The Great Race (1965) is madcap fun...

The Great Race was on TCM last night as part of their Natalie Wood tribute and this epic comedy is still tremendously funny. The story of a go for broke automobile race in 1908 between dashing good guy Sir Leslie (a charming Tony Curtis) and arch-rival Professor Fate (Jack Lemmon in a terrific performance). The race begins in New York and goes to Paris by way of Siberia. Along for the ride is Leslie's right hand man Hezekiah (played by Keenan Wynn) and Fate's sidekick Max (Peter Falk). Also on board is TCM's star of the month Natalie Wood as Maggie Dubois (who is my favorite Natalie role she ever did....funny, sexy and take charge). Lemmon also does double duty as a royal prince. The Great Race is one of my favorite films as it has a constant barrage of slapstick and pratfalls and anything else you could want in a comedy. It's very large in scale, comparable to It's A Mad, Mad, Mad World and it features several cameos inlcuding Vivian Vance, Dorothy Provine, Larry Storch, Denver Pyle, and Ross Martin. It also features a rousing and amusing film score, the Professor Fate theme is to die for. It's awesome seeing Curtis and Lemmon paired up again after their classic Some Like It Hot. And great to see Natalie Wood in an all out comedy. I truly believe that comedy was her best genre even though she was very good in dramas too. I just enjoy her more in comedies like The Great Race. And wonderfully directed by Blake Edwards (The Pink Panther).While the film runs well over 2 and a half hours, it never drags. It will keep you entertained the entire time. One of the best comedies ever made.

Memorable Quotes:

Max: We gotta do something.
Professor Fate: Oh, don't worry. Before this iceberg melts and we drown like rats, we're going to do plenty.
Max: Yeah? What?
Professor Fate: We're gonna starve!
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Maggie DuBois: You mean amazing because I'm a woman.
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Professor Fate: The eternal struggle takes time, Max.

Notes:

This movie is loosely based on an actual 1908 New York-to-Paris race. "The Leslie Special", four of which were built for the movie, was a loose interpretation of the 1907 Thomas Flyer that won the real race.


In the film's press kit, Natalie Wood divulges that she took fencing lessons, sidesaddle lessons and practiced smoking cigars, but her biggest challenge was driving the Stanley Steamer. The steering was difficult ("like turning a tractor, I suspect", she says) and going into reverse was nearly impossible.


During the pie throwing scene there is a running gag that The Great Leslie remains clean while everyone else is covered in pie. Tony Curtis was required to change clothes several times when he was accidentally splattered with debris from a pie that had hit someone else.


The pies used during the pie throwing scene were real, containing fruit, custard, whipped cream and other ingredients. Following this scene the crew devoured more than 300 leftover pies.

Sunday in New York (1963).

Sunday in New York (1963). Director: Peter Tewksbury. Cast: Cliff Robertson, Jane Fonda, and Rod Taylor. The screenplay by Norman Krasna was adapted from his play which had been produced on Broadway the previous year. It was one of Fonda's earliest films.

Airline pilot Adam Tyler, is getting ready to spend a romantic weekend in his New York apartment with his girlfriend, Mona Harris. When they are surprised by arrival of his sister Eileen, who has just broke up with her fiancee, Russ Wilson, because she does not to sleep with him before they are married. After telling Eileen that she has done the right thing. His flight assignment is changed at the last minute and he is unable to reach Mona.

Soon after he leaves, Eileen finds Mona's night gown in her brother's closet and becoming angry at her brothers double standard. She decides to seduce Philadelphia newspaperman Mike Mitchell, after meeting him on a bus. Mike respects her virtue and can not go through with it, even though they are falling in love. While still in their robes, they are surprised by the arrival of her fiancee Russ, who mistakes Mike for Eileen's brother. When her brother returns to his apartment he is introduced as his own co-pilot but goes along with the story, even though he suspects the truth. How will this situation be resolved?

I thought Sunday in New York, was a very charming, romantic, comedy. Performed very well by all the actors. A hidden gem!

Jo Morrow's mother encouraged Jo's acting career by entering her in a "Be A Star" contest. Which Morrow, won a 20th Century-Fox contract (film-debuting in Gary Cooper's Ten North Frederick (1958) and from there moved to Columbia. The 1964 birth of a deaf daughter forced Morrow to choose between movies and motherhood. Although, she made a short comeback in 1970s, Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls (1973) and Terminal Island (1973).

Affectionately Yours showing on TCM, Friday June 18th

The lesser known comedy from 1941, Affectionately Yours will be airing on TCM early Friday morning at 4:45 am EST. So set you machines to record this comedy that stars Merle Oberon, Dennis Morgan, and Rita Hayworth. It's been awhile since I've seen it but the story goes like this: A married reporter's assignments carry him all over the world, which gives him ample opportunity to put the moves on the local females. He's in Lisbon attempting his latest "conquest" when he gets word that his wife back home has found another man and is divorcing him. Panicking, he heads back to the US to try to patch things up, but the girl from Lisbon follows him back, determined to take advantage of the situation. Morgan is the husband. Oberon is the wife. And Hayworth is the girl from Libson who is aching for Dennis to get a divorce. The stellar supporting cast also includes Ralph Bellamy, Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen. That's a pretty impressive cast. So if you get the chance to record or watch this comedy gem, please do so.

New Poll Started

Sorry for being so late with the monthly poll, but here it is. Who is your favorite leading lady of Preston Sturges wonderful screwball comedies. The choices are Claudette Colbert (The Palm Beach Story), Veronica Lake (Sullivan's Travels), Betty Hutton (The Miracle of Morgan's Creek), Barbara Stanwyck (The Lady Eve) or Betty Grable ( The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend). I will let the poll run for a full 30 days. Enjoy. As for my pick, you can tell whose my favorite is by the photo above.

The Feminine Touch (1941)

The Feminine Touch (1941). Romantic Comedy. Cast: Don Ameche and Rosalind Russell.

College psychology professor John Hathaway, becomes upset when Dean Hutchinson suggests that the team's star, Rubber-legs Ryan, must pass an exam to be put back on the team. Rubber-legs has eyes for John's wife Julie, John, who is writing a book about jealousy, thinks he is above all that and is not upset. Which does not make Julie very happy. When John and Hutchinson argue over Rubber-leg, John quits and moves to New York with Julie. At the publisher Elliott Morgan office, they meet, Nellie Woods, who is secretly in love with Elliott. While John talks over his book with Nellie, the jealous Julie meets the womanizing, Elliott who does not appeal to Julie. At a party, Elliott admits that he is attracted to Julie, and John says that he should spend time with Julie, while Nellie and John spend time together working. Julie goes sightseeing with Elliott and becomes very upset that John is not jealous. One day, when Julie comes home and sees John and Nellie hugging and drinking champagne, celebrating the sale of his book, Julie's jealousy surprises John. Later, while they are riding a subway, Julie and John jokingly pretend that he is bothering her and bystanders call a policeman. She tries to stop John's arrest but is pushed back onto the subway by the crowd. You have to watch to see what happens next.


I thought this was a very charming romantic comedy. Not heavy on plot, a perfect movie for a summer afternoon with its snappy dialog, especially from Russell and Francis. Another fun part about watching this movie is Julie fun hats. We also look back at 1940's feminism seen though psychology professor eyes but scoffed at by Julie, who says those are the women who are alone at night.

The Doughgirls (1944) is screwball comedy at it's best...

Coming out at the tail end of the screwball comedy genre is this wonderful and entertaining film, The Doughgirls. Featuring an all-star cast of Ann Sheridan, Jane Wyman, Jack Carson, Eve Arden, Charlie Ruggles and Alexis Smith. The story centers on recently married couple Arthur and Vivian Halstead (played by Carson and Wyman) who arrive in Washington, DC to honeymoon in their reserved suite. But with the wartime housing shortage (this film is set during WW2) things do not go as planned. When they arrive, their room is already occupied by another recently married couple, Julian and Edna Cadman (played by John Ridgely and Ann Sheridan). There is a tense scene when the two women meet behind closed doors that you think is going to turn ugly, but ends up being not so bad, once they realize they are friends from their old chorus line days. Soon a third friend will drop by a Nan Curtis Dillion (Alexis Smith) who is there to marry a soldier fiancee, who is en route before he flies out on a mission. All this is well and good except that Arthur wants to spend time with his wife, but with so many people dropping by that becomes futile. Eve Arden shows up as Russian soldier, Sgt. Natalia  Moskoroff, on a goodwill tour of the United States. Her accent will have you cracking up every time she speaks. And she also carries her rifle everywhere she goes, occasionally letting off a few shots from the balcony, much to the chagrin of the hotel's manager. Also on hand is Charles Ruggles as Stanley Slade, Arthur's new boss, who decides to put the moves on Vivian. And Edna has to deal with the return of Julian's ex-wife, who wants him back in a big way, now that he is meeting with the high rollers of D.C. Almost all of the action takes place in this one room but a lot of things and situations happen that will keep you entertained throughout.

The performances are all wonderful. Jane Wyman is awesome as Vivian. She gives a ditzy blonde performance (even though she is brunette) that would make Marilyn Monroe proud. You won't believe half the things that come out of her mouth but you will be laughing anyway. I never knew Wyman could be this funny. Ann Sheridan is pretty good too despite a few times she comes close to going over the top with her shrieking. But she gives the best double takes along with Jack Carson out of the whole cast. And speaking of Carson, he is in top form as usual. Alexis Smith actually is quite good in a comedy role instead of her usual dramatic ones. She even gets to do a thick Brooklyn accent that will bring a smile to your face. And let's not forget the great Charles Ruggles, who is perfect as Slade.

The Doughgirls is a very funny movie that I loved from the get go. It's setting will remind you of The More the Merrier and Government Girl, as those films also dealt with the wartime housing shortage. And it is just as memorable as those films as well. I have no problem placing The Doughgirls on the list of great screwball classics.
B+

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium (1969)

I recently ordered a movie on DVD from Amazon and it arrived yesterday. I immediately put it in to watch it, appropriately enough it's called If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. It is a delightful comedy about a group of Americans on the ultimate European trip. Nine countries in 18 days as stated by Whirlwind Tours, the company that provides this hilarious and exhausting vacation package. Top billed Suzanne Pleshette leads the Americans as Samantha Perkins, a woman from Minnesota who goes on this trip to make sure she is ready to marry her beau. She immediately attracts the unwanted attention of the tour guide Charlie (an impossibly young looking Ian McShane). McShane would later on to great success as the title character in the hit 80's British show Lovejoy and recently as the ruthless saloon owner Al on the rough western series Deadwood. Anyway he is player but looks at Sam and thinks he's ready to settle down. Other cast members include Murray Hamilton (The Graduate, Jaws) as a disparate dad who is dragged on the trip by his wife. But the main he goes is to keep their teen-age daughter from having sex with her boyfriend. Norman Fell and Reva Rose are a married couple who get separated and she winds up on another tour bus with Japanese tourists. Michael Constantine is a WW2 soldier who is trying to find the girl he met during the war when he was stationed in Italy. Sandy Baron is a quite young man who gets roped into marrying an Italian woman before he escapes. Mildred Natwick is a older woman who just wants to have fun. Marty Ingels as a lothario wannabe who takes pictures of beautiful women so he can brag to his fellas back home. And Aubrey Morris is a strange man who never speaks but enjoys stealing items from the hotel rooms the group stays at. And there are tons of cameos including: singer Donovan,who provides the catchy theme song; Joan Collins, Robert Vaughn, John Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, Senta Berger, Anita Ekberg, Virni Lisi and several beauty pagent winners of the time including Miss Belgium, Miss Germany, and Miss Holland.


This movie has a breezy and light-hearted tone. The entire cast is awesome. Pleshette, who is positively gorgeous gets a lot of sly lines and has great chemistry with McShane. Norman Fell has a standout dance scene at a club where he gets to go on stage surrounded by a bevy of young and beautiful dancers and he is loving every minute of it. That is until his wife unexpectedly shows up. Hamilton is also good as the frustrated dad who finally gets to have some fun. This movie has tons of laughs and at only 98 minutes long, a lot of ground and countries get covered fast. Which is impressive in itself. The look of the movie is also great as it perfectly captures the decade of long hair and groovy music. I loved this movie and it is one of the most underrated films I have ever seen. It will make you laugh pretty much the entire time you're watching it. I definitely will be watching it several more times and soon. And while this is technically not a screwball comedy, it does feature some screwball antics and situations. So I decided to post it here as well.
B+

Classic Funny Ladies video

And wait for the end when Debbie Reynolds does a funny imitation...

The Mating Season (1951)

The Mating Season (1951). Comedy. Director: Mitchell Leisen and produced by Charles Brackett from a screenplay by Charles Brackett, Richard Breen and Walter Reisch, based on the play Maggie by Caesar Dunn. Cast: Gene Tierney, John Lund, Miriam Hopkins, and Thelma Ritter.

After Ellen McNulty, sells her hamburger stand she decides to visit her son Val, who lives in another city. Val has recently married a socialite, Maggie. To help her out, her husband hires a maid and sends her over. At the same time, Ellen arrives. Maggie, her daughter-in-law, mistakes her for the maid. Ellen doesn't let on who she really is and decides to pretend to be a maid. The next morning Ellen arrives with her things. She talks her son into the idea but he doesn't like it very much.

Maggie's mother comes for a visit and she is nothing like Maggie. She is a snob and she doesn't like Val one bit. Mr. Kalinger invites Val and Maggie to the party. At the party, Maggie gets into an argument with an important female guest and storms out. Val, forces Maggie to call the party to apologize to the woman. She does, leading to another fight.

The next morning, Val and Maggie make up and duck into a closet for a kiss. Ellen's friends are at the door and ask to speak to "Mrs. McNulty". It is revealed that Ellen is really Val's mother. Maggie is furious with Val for hiding his mother's identity from her. She and her mother leave for a hotel. Maggie later confronts Val at his office. She tells him that he has become a snob and that she is moving to Mexico. Will Val and Maggie reunite?

I really enjoyed watching this very well done screwball comedy. You have mistaken identity an overbearing mother in law. Mix them altogether you get a movie with cynical undercurrents about the American dream. This film has an excellent cast: Miriam Hopkins, gives a wonderful over the top performance and what can I say Thelma Ritter, just amazing. I was really loved her warm hearted scenes with Gene Tierney.

Click to view, The Mating Season Movie Trailer.

The Strawberry Blonde premieres on TCM

I've always wanted to see this comedy film which stars James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, and Rita Hayworth. Well TCM is airing The Strawberry Blonde on Wednesday, May 12th at 7:45 am EST. Tune in or record it if you get the chance. I know I plan to. I can't wait to see. Cagney only did a few comedies in his career, as did Hayworth, so that makes it worth seeing for that fact alone.