Screwball Cinema: video

Showing posts with label video. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

HOT IN CLEVELAND is one funny show!

I've been watching Hot In Cleveland ever since it's debut back in 2010 on TV Land network. The series wraps up it's third season tonight and has just been renewed for a 4th one. And I have to say it is one of my favorite shows. Nothing like seeing veteran sitcom stars like Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Betty White work their magic. I know some may write this off as a throw-away series, but I happen to find it very funny. The general plot started back in 2010 when three girlfriends from LA take a plane trip to Paris and wind up in Cleveland due to an emergency landing. Melanie, the writer (Bertinelli); soap diva Victoria Chase (Malick) and make-up artist Joy (Leeves) make a decision to abandon the fast paced life of California where they each have some issues to make a new start in Cleveland. They end up buying a home there, which comes with a caretaker named Elka (our girl Betty White). And it's hate at first sight as Elka wisecracks on the three women constantly, especially Joy. But over time the four women bond and became good friends.

Ever the star, Victoria Chase turns on the charm at a super-market...

The chemistry between the four women is terrific. I especially like Leeve's character of Joy, who British accent always get ridiculed but she really has the strongest back story of all the women. What with being left at the altar, giving up her long lost son, green card troubles, and so on. Malick's Victoria Chase is a hoot and a half. As the one time soap queen who finds trying to get steady work very difficult. And it's great when her much talked about nemesis Susan Lucci pops up from time to time to cause her trouble. Bertinelli as Melanie sometimes gets overshadowed by these two and by White but her presence is always comforting and she gets in some good zingers every now and then. Of course Betty White gets the majority of the funny one liners and at age 90, proves she still has it.

The girls just hanging out on their front porch...

If you have never seen Hot In Cleveland, check it out. I love it. And guest stars galore have paraded through on the series so far. Such as John Mahoney (Frasier), Rhea Perlman (Cheers), John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard, Smallville), Wayne Knight (Seinfeld), Tim Conway (The Carol Burnett Show) and tons more.

Here's a little taste of some funny bits...

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Hail The Conquering Hero is another winner from Preston Sturges

My favorite Preston Sturges of all time is The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek. I have seen it like 20 times. Well last night I watched his other masterpiece from that same year of 1944, Hail The Conquering Hero, for the first time. And it's just as great. Close to matching Morgan's Creek. All so close. It helps that Sturges brought a lot of the same actors from Morgan to Hero. Such as Eddie Bracken, William Demarest and Franklin Pangborn.

Woodrow doesn't know if he can go through with

the charade now as he arrives in his hometown

Bracken stars as Woodrow Truesmith, as a likable fellow who was discharged from the Marines due to chronic hay fever. He struggles on returning to home because he thinks he is a failure. Well while drowning his sorrows at a bar, he meets up with six Marines, led by Sgt. Heppelfinger (the always dependable William Demarest). After hearing of his story they convinced Woodrow to return home as a Marine with stories of heroic battles and such.

Woodrow getting in deep...

The trouble is once the town hears that he is coming home, they stage a big production with a big homecoming rally and parade. And he also gets to see his one true love Libby (the underrated Ella Raines), who is now engaged to the mayor's son. Woodrow had wrote her letters telling her to move on and not wait for him. But once seeing him, Libby falls in love all over again.

Woodrow getting a nice welcome from his girl Libby on his return home

And the townsfolk rally behind Woodrow, electing him to run for mayor. So things snowball really fast and the situations Woodrow get in are truly hilarious.The dialogue is crisp and fast. Reminds me of His Girl Friday quite a lot. The setting of the small town looks great and the whole cast just sparkles. Bracken is fall down funny and even touching towards the end when the truth finally comes out. Demarest is in his usual great form. And Ella Rains is very good as Libby. She says what's her on mind without hesitation. It shocked me when she said ass a few times in the context of the way she said it. And she wears some of the best dresses of this time period of any film I have seen.

Libby in her cute dress, with Woodrow in a quiet moment

Hail The Conquering Hero is close to being a masterpiece. I loved it immediately from the opening credits.
B+

The beautiful Libby

Here are some choice quotes from this hilarious film:

Sgt. Heppelfinger: These flapjacks might taste better with a little butter on 'em Mrs. T.

Mrs. Truesmith: Maybe you haven't heard Sgt. but there's a war on.
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Sgt. Heppelfinger: I tell you it'll all blow over. Everything is perfect - except for a couple of details.

Woodrow Lafayette Pershing Truesmith: They hang people for a couple of details!
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Libby's Aunt: [comforting Libby, who's crying about Woodrow's return] Well, that's the war for you. It's always hard on women. Either they take your men away and never send them back at all; or they send them back unexpectedly just to embarrass you. No consideration at all.
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Libby: [mad at Mayor Noble for criticizing Woodrow] That ass of a father of yours! Going around talking about people he doesn't know anything about.

Forrest Noble: You're still talking about your children's grandfather.

Libby: What are you trying to do? Depress me? If I thought they'd look anything like him...

Forrest Noble: Well, I don't look anything like him.

Libby: I've noticed that. I've pinned my hopes on it

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray are perfect in the delightful HANDS ACROSS THE TABLE (1935)

Just rewatched this comedy classic this evening. One of my favorite screwball comedies, Hands Across The Table pairs my girl Carole Lombard with Fred MacMurray and the results are hilarious. Carole plays manicurist Regi Allen, who works at a swank hotel, and is determined to land a millionaire.One of her regular clients is Allen Macklyn, a rich man who was paralyzed in a plane crash. He's played by Ralph Bellamy. They get along great. Fred MacMurray enters the picture as poor playboy Theodore Drew, III, and the two are instantly attracted to each other. Wrongly believing Theodore to be wealthy, Regi invites him to live in her apartment -- until she discovers he's broke. Theodore wants to marry rich too, and so he gets engaged to an heiress he doesn't love. In classic screwball fashion, Regi and Theodore desperately try to ignore their growing passion for one another in favor of the promise of money -- and fail miserably. Carole and Fred make a great team and Hands Across the Table is a great looking and funny film. It does get a little serious towards the end, but never gets too serious. Carole is on the mark as usual and looks fabulous. Fred is pretty good as well. Great support by Bellamy and Ruth Donnelly as Regi's boss. One of the best screwball comedies ever.
B+
Hands Across the Table

Friday, April 8, 2011

Congratulations to Irene Dunne!

Irene Dunne won Favorite Classic Movie Actress on my main blog All Good Things a few days ago and here is a film clip from one of her best screwball comedies, The Awful Truth. Irene is hilarious, pretending to be Cary's ditzy sister.