ER and was looking to make his transition to film) as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Chris O’Donnell returns as Dick Grayson/Robin. Clueless star, Alicia Silverstone plays Barbara Wilson/Batgirl. The villains are Arnold Schwarzenegger as Dr. Victor Fries/Mr. Freeze and Uma Thurman as Dr. Pamela Isley/Poison Ivy. I also saw Batman & Robin in the theater and hadn’t watched it since–until last night when I watched it again. Oof. This film is terrible, but also incredibly funny and entertaining because it’s so bad. Going into the film, the only thing I could remember from my original watch was that at one point, Robin was wearing fake lips. Then I started questioning myself: Am I hallucinating? Did that really happen? It seems so stupid. But then, the film started and I realized that this film is just stupid enough that Robin wearing fake lips seems like the most realistic thing that could happen in this film.
Poison Ivy is easily the best part of this film.
Right off the “bat” (pardon the pun as there are a lot of them in Batman & Robin), the opening sequence is already making the audience laugh. Close-ups of Batman’s butt and crotch are shown repeatedly as he suits up to fight crime in Gotham City. In Batman Forever, there was a shot of Val Kilmer’s butt in the Batman costume, but for some reason in the context of that film, it was funny. In Batman & Robin however, it seems almost gratuitous and unnecessary. Even worse, we have to endure the same shots with Robin’s butt and later Batgirl’s. Enough already, Schumacher.
Within minutes of the film’s start, it becomes glaringly obvious that the Batman & Robin script is terrible. I can’t believe that stars of Clooney or Thurman’s stature would read this and think “this sounds great.” Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy only speak in one-liner ice or plant puns. The opening action sequence with Batman and Robin starts with Robin repeating Batman’s funny line from Batman Forever when he says “Chicks dig the car.” Robin, it was funny when Kilmer’s Batman said it. It was not funny when you said it, because you are annoying.
Here are some hilariously awful Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy quotes:
(Do your best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression when imagining Mr. Freeze saying these things. It makes it even funnier)
MR. FREEZE: What killed the dinosaurs? The Ice Age!
MR. FREEZE: Let’s kick some ice!
MR. FREEZE: Allow me to break the ice. My name is Freeze. Learn it well, for it’s the chilling sound of your doom.
MR. FREEZE: Mercy? I’m afraid my condition has left me cold to your pleas of mercy.
MR. FREEZE: Freeze in hell, Batman!
POISON IVY: ‘Cause it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature (because when they’re not speaking in one-liner puns, they’re using commercial slogans)
POISON IVY: There’s just something about an anatomically correct rubber suit that puts fire in a girl’s lips.
POISON IVY: Come join me. My garden needs tending.
POISON IVY: Some lucky boy’s about to hit the honey pot.
Honorable Mention to this exchange between ROBIN and POISON IVY:
ROBIN: Is your thumb the only part of you that’s green?
POISON IVY: You will just have to find out!
ROBIN: I want us to be together but, I also wanna make sure you’re serious about turning over a new leaf… I need a sign.
POISON IVY: How about “Slippery When Wet” ?
To their credit, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Uma Thurman seem to be having fun with their roles, especially Thurman. Their scenes, complete with the terrible pun-laden dialogue are the reason to watch this film. I can’t say the same for the heroes of the film. Clooney looks like he’s regretting every moment of his life leading to his participation in the film. He is a good actor, but that’s not apparent in this film. Chris O’Donnell is incredibly irritating as Robin. Robin will just not quit whining to Batman about not being allowed to do things on his own and being seen as an equal partner. It’s obvious why the planned Robin/Nightwing sequel with O’Donnell was never made. There are some hackneyed scenes that seem to repeat over and over throughout the film with Batman trying to offer some sort of wisdom and lessons to Robin, but they just seem lame and contrived.
“Let’s kick some ice!” is easily my favorite of Mr. Freeze’s ice puns.
The scenes with Batgirl are even worse. I love Alicia Silverstone in Clueless and Blast From the Past, but she is out of her element in an action film. The scene with Batgirl trying to intimidate Poison Ivy with trash talk is laughable and absurd. Batgirl’s trash talk scene would have been the perfect place in the script to insert some plant puns. Batgirl could have said something like “Time to weed the garden” or “I’ll give you a ‘Round-Up’ kick to the face” or something. In Clueless, Silverstone showed that she could deliver sass or trash talk to Paul Rudd, but that’s because she has a good script. Batman & Robin has an awful script, so she’s left with lame trash talk accusing Poison Ivy of setting back feminism. Batgirl and Poison Ivy’s fight scene looks like it was done in slow motion. I would have loved to have seen Poison Ivy fight Mr. Freeze. The film also inexplicably changes Batgirl’s character from Commissioner Gordon’s daughter to Alfred’s niece! I’m sure this was done out of convenience so it would explain why Batgirl is staying at Wayne Manor.
Making matters even worse is that Batgirl is more or less a copy of Robin from Batman Forever. She even has the same tragic orphan storyline that both Batman and Robin have. She randomly likes to steal Robin’s motorcycle at night to enter races against rough characters in the city. Nothing about Batgirl even hints at her being a “bad girl.” Even worse is that the film tries to make the claim that Batgirl is a computer genius. However, the only attempt that the film makes to show her computer genius is a scene of her trying to guess Alfred’s computer password by looking around his room for ideas. That is not the sign of a computer genius. They should have shown her creating some hacking device, entering a DOS command to bypass the password screen, or inserting some sort of disk to download data, something more clever. The film also uses some poor CGI to project the computer screen onto Batgirl’s face, which would not happen. The film also tries to make Robin and Batgirl seem like they’re going to become romantically involved, but the two seem to hate each other–maybe because they’re too much alike. There really is no point to the Batgirl character in this film.
However, I don’t want to completely dump all over Alicia Silverstone in this film. It’s not her fault that the script is so bad. I remember the magazines and tabloids being so cruel to Silverstone during the film’s production and theatrical release. There were countless horrible headlines dubbing her “Fatgirl” which is so off the mark it’s laughable. There is not a single moment in Batman & Robin where Silverstone is even remotely close to looking fat. No wonder “heroin chic” was a popular look in the 90s.
A laughably terrible fight sequence between Ivy and Batgirl.
Despite my article completely ragging on Batman & Robin for being so awful, it is also entertaining because it’s so awful. The script is horrendous. It might be the worst script ever produced. If it’s not *the* worst, it’s up there. The film’s special effects are also terrible, even for the 90s. Mr. Freeze’s blue freeze rays reminded me of Vincent Price and Boris Karloff’s magic fight in the 1963 version of The Raven. Mr. Freeze also has an amazing moment where I empathized with him when he freezes a guy for talking during a movie. I loved when Batgirl “wins” the fight against Poison Ivy by knocking her into a large, carnivorous plant. This film is entertaining for the bad script full of plant and ice puns and commercial slogans, as well as the weak attempts at trash talking and for Robin’s fake mouth. Did I mention that the script sucks?
This month, Bugs Bunny is TCM’s Star of the Month. No, TCM hasn’t lost their minds. Looney Tunes is joining TCM’s library and this was their way of welcoming Bugs and the gang into the fold. I personally am excited. I love Looney Tunes and Bugs Bunny. In fact, I hadn’t watched Looney Tunes for a long time, despite my owning 7 volumes of Looney Tunes shorts and a collection of Bugs Bunny cartoons. TCM’s salute to Bugs, combined with this fairy tales blogathon, allowed me to binge a lot of Looney Tunes shorts and documentaries.
Looney Tunes released over a thousand animated shorts over a span of forty years (1929-1969). These shorts were released under both the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies banners. Both series’ names were take-offs of Disney’s popular Silly Symphonies series. Looney Tunes began in 1930 and Merrie Melodies started in 1931. Originally, the idea was that Looney Tunes would be black and white and feature reoccurring characters. Merrie Melodies would be color and would feature one-off characters. These films would also include Warner Brothers’ music, so they could also serve as advertising for their films. Eventually Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies more or less were the same. Remember, the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons used to air in the theater prior to the main feature film. I wish they’d show cartoons before the movies. It’d be way better than seeing actual commercials in the theater.
Many of the shorts released were either film parodies or spoofs of popular stories, like fairy tales and fables. Over the course of forty years, many directors and animators were at the helm. This led to different versions of the same source material, but involved a different Looney Tunes character as the star or a different spin on the material. The gang at Termite Terrace (the nickname given to the Warner Brothers’ animators less than stellar accommodations) would never deign to do a straight telling of a familiar tale. I’m not even going to attempt to talk about all of them, but I will touch on a few of my favorites.
“The Three Little Bops” (1957). This short is my absolute favorite Looney Tunes take on a fairy tale. It is perfection. As one can infer from the title, this is a take on “The Three Little Pigs.” Everyone is familiar with the story of The Three Little Pigs. The Big Bad Wolf is after the Three Little Pigs. The first little pig builds a house out of straw. The wolf easily destroys the house and eats the pig. The second pig had built a house out of sticks. He too, has his house destroyed and is eaten by the wolf. The third little pig builds a house out of brick. The wolf is unable to destroy the house using the same means he used on the straw and stick house. Frustrated and unwilling to accept defeat, the wolf goes down the chimney. However, the little pig anticipated the wolf’s next move and places a hot boiling kettle of water inside the fireplace. The wolf enters the home and the hot water and is boiled alive. The pig eats him.
Thankfully, “The Three Little Bops” does not stay completely true to the original fable. None of the Three Little Pigs are eaten. Instead, they are part of a hot jazz trio. The wolf is desperate to get into their club and be part of their band, however, he’s a square and too stiff. His trumpet playing just isn’t hot. The Three Little Pigs kick him out of the House of Straw for being lame. Insulted, the wolf uses his trumpet to blow the club down.
The Three Little Pigs move onto the Dew Drop Inn, the House of Sticks. Again, they play in their hot trio and again the wolf tries to get in on the action. He’s again thrown out for being lame. The wolf is insulted again, and again, uses his trumpet to blow the club down. The Three Little Pigs move to the House of Bricks.
The wolf keeps trying to get into the House of Bricks, but to no avail. He tries a battering ram, He tries to masquerade as a band member wearing a fur coat and playing the Charleston on a ukulele, he tries to dress as a plant. Nothing works. Angry and desperate, the wolf decides he’ll use the ever popular TNT to blow up the club. However, he ends up blowing himself up and is killed. The wolf’s spirit does not ascend to Heaven. Instead, he is in Hell. But the bright side is, now he’s hot and a great jazz trumpet player. His spirit rises up through the floor and the wolf is finally part of The Three Little Bops. I’m glad that the Three Little Bops don’t eat him.
I love this short. The jazz music is fantastic. The art work is excellent. The story is a lot of fun. Stan Freberg also does excellent voice work as the hip narrator.
“Little Red Riding Rabbit” (1944). This short is the familar tale of that fairy tale, “Little Red Riding Hood.” In the original story, Little Red Riding Hood is a young girl, donning a hooded red cape, is walking with a basket of goodies for her grandmother who is sick. Riding Hood must walk through woods to get to her grandmother’s home. She is spotted by a wolf who decides that he is interested in both the basket of goodies (cake or wine) and Riding Hood herself. He approaches Riding Hood and suggests that she pick some flowers to bring to her grandmother. While she is off looking for flowers, the wolf goes to the grandmother’s home. He pretends to be Riding Hood to gain entry to the house. He eats the grandmother and then disguises himself as the grandmother and climbs into her bed. Riding Hood arrives. She questions her “grandmother’s” appearance, which eventually culminates with the wolf eating her too.
In “Little Red Riding Rabbit,” we meet “Riding Hood” a loud, shrill bobbysoxer teen who is singing popular song, “Five O’Clock Whistle.” In her basket, instead of the cake or wine from the original tale, Riding Hood has a rabbit to bring to her grandmother. Of course, the rabbit is none other than Bugs Bunny, so we expect some hijinks. Riding Hood’s trip is delayed when she’s tricked into taking an unusually long shortcut by the wolf. In the Looney Tales tale, Riding Hood’s grandmother isn’t sick, she’s working the swing shift at Lockheed. It’s World War II after all. There’s a funny bit where the wolf dresses up in grandmother’s nightgown to hide in her bed and there are already four other wolves there. He kicks them all out, and then finds a little tiny wolf hidden under the pillow! LOL. Eventually Riding Hood arrives. HEY GRANDMA! I BROUGHT A LITTLE BUNNY RABBIT FOR YOU TO HAVE! She yells. The wolf’s interest is piqued. Forget about Riding Hood, he wants Bugs.
In a hilarious change of events, the wolf is no longer interested in following the Red Riding Hood script. He couldn’t care less about Riding Hood. He only wants that Rabbit. Bugs tries to out run and out trick the wolf. Riding Hood, however, keeps interrupting the wolf and Bugs, with her “oh grandma what big eyes you have” type script–a desperate (or perhaps oblivious) attempt to get the story back on track. At first, her interruptions help Bugs, but eventually even he is irritated and joins forces with the wolf! I also love in Looney Tunes how the wolf from Red Riding Hood, Three Little Pigs, and any other stories with a “big bad wolf” is always the same wolf and he seems to have recollection of his actions in those other stories.
HONORABLE MENTION: “Red Hot Riding Hood” (1943). This cartoon isn’t technically Looney Tunes. It’s actually MGM. However, I am listing it here, because it was directed by Tex Avery who directed Looney Tunes cartoons prior to working at MGM. This cartoon is pretty funny. This is a more risqué interpretation of the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale that I described above. The cartoon starts with the standard Little Red Riding Hood story. Riding Hood is carrying a basket of goodies to her sick grandmother. There’s a wolf. Blah. Blah. Blah.
Suddenly, Riding Hood, the grandmother, and the wolf stop performing and start complaining that the story is boring and it’s already been done. The narrator agrees and the cartoon starts over with a new title, “Red Hot Riding Hood.” The locale has changed from a forest to a city hot spot. Riding Hood, now called “Red,” is now an adult and appears to be working at a burlesque house, or at the very least, is a sexy nightclub performer. The wolf is a swinger who moves from club to club looking to hook up with the ladies. Grandma is the hip proprietor of a club. She is also hot to trot and wants to get with the wolf almost immediately. The wolf hits on Red and she’s not interested. She manages to get away from him and heads to Grandma’s. This cartoon has an insane ending where the wolf kills himself after swearing off women and spotting Red again.
Tortoise and the Hare Trilogy: “Tortoise Beats Hare” (1941), “Tortoise Wins by a Hare” (1943), and “Rabbit Transit” (1947). This trilogy is the classic tortoise and the hare fable. In Aesop’s original fable, a hare constantly harasses the slow-moving tortoise. Fed up, the tortoise challenges the hare to a race. When the race starts, the over-confident hare takes off, leaving the tortoise in the dust. He’s so confident in fact, he takes a nap. The hare awakes just in time to see the tortoise crossing the finish line.
In the Looney Tunes’ shorts, the hare-esque Bugs Bunny plays the cocky and arrogant opponent to Cecil the turtle. The first installment of the short plays just as Aesop’s Fable, except that Bugs and Cecil also make a monetary bet and we see Cecil arrange a prank with his turtle buddies to play a trick on Bugs. As Bugs rounds each checkpoint of the course, he is shocked to see Cecil there. Eventually, he gets to the finish line, only to see that Cecil has won. While Bugs does pay up, he is skeptical and wonders if Cecil cheated. We then see Cecil and his turtle friends all holding dollar bills. This ending does somewhat go against the lesson learned in the fable, but it’s funny.
In the second installment, Bugs Bunny is still trying to figure out how Cecil beat him. Bugs deduces that it was Cecil’s shell which gave him the advantage over rabbits. He challenges Cecil to a rematch. Bugs even goes as far as to build his own shell to use in the race. Somehow, the rabbit mob gets wind of the rematch and bets a large sum of money on Bugs winning and Cecil losing. The race starts and Bugs Bunny gets a sizeable lead. He then puts on his Cecil costume to continue the race. Except the mob spot him, think he’s a turtle and start beating him up. Meanwhile, Cecil puts on a Bugs Bunny costume and ends up helped to the finish line by the rabbit mob. Bugs Bunny is disgusted, removes his Cecil costume to reveal that the mob just helped Cecil win.
In the final installment, Bugs and Cecil’s story is retconned and the previous two altercations between Bugs and Cecil never happened. Bugs is reading Aesop’s “The Tortoise and the Hare” and is incensed at the ending, insisting that a hare would never lose to a tortoise. Cecil scoffs, saying that the ending is believable. Bugs challenges Cecil to a race. They also mutually agree not to cheat. We then discover that Cecil has a motor installed in his shell. Eventually Bugs wins the race, but is tricked by Cecil into admitting that he was easily going over 100 mph. Cecil has Bugs arrested. Because of course.
“Bewitched Bunny” (1954). This is the Looney Tunes send up of the classic German Brothers Grimm fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel. Hansel and Gretel are siblings who live alone in a forest. They attract the attention of a witch, who lives in a house made of bread, sugar, and cake. The witch has built the home to attract the attention of the children, because she wants to eat them. Taking advantage of the children’s loneliness, cold, and hunger, the witch lures them with food and the promise of a warm home and cozy beds. She then spends the next few weeks fattening them up until they are good enough to eat. Eventually Gretel wises up and shoves the witch into the oven when she was about to do the same to her.
Bugs Bunny seems to be at the forefront of all of these fairy tale spoofs. This cartoon also features Witch Hazel. Witch Hazel is a very proud witch who prides herself on her ugliness and needs constant reassurance from her magic mirror that nobody else is uglier than her. However, one day, her confidence is shattered when her mirror announces that an even uglier witch has arrived. This ugly witch is actually Bugs Bunny in a Halloween costume. While trick or treating, Bugs spots Witch Hazel coaxing young Hansel and Gretel into her home. Hansel and Gretel speak with German accents in case there was any doubt about their story’s heritage. There is a funny, albeit somewhat morbid scene where Witch Hazel is reading a cookbook about cooking children that includes recipes like “Moppet Muffins,” “Waif Waffles,” and my personal favorite, “Smorgas Boy.”
To save the children, Bugs Bunny poses as a truant officer and comes to Witch Hazel’s door. There’s a running gag with Bugs and other characters being confused about Hansel’s name. I’m not sure what that was about. Unfortunately for Bugs Bunny, Witch Hazel becomes more interesting in eating him when she realizes that he’s not in fact a truant officer, but rather a rabbit. At one point, Bugs Bunny is asleep and he is awoken by Prince Charming’s kiss. Bugs tells him that he’s in the wrong story and Snow White (another Brothers Grimm tale) isn’t there. He then tells the Prince that he’s in Hansel and Gretel. The Prince is also confused about Hansel’s name. Witch Hazel busts in, she’s found Bugs Bunny. Bugs grabs some sort of potion from behind the “In case of emergency, break glass” and throws it at Witch Hazel. The potion transforms her into a gorgeous woman–her worst nightmare! Bugs then has a wild ending line about Witch Hazel’s transformation “Aren’t they (women) all witches inside?” Yikes, Bugs Bunny!
“Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears” (1944). This is a re-telling of the classic British fairy tale, Goldilocks and the Three Bears. In the original story, a young woman with golden locks of hair more or less burglarizes the home of the three bears: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear. She tries each bear’s porridge, one is too hot, one is too cold, and one is just right and she eats it. She then sits in their chairs, one is too hard, one is too soft, one is just right and she breaks it. Finally, Goldilocks is exhausted and decides to sleep. Again, one bed is too hard, one bed is too soft, and one bed is just right. The three bears come home to find Goldilocks asleep in baby bear’s bed. She awakens and runs out of the home. Never to be seen again.
In the Bugs Bunny version, the Three Bears having already gone through the aforementioned Goldilocks situation, want to entice her to come back to their home because they’re starving. They decide to use carrot soup as bait. The Three Bears then pretend to leave, thinking that Goldilocks will return if she thinks the house is empty. Instead, the aroma of the carrot soup attracts the attention of Bugs Bunny and he ends up the Goldilocks of the story.
The Three Bears are unable to capture Bugs Bunny as planned. As a means to escape, Bugs compliments Mama Bear. However, this woman is obviously starved for affection from her husband, because she takes to Bugs very quickly and showers him with kisses and affection. Mama won’t keep her hands off of him. There’s a very funny scene where Bugs opens each and every door trying to escape. Behind each door is Mama in a seductive costume, one of which appears to be a Veronica Lake-type look. Mama continues her lust for Bugs all the way through the ending credits.
The Three Bears were used in multiple shorts by the Looney Tunes. In another short, the family is completely dysfunctional and out of control. They’re like a bizarro version of The Berenstain Bears, if there was no Sister Bear.
It’s been such a long time since I’ve posted last. I apologize to everyone whose Blogathon I missed. I’ve been so busy, pretty much the entire summer that it’s been difficult to find the time, and frankly, the ambition, to write a blog entry. I have a ton of posts I need to write, including the much belated entry about my visit to this year’s TCM Film Festival in April. In July, I attended Noir City: Portland, which was a great event. While I may not have been writing about classic film, I have still been watching it. When I saw the Ingrid Bergman blogathon, I knew I wanted to get back to my blog–I love Ingrid Bergman and the film that I’m going to write about, Gaslight (1944).
Gaslight (1944) is based on Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play, Gas Light. In 1940, the play was adapted into the UK film, Gaslight. 1944’s Gaslight, starring Ingrid, Charles Boyer, and Joseph Cotten, was MGM’s remake of the 1940 film. I have not seen the UK version nor have I seen/read the play, so I am not going to compare and contrast the different versions. I am exclusively speaking to the 1944 version. Warning: it is impossible for me to discuss this film without spoiling the ending.
Recently, the term “gas light” has emerged as a popular buzzword to throw around when someone discusses a problem with their relationship. It was even named Merriam-Webster’s “Word of the Year” in 2022. Unfortunately, most of the time when the word “gaslighting” is being thrown around, it is being misused. Gaslighting is not about lying. It is not about disagreeing with your partner. Gaslighting is specifically a form of psychological manipulation and emotional abuse where someone essentially starts questioning their sanity, memory, experience, and their overall grip on reality.
Ingrid Bergman notices that the gas lights are dimming.
The title “Gas Light” was chosen because of the gas lights used in Victorian homes. When a gas light would be turned in in one room, it would be dimmed in another room. In all iterations of Gaslight, the antagonist husband knows that turning on the gas light in the attic will dim the other lights in the home, informing his wife that someone is in another room. Also, she will hear footsteps and other commotion coming from the attic. The husband knows he’s got to make her doubt what she’s seeing and hearing–hence the term “gas light.”
Gaslight (1944) opens in 1875 London with a young woman, Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman), being escorted away from the home of her famous aunt, Alice, an opera singer. Alice has just been murdered. Flash forward a few years and a now adult Paula is living in Italy, taking singing lessons with the hope of following in her Aunt’s footsteps. However, let’s face it, Paula is not going to become an opera singer. Accompanying Paula’s singing lessons is pianist, Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer). We quickly learn that Paula and Gregory are romantically involved. They marry and soon re-locate to London. Knowing that Paula still owns her aunt Alice’s home at 9 Thornton Square, Gregory insists that he and Paula set up shop there. All of Alice’s possessions also still reside in the attic.
Charles Boyer hires Angela Lansbury to work as Ingrid Bergman’s maid.
Gregory soon hires a young woman, Nancy (17-year old Angela Lansbury in her film debut), who can only be described as “a tart” to be his and Paula’s maid. Upon being hired, Gregory plants it in Nancy’s mind that his wife Paula is losing her mind and to ignore whatever she says. Nancy, also having the hots for Gregory, happily goes along with his instructions. She is very cruel to Paula and seems to take pride in how rotten she can be. Nancy seems to take pride in terrorizing Paula.
In this film, Gregory comes up with various methods to slowly torment Paula, and drive her mad. As an example, he hands her items, such as a brooch to wear, then secretly steals it back. When she’s unable to find it, he chides her on her “forgetfulness.” Later, he removes a painting off the wall and hides it, then accuses Ingrid of taking the painting and hiding it. The poor woman is an absolute wreck by the end of the film. The goal of Gregory’s entire plan is to be able to search through Paula’s aunt’s possessions in search of some expensive jewels she owned. It is revealed in the film that Gregory was actually Sergis Bauer, the man who murdered Paula’s aunt some years earlier. He was looking for the jewels then and was interrupted. His entire marriage to Paula was just a ruse to get back into the home and continue looking for the jewels. He wants to drive Paula mad so he can search for the jewels right under her nose. Talk about playing the long game!
Joseph Cotten investigates Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer.
Gregory’s plan seems to be working very well, except for the presence of two busy bodies–Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotten) and Miss Thwaites (Dame Mae Whitty). Paula apparently bears a striking resemblance to her famous aunt. When she and Gregory visit the Tower of London, Brian just happens to be on the same tour. Brian was a childhood admirer of Paula’s aunt. He is drawn to Paula upon spotting her. Further observation reveals her to be nervous and anxious. Brian feels something is “off.” Brian also works at Scotland Yard. Out of concern for Paula and respect for her aunt, he decides to re-open Paula’s aunt’s cold case and goes to work investigating. Miss Thwaites is an older woman, and a neighbor of Paula and Gregory’s. She just happened to meet Paula on a train earlier in the film. She is more or less harmless, but she reveals herself to be a big fan of murder mysteries. She also becomes suspicious of Paula and Gregory when she witnesses Paula emerging from the home and quickly running back inside.
Ingrid Bergman’s tour-de-force performance in the final act where Gregory is caught is the scene which I imagine clinched her Oscar for Best Actress. She is absolutely fantastic in this scene and fully deserved all accolades she received. I love when she starts discovering that he was the one responsible for her mental breakdown while he still tries to maintain the charade. It is only out of his desperation to escape from Scotland Yard when he admits his guilt. Then, Paula brilliantly turns the tables on Gregory and makes him think he’s insane when she can’t find the knife he insists is in the drawer.
PAULA: [The knife] isn’t here. You must have dreamed you put it here. Are you suggesting that this is a knife? Have you gone mad, my husband? I could have set you free, couldn’t I? I could have cut those ropes and set you free. But I can’t find it. What shall we do?…Perhaps I’ve lost the knife as I’ve lost those other things. I must look for it, mustn’t I? If I don’t find it, you’re going to have me locked up, aren’t you?…If I had the knife, I could have had pity. But I could also kill. I could kill as you killed. You killed her as you tried to kill my mind. Without pity. Without pity you killed her as I can kill…Kill! Kill!
