What Classics Did You See May 26 – June 1

Dead End / William Wyler (1937). This is a 1930s socially conscious film with Humphrey Bogart so you might be thinking “Warner Bros.” But, no, this is from Samuel Goldwyn Productions with Bogart on loan in trade for Miriam Hopkins going to Warner for a picture. It is from a hit play by Pulitzer Prize winner Sidney Kingsley, who had grown up in the New York tenements on the East River bank.
    The setting comes at a time when gentrification is moving in. Homes for the rich are being built right next door to the tenements and slowly replacing them. We follow three intersecting storylines. College educated architect Dave (Joel McCrea) has returned to where he was raised while waiting for an opportunity in his profession. His childhood friend Drina (top-billed Sylvia Sidney) is in love with him but he is fascinated with Kay (Wendy Barrie), the debutant in the mansion down the street. Drina is raising her younger brother Tommy (Billy Halop) who is a member of a gang of young hooligans – the Dead End Kids, the second storyline.
    The Dead End Kids – the second plot line - were one of the big reasons the Broadway play was so popular. All of them were brought to Hollywood to recreate their characters on the screen. This also launched a decades long series of spin-offs under different titles, a complicated story I will not take up here except to say that in this initial outing, they are very good.
    The third story line involves the return of wanted gangster “Baby Face” Martin (Humphrey Bogart) who wants to see his mother (Marjory Main) again. He has had surgery on his face, but Dave recognizes him and urges him to get out. Martin is involved in two devastating encounters: first with his mother and then, in my favorite scene, a four or five-minute meeting between Bogart and former girlfriend Francey (Clare Trevor). This is the entirety of Trevor’s screen time but that 5-minutes is a dramatic A-bomb, a real corker, that, even as brief as it is, Trevor was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in just the second year that award was given by the Academy. Bogart should have been nominated as well because both are magnificent. Highly recommended.






South Pacific / Joshua Logan (1958). This was a “Roadshow” production of the hit Broadway musical with a glorious score by Richard Rodgers with book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein.
    During the early days of World War II, on a small island in the, well, south pacific, Navy nurse Nellie Forbush (Mitzi Gaynor) has met and is falling in love with a local planter, Emile de Becque (Rossano Brazzi), a middle-aged man, older than Nellie. Being from Arkansas and sheltered, Nellie has doubts about remaining so far home. Meanwhile, a newcomer, Lt. Joe Cable (John Kerr) has arrived to undertake a dangerous mission. He falls in love with Liat ( France Nuyen), a Polynesian. Like Nellie, Joe feels he cannot take Liat back with him to his society family in Philadelphia. The theme of prejudice, hate, and bigotry that people in the U.S. learn from early childhood is very strong in the story. Even though there are comic characters like Liat’s mother, Bloody Mary (Juanita Hall) and Sgt. Luther Billis (Ray Walston), this is a serious drama. They had to reach to come up with a happy ending. I liked that about it. The major draw, though, is the music and the singable songs, some of which became standards (e.g. Some Enchanted Evening & This Nearly Was Mine).
    Although Juanita Hall originated her role on Broadway, her singing voice was dubbed for the movie by Muriel Smith. John Kerr was dubbed by Bill Lee who later sang for Christopher Plummer in “The Sound of Music.” The famous, for the time, operatic bass Giorgio Tozzi (born George Tozzi in Chicago), sings Rossano Brazzi’s music.






The Quiet Earth / Geoff Murphy (1985). This indie production from New Zealand falls into the “last person alive on Earth” sub-genre but has mysteries and worth of its own.
    Zac Hobson (Bruno Lawrence) wakes up alone in a room. After he dresses and goes out, he is stunned that his city is empty of people. At his laboratory, he finds that is was the secret project he was working on that may have been the cause of everyone’s disappearance. He movies into a rich person’s house and dresses in fine clothes, but then starts to go a little mad – until Joanne (Alison Routledge) shows up at his house. Later, they meet Api (Pete Smith), a man of Māori ancestry. They try to solve the mysteries of what, exactly, was “the effect,” as they call it, and why only they have survived. They need to do this while battling reoccurring, but minor, new Effects, overcoming conflicting personalities, and that Joanne is being drawn to Api.
    This is an entertaining feature that pulled a couple of good surprises and makes a viewing worthwhile. Recommended.





TELEVISION

Doctor Who – Classic Series
Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor
“Carnival of Monsters” Season 10, Episodes 5 - 8 (January 27 – February 17, 1973)
“Death to the Daleks” Season 11, Episodes 11 -14 (February 23 - March 16, 1974)

NOVA
“Decoding the Universe: Cosmos” Season 51, Episode 8 (May 22, 2024)

im a fan of Quiet Earth, my second favorite NZ film.

The Outfit (1973, John Flynn)
Another film (like Point Blank) based on the books about the Parker character. This time Robert Duvall is in that role. It’s a real fun film with a lot of great action.
7.5-8/10

Altered States (1980, Ken Russell)
In a great debut, William Hurt plays a physiologist who experiments with drugs and a sensory-deprivation tank and has visions he believes are genetic memories.
i had forgotten how great the effects were, better film than I remembered.
7.5/10

The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970, Basil Dearden)
This bizarre English film stars Roger Moore as Harold Pelham who discovers a doppelganger is meddling with his personal and professional life in the aftermath of a car crash.
they keep this one moving pretty quickly, entertaining.
6.5/10

Deadline U.S.A. (1952, Richard Brooks)
Humphrey Bogart plays an editor whose newspaper is about to be sold, at the same time he tries to complete an exposé on a gangster. Has some real good moments but often feels a little dry.
6/10

Brainstorm (1965, William Conrad)
In this almost twilight zone style film a scientist saves his boss' wife from suicide but then falls in love with her. It’s an interesting little film, worth a look.
6/10

The Man in the Glass Booth (1975, Arthur Hiller)
Based on a play by actor Robert Shaw (Jaws), Mossad agents kidnap an American Jewish man, accuse him of being a fugitive Nazi war criminal and take him to Jerusalem to face trial for genocide.
it very much feels like a play, it’s pretty over the top but it’s interesting enough throughout.
5.5/10

mikef6

This weeks mystery frame, I think we have to travel to France...



At first glance I thought the guy on the right was Boris Karloff.

mikef6 , I love Dead End! It's a wonderful film, as you so well described. Now you've inspired me to see it again.

And I haven't seen South Pacific in well over 50 years and don't remember it very well. Probably need to see that one again, too. I love all Rogers and Hammerstein music, even when I don't like the film versions of their works very much (like Carousel, for instance; but oh, the music in that is great.). Anyway, thanks for the reminder.

wmcclain
What did you think of "The Ipcress File" series?

8/10




7/10