*** Special Note: It's not often that I really feel a need to put a SPOILER WARNING at the head of one of these write-ups. After all, generally we're talking about films that go back as far as the very earliest days of movie-making Even today's film is nearly 50 years old. So there is a large part of me that says anything in the movie is fair game to talk about. Nonetheless, a huge part of the enjoyment of this movie is the twists and turns that it takes, and there is no real way to discuss it in any meaningful way without revealing at least some of these. Although I've tried to do so without revealing too much, if you are one of those people who truly likes to go into a movie without knowing what's going to happen, you might want to go ahead and watch it (it is available on Netflix "Watch Instantly", at the Internet Archives, and even on YouTube, along with great looking Criterion Blu-Ray and DVD editions) and then come back to read this.
Simply put, though, this movie gets my highest recommendation. If you love thrillers, especially those with a comic twist, I think you'll really enjoy this one. Beyond that, well, if you want to know more, keep reading, but you have been warned.***
Dateline: London - Millionaire playboy Ernest Bliss was diagnosed today as having come down with a bad case of being too rich and indolent. Offended by his doctor's diagnosis, or perhaps only confused about the meaning of the word indolent, Mr. Bliss immediately bet the doctor that he could spend a year living solely on his wits instead of his fortune. Taking only his suitcase and a five pound note, Bliss set off to actually find a job and a new place to live. If he can make it through the entire year without resorting to using his fortune for his own gain, then Mr Bliss will win an apology and a handshake from the doctor. If, on the other hand, he does not make it, then he will have to pay the doctor 50,000 pounds.
In 1968, George Romero changed the zombie film forever. In Night of the Living Dead and its sequels, the zombie became viral, a disease that spread like wildfire throughout the population, an onrushing tide of shambling flesh-eaters from which there was seemingly, ultimately, no escape. He also is hailed for, whether intentionally or not, turning the zombie film into something of an allegory or commentary on the times with his (admittedly bold) choice of Duane Jones as the lead in his film.
Prior to Romero's film, however, cinematic zombies were completely different creatures. Rather than being the result of some kind of scientific or military experiment gone wrong (the usual explanation for their creation in more recent films, only hinted at in Night, but made more explicit in films such as 28 Days Later), they were usually tied in with voodoo rites, some type of mind-altering drug, or even mere hypnotism. Nor were these zombies generally the type to rip apart bodies and eat their flesh or to spread their infection through a bite. Instead, usually there were only a few of them and they were used as slaves for some nefarious purpose.
These are the type of zombie that we find in today's flick, King of the Zombies.
"How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been A Liar All My Life?" Believe it or not, kiddies, that song title is one of the least memorable things about this Fred Astaire dance vehicle.
By 1951, when this film was released, Astaire had already been in more than twenty films, including the perennially popular Holiday Inn in which he teamed with crooner Bing Crosby and songwriter Irving Berlin for a film that gave us the song "White Christmas", and Easter Parade which, of course, included not only the famous title song, but paired Astaire with both Ann Miller and Judy Garland. He had also made ten films with legendary partner Ginger Rogers. Astaire had also, by this time shared the screen with famed tap dancer Eleanor Powell, Latina bombshell Rita Hayworth, and friend and friendly rival Gene Kelly.
Y'know, kiddies, one can't help but get the impression from watching the movies of the time that being a "big city reporter" during the 1930's was a much more exciting job than it is today. We've already seen examples of reporters being held at gunpoint by supposed mass murderers trying to prove their innocence in The Front Page and His Girl Friday. The Payoff even gave us a crusading reporter who had to turn the tables on his own publisher before the boss had him killed to keep him from printing his story. And, of course, each of these intrepid reporters were able to not only expose the bad guys but do it with an aplomb and sparkling wit that showed why they were considered top wordsmiths. Well, today you can add two more reporters to that list as we meet Pat Morgan (Ginger Rogers) and Ted Kord (Lyle Talbot) who find themselves in deadly danger as the seek out the truth behind a series of murders in A Shriek in the Night.
Ah, getting older. Sometimes it's not easy to accept. Especially for celebrities, it seems. Look at all the money that is spent each year by famous folk still trying to maintain the image of youth. Are they doing for themselves, out of vanity? Or are they doing it because we, as their public, don't want them to change from the image of them that we hold in our hearts? Of course, growing older is something that simply can't be avoided, and with it can come changes that simply can't be denied. Hair loss, weight gain, lack of movement - all of these can be byproducts of the aging process. And all oof them can change not only the public's perception of us, but our perception of ourselves.
Still, aging is something that cannot be avoided (well, in this life, at least). And that's true even if one is a well-known lothario with a reputation for smoothness and virility among the women. And that's the situation our protagonist finds himself in today. Don Juan is a man well known for his charisma with the ladies. He's also a man whose reputation has sparked a number of impersonators claiming to be the famous lover. he's also a man becoming tired of trying to live up to his reputation, so when one of those impersonators is killed, the true Don Juan also takes the opportunity to retire.
Of course, when a person has become accustomed to fame, it can be hard to figure out how to carry on without it. Eventually finding that the only lover he can get now is a scullery maid, Don Juan has has enough. However, reclaiming his fame when he has grown older and no longer looks like the dashing young man the public imagines him to be may be beyond the prowess of even this legendary lover.
This was Douglass Fairbanks Sr.'s last film, and in some ways brings his legend full circle as well as that of the character he is portraying. One can certainly feel that this is a bit more than just a role to the now 51-year-old Fairbanks who, like his filmic counterpart, may no longer have the physical moves to play some of the roles he once did, still has an actor's heart and soul, and he definitely brings them to this role.
Instead of a trailer today, I'm going to give you part one of a documentary on the life of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. The documentary was produced by Delta Entertainment with the assistance of the Douglas Fairbanks Museum. It runs about 90 minutes and was released by the museum on Youtube, and is also available on DVD from the museum. It's definitely interesting viewing, and I encourage you to click on through and watch the rest.
And now, the Skinny:
Title: The Private Life of Don Juan
Release Date: 1934
Running Time: 89min
Black and White
Starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. , Merle Oberon
Directed by: Alexander Korda
Produced by: Alexander Korda
Distributed by: United Artists:
Hiya Kiddies! I actually covered a lot of the history of this film back in my discussion of His Girl Friday. That was actually a remake of this film, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, which was originally based on a broadway play. So how do the two compare?
Honestly, this one certainly has a lot going for it. Cinematographer Glen MacWilliams brings some interesting shots to the procedings, and Director Lewis Milestone does keep things moving along at a brisk pace, but there is simply no way that Adolphe Menjou and Pat O'Brien as Walter Burns and Hildy Johson can match the onscreen preence and charm of Grant and Russell. Even in scenes which remain pretty much the same from film to film, there is still the sense of something lacking. Nonetheless, it is still defintiely entertaining and Bartlett Cormack and Charles Lederer's script defintiely shines.
Haven't been able to find an embeddable clip online, so we'll just go straight to the skinny:
Title: The Front Page
Release Date: 1931
Running Time: 101 min
Black and White
Starring: Adolphe Menjou, Pat O'Brien
Directed by: Lewis Milestone
Produced by: Lewis Milestone, Howard Hughes
Distributed by: United Artists
Ok, so yeah, I could have waited until tomorrow and posted this one under TV shows, but since it is feature length and with the recent announcement of an impending big-screen remake (starring Michael Cera, which pleases me, though considering Hollywood's track record at adapting classic shows to the silver screen I am very trepidatious.) i figured it could fit in just as well here.
Well, fifteen years have passed for our favorite castaways, but really nothing much has changed. They're still up to the usual shenanigans, but somehow have managed to not devolve into the callous, back-biting, ravenous excuses for humanity that can be seen on any given episode of Survivor. However, when a Soviet spy satellite goes out of control and has to be exploded rather than letting the Americans find out about it, a metal data disk from it falls to earth and lands in the island's lagoon practically at Gilligan's feet. Taking his discovery to the Professor, the master of ingenuity is soon able to fashion a new, astoundingly accurate barometer with which he predicts a huge tsunami is about to hit the island, and if the castaways are to have any chance of surviving it, they are going to have to lash their huts together so that hopefully they will not only survive, but might actually get far enough out to sea to get caught up in the shipping lanes and be rescued. Amazingly, the plan actually works, and our heroes are soon picked up by a US Coast Guard ship. Soon the group is back on land and trying to adjust to life in a world with which they have had no contact for years.
Pretty much all of the original cast is back for this adventure, except for Tina Louise who apparently waffled about returning to the role that she blamed for the downturn of her "serious" acting career and then demanded too much money for the comeback. Instead she was replaced as Ginger by Judith Baldwin, who was close enough in looks for the replacement not to be too jarring. The rest of the cast, though obviously older - which is acknowledged and actually made a central part of the script - are in fine form and seem to easily slip right back into their roles. Actually, watching this again for the first time since it was originally broadcast, I was surprised at how much like catching up with old friends this installment was. After all, as a child I spent far too many afternoons watching the Skipper bap Gilligan over his silly head with that damned captain's hat.
Instead of a preview today (after all, let's face it, if you don't know what you're getting with this one, a preview isn't really going to help), I'm going to give you the original theme song for the TV series. Yes, as aired, it became one of the most iconic tunes of the TV age, but this version... well, let's just say the producers made the right choice. It does, however give an interesting look at how the conceptions of some of the characters changed.
Ok, here's the Skinny:
Title: Rescue from Gilligan's Island
Release Date: 1978
Running Time: 95 min
Color
Starring: Bob Denver, Alan Hale, Jr.
Directed by: Leslie H. Martinson
Production Company: Redwood Productions
You know, kiddies, there are those who think that irony is a recent development in films, who think that the films of the 40's were way too straightforward and earnest, and that there is no hint of self-awareness or realism, especially in the romances of the period. Today's movie, however, definitely proves that not to be the case. The irony is dripping from the film right from the moment the title flashed on the screen. Because though love may be laughing at Andy Hardy, hardly anyone in the audience will be.
Except for an aborted attempt to revive the character in 1958's Andy Hardy Comes Home, this was the last of Rooney's 16 films as Hardy, and it is easy to see why. The film actually has a number of potentially good comic set-ups, but each time pulls back as if afraid to really follow through with them. The result is a movie that is genteel and at times amusing, but never really takes off and provides the viewer with any genuine laughs.
The basic plot revolves around young Andrew Hardy, the son of the town judge, who has just returned home from fighting in World War Two. Battle-hardened, both his mind and body scarred by the things he experienced overseas, his plan is to return to college and take back up with the girlfriend he left behind.
However when his girlfriend is shot down on the streets in front of him by Nazi conspirators and his rival for her affections makes the joke that if Hardy had been taller the bullet would not have whizzed over his head and into his girl's once-lovely face, Hardy snaps, gets the machine gun he brought back with him from the war and goes on a rampage of carnage throughout the college campus. Now hunted as a fugitive, he makes his way back to the small town where he was raised, seeking shelter in the care of his father the judge. Instead, the stern man rejects him, threatening to turn him over to the police because he must pay for what he has done. In a fiery cataclysm, Hardy blows up himself and the courthouse, though his father narrowly escpaes. Looking at the destruction his son has wrought, the judge is forced to reconsider not only his own attitudes, but the effects that war can have on a young man, and he is left shaking his head as debris rains around him.
Or maybe not.
Actually, Hardy seems as affected by his time at war as if he had instead been on a weekend vacation in the Hamptons. Other than the fact that time has passed and he spends part of the film dressed in his khakis, there really is no indication of what he might have been doing. The actual plot of the film involves Andy's desire to get his college sweetheart to agree to marry him. I'd love to say that much mayhem ensues, but unfortunately...
Ok, here's a preview - this is the "jitterbugging" scene the above still is taken from. The disapproving older couple, by the way, are Andy's parents who have come to the dance thinking they are going to meet the girl that Andy is planning to ask to marry him. (She unfortunately had to miss the dance because of a family emergency.) Unfortunately, again, what could have been an extended bit of humorous misunderstanding is cut short when the judge quickly realizes what is going on and lets Andy off the hook.
Ok, here's the skinny:
Title: Love Laughs at Andy Hardy
Release Date: 1946
Running Time: 93 min
Black and White
Starring: Micky Rooney
Directed by: Willis Goldbeck
Produced by: Robert Sisk
Released by: MGM
Perhaps it's a result of having grown up in the era of Woodward and Bernstein and seeing the impact that their digging and reporting had on the country, but the image of the investigative reporter has always been something of a romanticized one for me. The idea of an intrepid man on the inside, fighting the powers that be for justice, bringing the things that people need to know out into the light, exposing those who would undermine our country, our cities, our way of life. Risking life and limb and reputation to get that headline that will ultimately result in the fall of those who are corrupt.
Yeah, I realize I'm exercising a little hyperbole here, but bear with me, because though it may not be an accurate description of the life of the investigative reporter, it is definitely accurate when it comes to the protagonist of today's feature.
Of course in today's society the "news" tends to be merely spin and there is little actual investigating done. After all, why investigate what the truth really is when the various parties and interest groups will certainly feed you enough spin to keep your twenty-four hour talking heads in a job for years? And besides, some actual looking at the facts might get in the way of the narrative that you're trying to spin and that could be problematic. But The Payoff's Brad McKay (superbly played by Lee Tracy) is incredibly far removed from today's rhetoric-spouting talking heads. For him what is important is digging out the truth, no matter where it might lead. (Though it should be noted that in the end even the intrepid McKay does a bit of bending the truth in the end, the final published version of the story not exactly matching the facts, a concession that even he acknowledges.)
When a special prosecutor who was about to lower the boom on a mysterious criminal mastermind is suddenly and mysteriously murdered, hard-drinking two-fisted reporter Brad McKay is assigned the story by his boss. McKay, who has contacts on both sides of the law (and the ingratiating/irritating habit of calling everyone, male and female either "sweetheart" or "baby" - except for Ian Keith's Inspector Thomas, who he constantly refers to as "Blue Eyes"), is soon up to his neck in bribes, gangsters, questionable women, damsels, and gunfire. Along the way his investigation turns up some surprising (for him, anyway, though the viewer is likely to be just a bit ahead on the big reveal) twists. What really keeps this movie going, though, is Tracy's degenerate charm and the liberal amount of humor scattered through the film. Unlike something like today's Public Enemies, this film never forgets that its number one priority is to engage and entertain its audience and that it definitely does.
Just a quick side not before we get to the preview - Lee Tracy was certainly no stranger to this type of role, as he originated the role of Hildy Johnson in the Broadway production of The Front Page, which you might remember from our discussion a couple of weeks ago of His Girl Friday. Unfortunately, however, when the time came to actually film The Front Page, Tracy was passed over for Pat O'Brien. Certainly, O'Brien was not a bad choice, but this film does give a taste of what the earlier movie could have been with Tracy in the role.
Ok, once again, an online trailer doesn't appear to be available, but here's the first seven or so minutes of the flick which will definitely give you an idea of the flavor of this mystery:
Ok, Skinny Time:
Title: The Payoff
Release Date: 1942
Running Time: 74 min
Black and White
Starring: Lee Tracy, Evelyn Brent
Directed by: Arthur Dreifuss
Produced by: Harry D. Edwards, Jack Schwarz
Released by: Producers Releasing Corporation
The Payoff is available to watch or download for free here. (BTW, the page actually says that it's the 1935 film of the same name, but it actually is this one.)
It's available on DVD from Amazon: The Payoff.
And you can always rent the DVD from Netflix: The Payoff
As always, if you've seen today's flick, please let me know what you think about it in the comments section. Your feedback is definitely encouraged.
Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian
Take a cold, dark night, add Bela Lugosi (doing judo!), Lionel Atwill, a guy in a gorilla suit, and a threat of death, then toss in the Ritz Brothers as three bumbling, slapstick detectives from the ACME detective agency, and what have you got? Well, obviously, kiddies, it's the next feature in this week's look at cross-genre mashups. Today we mix the old dark house mystery thriller with Three Stooges-style slapstick (minus the eye-gouging, thankfully) and come up with 1939's The Gorilla.
Largely forgotten today and definitely in the shadow of both the Stooges and the Marx Brothers, the Ritz's (Jimmy, Harry and Al) were once extremely popular, not only as comedians but also as a song and dance trio. They began performing in 1925, and were headliners by the early 30's. In 1934, they made their first movie, a short subject entitled Hotel Anchovy. Pleased with the Brothers' performance, Twentieth century Fox signed them to a contract to perform in feature length musicals and comedy features.
The Ritz's developed a very strong following, though unlike Both the Marx's and the Stooges, they really didn't develop the type of individual on-screen personalities that would not only allow them to flourish, but also for their fans to distinguish between them. Nor did they ever really leave their vaudeville roots behind, as even in their comedies, they would often break into song and dance.
Though the Brothers seemed to be quite happy with each other and to work well together, one thing they definitely were not happy with was their studio and the increasingly (as they saw it) low quality scripts they were being given. All of this actually climaxed during the production of today's feature as the Brothers walked off the set and out of their contracts during the filming of The Gorilla. The film was finished without them, and the next year the Brothers were hired on by Universal Pictures. Still, they never quite reached the stardom that the other two teams achieved.
Despite what the Brothers themselves might have thought of the film (and honestly, this is the first of their movies that I've seen, so it definitely may have been a huge step down in comparison to their other efforts), The Gorilla is actually fairly entertaining both as a comedy and as a somewhat slight little mystery. The Brothers acquit themselves well, never completely digesting the scenery, and Lugosi (as a mysteriously-appearing and disappearing butler) and Atwill (as the threatened man who may have a secret agenda of his own) definitely lend an air of prestige to the proceedings. Also of note is Patsy Kelly, the household maid who first encounters the gorilla when he reaches into her bedroom window only to pin a note to her shoulder. Never quite reaching Una O'Connor levels of hysteria, she nonetheless provides even more comic relief and has some of the sharpest lines in the film.
Instead of a trailer today, I'm simply going to embed this short clip which will not only give you a pretty good taste of the humor in the movie, but features one of the highlights I mentioned in today's opening paragraph:
Ok, kids, what time is it? That's right, time for the skinny:
Title: The Gorilla
Release Date: 1939
Running Time: 66 min
Black and White
Starring: Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, The Ritz Brothers
Directed by: Allan Dwan
Produced by: Harry Joe Brown
Distributed by: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
The Gorilla is available to watch or download for free here.
If your preference is DVD, it's available in that format from Amazon: The Gorilla
Or, if ya just want to rent it, it's also available from Netflix: The Gorilla
And if you've seen the flick (or any other Ritz Brothers movies and have recommendations), whether you agree or disagree with my take, be sure to let me know by clicking on the "comments" link below. Feedback (about the film or any other aspect of the site) is not only welcomed but encouraged.
Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian
Way back when your Ol' Professor was but a wee nubbin, one of the local stations (yes, this was back in the days of the dinosaurs when local stations were all we had and there were only four of them, weep for us kids of today, weep for us...) used to have a movie feature every afternoon. Called "The Big Show", they would usually have a theme for each week - one week it would be westerns, the next giant japanese monsters, the next Abbott and Costello flicks. And at a certain point in each showing, the local weatherman would appear with the phone book and a telephone and, picking a number at random, he would ask whoever picked up the phone what movie they were showing. If the person on the other end could answer correctly, they would win whatever the day's pot was. If not, then the prize would be raised for the next call.
I'm sure it was The Big Show, along with my father's enthusiasm for the entertainers featured in these movies that formed the basis for my own love of the movies of this period. Among the staples of The Big Show rotation were the "Road" movies of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. These movies showcased two stars who were otherwise during that time relegated to the occasional TV special- Bing would show up at Christmastime with his family, and Bob was a regular staple on USO tours where he and other stars of the day would entertain troops. But these movies showed that not only was there more to these guys than just a bit of standup or an occasional song, they were full-fledged movie stars.
Hope himself, besides just the "Road" movies, starred in at least two movies a year (and sometimes as many as four) pretty much every year from 1934 to 1959. and onr of those movies, from 1947, was My Favorite Brunette. And actually, I suppose I should make a slight correction to one statement I made above - when talking about the "Road" movies I said they starred Hope and Crosby, and that's true, but they also starred Dorothy Lamour, who appeared in all of them but the last and was probably as big a reason for their success as the two marquee names. I bring her up now, because she also appears with Hope in this film, portraying the movie's titular brunette.
The film itself is a pretty light comedy, a parody of the film noir style, with Hope playing a bumbling photographer who wishes he could be a private eye. One day he is answering the phones for the detective who works across the hall when in walks Lamour, the archetypical noir dame. Mistaking Hope for the actual detective, she pleads for his help, and sure enough he finds himself in way over his head. The film also gives us Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr, and Alan Ladd in supporting roles, and even a cameo by Crosby.
Here's a two-minute clip that'll give you a good taste for this film:
And now, the skinny:
Title: My Favorite Brunette
Release Date: 1947
Running Time: 87 min
Black and White
Starring: Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour
Director: Elliot Nugent
Producer: Daniel Dare:
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
The movie is available for free to watch or download here.
It's also available on DVD from Amazon: My Favorite Brunette.
And Netflix has it available for rental: My Favorite Brunette
Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian
Happy Saturday, Kiddies! We're gonna take a bit of a break from the movies today and instead look at TV shows that are also in the Public Domain. Like the movies, some of these shows will be well known, some of them won't, some of them will be great and some, well... let's just say there's a reason the copyrights weren't renewed.
Today, however, we're looking at one of the all-time classics. One of the things that truly warms your old professor's heart is sharing the things I love with my children. Showing them that there actually were movies and television shows (and even radio shows and music) that were made before they were born, and that lots of that stuff can still be entertaining today.
Recently I had the opportunity to do just that with my nine-year old daughter. Like most girls her age, she's completely addicted to the Disney channel and shows like iCarly. But every once in awhile I'll pop in a disk of something that she's never seen, just to give her a taste of what came before. That's how we recently wound up watching The Lucy Show (starring, of course, Lucille Ball).We started with an ever-popular favorite, the one where Lucy and her house-mate Viv (Vivian Vance) try to install a shower in their boys' closet. With it's combination of verbal repartee and water-logged slapstick, the episode was a hit. Then we moved on to one of the color episodes. In this one, Lucy is working at the bank with Mr. Mooney (the wonderfully full of bluster Gale Gordon). In walks George Burns, who is there to transact some bank business upon encountering Lucy, however, Burns decides that she would make a wonderful partner for his new act. After a quick training session and negotiations between Mr. Mooney and Burns' agent (a perfectly placed voice cameo by Jack Benny), the episode ends with an extended on-stage routine by Ball and Burns that perfectly showcases the comedic timing and talents of both stars. Of course for me it was a nostalgic tour-de-force. But what did the nine-year old think? Well, considering the room was full of laughs through the show, I'd say it was a hit.
As far as their public domain status, most episodes of the show are still under copyright, but there are some 30-35 episodes that never had their copyright renewed, and they are now in the public domain and available for free viewing, showing, remixing, or whatever other uses you might wish.
Ok, usually I'd give you a preview or trailer, but I think since we're only talking a thirty minute TV show, I'll go ahead and embed the whole thing below:
The skinny? yeah, here ya go:
Title: The Lucy Show
Original Broadcast Dates: 1962-1968
Total Number of Episodes: 156
Stars: Lucille Ball, Vivian Vance, Gale Gordon
Directors: Maury Thompson, Jack Donohue
Production Company: Desilu
This show (and quite a few other episodes of this series) is available for download here.
Hiya Kiddies! It's Friday, and that means it's time for a comedy. And has Professor Damian got a corker for you today! In 1940, director Howard Hawks set out, with screenwriter Charles Lederer to adapt for the big screen a play called The Front Page which had been written by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. The play involved Newspaper editor Walter Burns's efforts to keep his star reporter Hildy Johnson from leaving the paper in order to get married and get a "repectable" job. During casting for the movie, however, Hawks reportedly had his secretary read Hildy's lines and decided he liked the sound of the words coming from a woman. The script was quickly re-written so that "Huldy" became short for Hildegard, (and became Burns's ex-wife) and the previously female fiancee became Bruce Baldwin.
As one watches the movie, it quickly becomes apparent that there are still sparks between Burns (played by Cary Grant) and Johnson (the lovely Rosalind Russell). It also becomes apparent that despite her continued protestations, Johnson is still drawn to the reporting life. Once escaped convict Earl Williams almost drops into her lap and then convinces her of his innocence, she is almost literally helpless to do anything but follow up on the story, even as her fiancee Bruce comes to realise that he has lost her.
The film maintains an incredibly quick pace throughout its 92 minute running time, containing plenty of verbal jabs between the two main characters along with Hawks' trademark fast-cut dialog which often sees characters stepping on each others' lines and repartee that shoots briskly along. Hawks himself said about the dialogue "I had noticed that when people talk, they talk over one another, especially people who talk fast or who are arguing or describing something. So we wrote the dialogue in a way that made the beginnings and ends of sentences unnecessary; they were there for overlapping." Quite a bit of the dialog was ad-libbed, and there are also plenty of inside jokes, such as Burns's remark that "the last man that said that to me was Archie Leach just a week before he cut his throat" (Archie Leach is, of course, Grant's birth name.)
Grant is in top comedic form in this flick, perhaps his funniest outing until 1944's Arsenic and Old Lace, and Russell proves well able to hold her own against his manic whirlwind, despite her disappointment with not having been Hawks' first choice for the role and her feeling that Grant had most of the truly good lines. They are ably supported by a fine cast that includes Ralph Bellamy as Hildy's fiancee Bruce and Alma Kruger as his mother. There can really be no argument, though, that Grant and Russell are driving this particular train and the rest are just there as passengers.
Ok, feels like it's about trailer time, and thanks to archive.org, we have a nice almost three minute preview of the movie. Enjoy!
And now, as usual, here's the skinny:
Title: His Girl Friday
Release Date: 1940
Running Time: 92 min.
Black and White
Stars: Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell
Director: Howard Hawks
Producer: Howard Hawks
Production Company: Columbia Pictures
The film is available to watch or download for free here
It can also be purchased on DVD from amazon. Just click here: His Girl Friday
It's also available both as a DVD rental or to "Watch now" from Netflix: His Girl Friday
Welcome to Professor Damian's Public Domain Treasure Chest. Each day I, your humble host, will post information on a movie or T.V. show in the public domain along with links to where you can watch them online (for free) or purchase them on DVD. For more information on the public domain check out my public domain primer (to be posted soon, keep watching this spot for a link) or the public domain entry at wikipedia. Also be sure to check out the great resources available at The Internet Archive. Also each week I'll update The Master List of Public Domain movies and shows I've discussed so you can easily find them. Also, you can contact me with comments, suggestion, complaints or praise by clicking here.
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