"That's a major award" - A Christmas Story (1983)

Many thanks to Jacqueline Lynch of Another Old Movie Blog for bestowing upon me the honour of the Stylish Blogger Award. In promoting the fine blogs in the world of the internet it is now my privilege to forward the award to seven stylish bloggers and reveal seven random facts regarding yours truly.

My first thought is "Do I know seven stylish bloggers?" and the answer is a resounding "Do I know seven stylish bloggers!"

scathingly-brilliant.blogspot.com
You'll enjoy checking out the world of Kate Gabrielle.

warren-william.com
Cliff knows all about the handsome, talented movie star.

frankensteinia.blogspot.com
Pierre Fournier is aliive!

misstraceynolan.blogspot.com
Tracey knows all and isn't above sharing.

bingfan03.blogspot.com
The Bing Crosby Media Archive
What D. Lobosco doesn't know about Bing isn't worth knowing.

juneandart.blogspot.com
June & Art
Lee Price allows us to share personalities and history.

fangshih-yutriviawingshaolintemple.blogspot.com
Fang Shih-yu and the "Trivia Wing" of the Shaolin Temple!
What's not to love about a site with an explanation point?

Me: 7 random things

Birth rank: First born.
Of Four Daughters (1938).

Politics: Moderate.
I took an online test.

Religion: Fordian. The Quiet Man (1952) is required viewing on high holidays.

Boyfriend: Archie Goodwin.
It's okay. My husband is aware.

Health: Cancer survivor.
Don't die of embarrassment, ask your doctor about a colonoscopy.

Inner me: Julie London

Outer me: Shirley Booth

Harry's Back in Town

Harry Warren
December 24, 1893 - September 22, 1981

Harry's Back in Town was a music revue featuring the songs of the popular composer that was the first production of COMUS Music Theatre of Canada in 1976. The title is a take-off on the song Lulu's Back in Town written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin for 1935s Broadway Gondolier where it was sung by Dick Powell and The Mills Brothers. Of course, the truth is that Harry Warren didn't have to come back - he never went away. People love the hundreds of songs written by Harry Warren even though they don't know it. I was one of those people.

The Lawrence Welk Show was popular in my family and one evening Lawrence announced that the program would be a tribute to his good friend, Harry Warren. "Who the Devil is Harry Warren?" asked my Dad. My sisters and I shrugged our shoulders and the show began. As each performer started another familiar song we looked at each other and laughed. "So that's Harry Warren!"

Welk wasn't the first television host to pay tribute to Harry's popularity. Perry Como, Nat "King" Cole and Eddie Fisher did as well. Nat's program was special in that his theme song - "In the evening let me come and sing to you" - was set to the melody of Harry's Shadow Waltz from Gold Diggers of 1933.

Harry was born Salvatore Anthony Guaragna in Brooklyn in 1893. His father changed the family name to Warren. Harry was a self-taught musician picking up his father's accordion. He left school at 16 to join a carnival and in his early 20s was working at Vitagraph Studios providing mood music, playing bits, assistant directing, props, anything that needed doing. He also played piano background at movie theatres and performed in cafes. It was during a stint in the Navy in 1918 that he began composing and in 1922 had his first hit song Rose of the Rio Grande. Puccinni was a strong musical influence and Broadway his desired goal.

Harry's songs were featured in Broadway Revues such as Billy Rose's Sweet and Low in 1930 and Ed Wynn's The Laugh Parade in 1931. The Brothers Warner, those pioneering talking picture producers who had purchased Harry's old Vitagraph stomping grounds in 1925, offered him a contract in 1932. Harry Warren didn't merely provide the movies with songs, he provided the world with standards - the soundtrack of the 20th century.

Ruby Keeler, Warner Baxter
42nd Street

Directed by Busby Berkeley, who worked on the Billy Rose Revue mentioned early, the backstage musical 42nd Street, based on Bradford Ropes novel, is boisterous, fast-moving fun. Songs by Harry and lyricist Al Dubin include the title tune, You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me and Shuffle Off to Buffalo. Warren and Dubin have a bit in the picture as a couple of songwriters who get chewed out by the director. They are too cute!

Just a few of the other gems given to us by Harry Warren during his time at Warner Brothers include September in the Rain introduced by that likable tenor James Melton in the 1937 feature Melody for Two. We're in the Money, Shadow Waltz, and Remember My Forgotten Man in Gold Diggers of 1933. I Only Have Eyes for You was introduced by Dick Powell in 1934's Dames.

Harry Warren was nominated for the Best Song Oscar 11 times with 5 different lyricists and won 3 of the coveted statues. Harry's first Academy Award nomination and win came for Lullaby of Broadway with Al Dubin from Gold Diggers of 1935.

Thanks to Carl Stallings and Milt Franklyn you probably grew up hearing Harry's songs in the background of your favourite Looney Tunes.

By 1940 Harry was working with Mack Gordon at 20th Century Fox where it so happened that Glenn Miller and his Orchestra were featured in a couple of movies. What a dream pairing of composer and artist! Sun Valley Serenade featured the world's first gold record Chatanooga Choo Choo, the lovely ballad I Know Why (and So Do You) and the peppy It Happened in Sun Valley. Orchestra Wives gave us Serenade in Blue, I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo, and the timeless At Last.

Ray Eberle, Lynn Bari (dubbed by Pat Friday) introduce At Last
Orchestra Wives

Alice Faye
The Gang's All Here

Also at 20th Century Fox was the lovely Alice Faye who would bring us two of Harry and Mack's most cherished ballads which were particularly poignant while the world was at war. No Love, No Nothin' from The Gang's All Here and the Academy Award-winning You'll Never Know from Hello Frisco, Hello. Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra with vocalist Joan Merrill introduced There Will Never Be Another You in 1942s Sonja Henie flick Iceland.

Harry's late 40s sojourn at MGM would bring him another Oscar for a song written with Johnny Mercer for 1946s The Harvey Girls, the unforgettable On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. Back in 1939, Harry and Johnny's Jeepers Creepers was nominated for a picture called Going Places. Their sprightly number lost to Ralph Rainger and Le Robin's Thanks for the Memory from The Big Broadcast of 1938, as well it or any other tune should.

The 50s saw Harry Warren's last three Oscar nominations, Zing a Little Zong (Leo Robin) performed by Jane Wyman and Bing Crosby in 1952s Just for You. Dean Martin's great hit That's Amore (Jack Brooks) from 1953s The Caddy and the theme to 1957s An Affair to Remember (Harold Adamson, Leo McCarey) which was a popular hit for Vic Damone. Harry composed the theme for the television show The Legend of Wyatt Earp. The show's star Hugh O'Brian with the Ken Darby Chorus sang the theme.

In 1955 Harry founded Four Jays Music Publishing whose business was carried on by his daughter Julia Riva.

Speaking of "amore" and "affairs to remember" Harry Warren's marriage to Josephine Wensler in 1917 lasted until his passing.

Harry Warren was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1971. In 1980 the great Broadway success of the stage adaption of the movie 42nd Street brought Harry Warren's phenomenal career full circle.

When you find yourself humming a tune, wistfully or joyfully, chances are it was a tune given to us by Harry Warren.

Three from Ian Keith

Ian Keith
February 27, 1899 - March 26, 1960

There are some actors that you can't keep your eyes off of, and Boston born Keith is one of them. He began his acting career early and by 1921 was a featured player on Broadway. He would appear 18 times on the New York stage in drawing room comedies, dramas, adventures and Shakespeare. He was appearing in the Tony Award nominated The Andersonville Trial at the time of his death.

" Dr. Bates "
The Andersonville Trial
Henry Miller's Theatre, 1960

Ian Keith had over 100 screen credits to his name from the silent film era to the Golden Age of live television drama. Despite his good looks and talent, although he was a busy actor, Ian Keith never became a star. I have read that a proclivity toward the bottle and a fondness for the ladies held back his career interests. Although this seems like SOP for the Hollywoodites, perhaps a rumoured dalliance with Mrs. Raoul Walsh while filming that director's The Big Trail was less than judicious.

Three of Ian Keith's wives were actresses, silent star Fern Andra, Ethel Clayton and the imposingly talented Blanche Yurka. He was married to his fourth wife Hildegarde Pabst at the time of his passing.

Ian Keith's versatility and natural charisma is a pleasure to behold in many pictures. The parts may be small, but the talent is large. If I were a collector of actor trading cards, I would trade three of anybody to get an Ian Keith. 

" Pete Krumbein "
Ian Keith, Tyrone Power
Nightmare Alley

My favourite of Ian Keith's portrayals is the broken Pete in Edmund Goulding's 1947 classic Nightmare Alley. Pete played the psychic con with wife Joan Blondell and it drove him to the depths of despair and degradation. Pete is a warning to ambitious Stanton Carlisle played by Tyrone Power. Pete is absolutely and terrifyingly heartbreaking.

" Vitamin Flintheart "
Dick Tracy vs. Cueball and Dick Tracy's Dilemma

Straight out of the comic strip unto the big screen it's that world renowned ACTOR, dupe of villains and stalwart companion of the law, Vitamin Flintheart. Ian Keith appeared in two Dick Tracy movies playing the hammy master of loquaciousness with great over-the-top Barrymore-esque elan. My favourite of the two is John Rawlins' 1947 masterpiece (and, no, I don't use the word lightly) Dick Tracy's Dilemma. A must-see.

" Shevket Ben Ali "
Ian Keith, Mary Astor, William Boyd
Two Arabian Knights

Lewis Milestone's 1927 Oscar winner Two Arabian Knights can be rightfully called a "romp". The adventures of two soldiers played by William Boyd and Louis Wolheim had me chuckling from beginning to end. Romance, in the form of Miss Astor, makes its presence felt and the necessary obstacle is provided by the villain played by Ian Keith. He's one of those cold, selfish, fearless yet philosophical types. I imagine him a cousin of Rupert of Hentzau.

Yes, indeed. If there is a fellow on screen that you can't tear your eyes from, that fellow is Ian Keith.

Broadway to Hollywood with Allyn Joslyn

Allyn Joslyn 1901 - 1981

It's been a while since a Broadway to Hollywood trivia has been spotlighted on this blog. Today let's highlight one or two featuring Allyn Joslyn, one of my favourite guys who pops up in classic film. He shouldn't be as he generally portrays loud-mouth and pushy boors. However, he plays those roles with such excellence and ease that he becomes irresistible.

Mr. Joslyn was born in Pennsylvania and although his father was a mining engineer, it would seem that young Allyn considered himself born in a trunk. He made his Broadway debut in the ensemble of a musical piece called Fiddlers Three at the age of 17 and he continued in his chosen profession the rest of his days.

Joslyn points out how the press will mold public opinion They Won't Forget

Allyn's big-screen debut was as Bill Brock in the based on a true story courtroom drama 1937s They Won't Forget. He played a brash and unprincipled newspaper reporter whose actions help foster a miscarriage of justice. A most unlikeable fellow and a most auspicious debut alongside Claude Rains.

Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Allyn Joslyn, Sig Ruman Only Angels Have Wings

In 1939 Joslyn had a swell part as one of the pilots in Howard Hawks' Only Angels Have Wings and here we come to the first part of our Broadway to Hollywood trivia. The star of the picture (if actors can be counted as stars of Hawks pictures) is Cary Grant. What role do Cary and Allyn have in common?

If they ever compared notes, both would probably agree that it's a heck of a part for the number of lines, the impossibility of the situation, and the effort it takes to nail it properly. However, audiences love it.

In 1941 Allyn Joslyn created the role of Mortimer Brewster in Joseph Kesselring's (apparently with copious input from producers Lindsay and Crouse) Arsenic and Old Lace. When Frank Capra directed the screen version, theatre players Josephine Hull as Abby, Jean Adair as Martha, and John Alexander as Teddy made the trek westward while box office guarantor Boris Karloff as Jonathan and reliable lead Allyn Joslyn stayed home.

Allyn Joslyn and Boris Karloff as they appeared in the 1941 Broadway hit Arsenic and Old Lace

Fans of Mr. Benny oft-times heard him speak disparagingly of 1945s The Horn Blows at Midnight. A joke is a joke, but in this case, the joke should have found another target. Directed by Raoul Walsh, The Horn Blows at Midnight is an adorably funny fantasy. Musician Benny dreams he is on a Heavenly mission that is constantly being thwarted by a pair of Fallen Angels.

John Alexander and Allyn Joslyn (Mortimer and Teddy)

as Doremus and Osidro in The Horn Blows at Midnight

The Fallen Angels are played by Broadway's original Brewster cousins Allyn Joslyn and John Alexander. Thus, the second link in our Broadway to Hollywood trivia for today. For theatre and Arsenic and Old Lace buffs (I believe there to be a secret society), it is great fun to see the boys together again even if we haven't seen them together before.

Allyn Joslyn enjoyed a lengthy career which included such favourite movies as 1941s I Wake Up Screaming, 1942s My Sister Eileen, 1943s Heaven Can Wait, 1950s Harriet Craig, 1953s Titanic, and Island in the Sky. A particularly special role for Allyn was as Sheriff Clem Otis in Frank Borzage's 1948 noirish melodrama Moonrise. One could wish that more roles of this caliber would have come the actor's way but then it might not stand out as it does.

Tom Fadden, Dane Clark, Houseley Stevenson, Allyn Joslyn Moonrise

Sheriff Otis is a complete departure from the overbearing creatures Joslyn was usually called upon to bring to life. The sheriff is kind, decent, and smart with a strong, yet pliable life philosophy. The movie is mesmerizing and Joslyn especially memorable.

I imagine both sides of Allyn Joslyn's screen persona came into play in real life. You must be both brash and philosophical to spend a life in the show business, and also to have a successful family life. Allyn and his wife Dorothy were married for 43 years and raised a daughter. Such accomplishments do not come easy but are worthwhile.

'Tis the Season - Part III

'Tis the season to take it easy, to get together with like-minded folks and enjoy a bit of cheer. Even hard-boiled fellas like Philip Marlowe need to kick back every once in a while.

1947s Lady in the Lake is based on Raymond Chandler's novel with a screenplay by Steve Fisher (I Wake Up Screaming, Susan Slept Here, Dead Reckoning, Song of the Thin Man).

Lady in the Lake was the first official directorial credit for actor Robert Montgomery. Oscar-winning cinematographer for Battleground, Paul Vogel assists in creating the moody, noirish atmosphere. Other of his crime pictures include High Wall, Black Hand, and The Tall Target.

The poster advises or warns patrons this is not the usual fare.

Allowed to cut loose on the project, Montgomery decided to shoot the film through the subjective eye of the camera and his character. It's certainly the correct project for such an approach as part of the fun of Chandler's work is the running commentary provided by Philip Marlowe as the reader tags along on another of his ventures into a society of the depraved and the misleading.

We get an opening shot of Montgomery/Marlowe inviting us to hear of his latest case and establishing his look before we are off to the races. Things happen quickly for Marlowe. He gets a case. He gets knocked around. Everybody wants him off the case. He won't back down because now he's mad or ... maybe he's fallen for some skirt. That's the other thing about Marlowe, he may have been kicked around and should know better, but he wears his heart on his sleeve.

Montgomery sets the shot.
Audrey Totter as Adrienne Fromsett.

In this case, the gal is his latest client. Her name is Adrienne Fromsett and she's played by one of film noir's greatest and favourite actresses, Audrey Totter. Miss Fromsett has been kicked around by life and does not, most definitely not, wear her heart on her sleeve. She hires Marlowe to find her publisher boss's wife so he will be free to divorce her and move on. Things, of course, get complicated with gigolo boyfriends, unfriendly cops, crazy women with guns, and with Adrienne.

Marlowe to Adrienne: "Imagine you needing ice cubes".

All of these complications are set to the background of the Christmas season with office parties and Christmas trees and carol singing. Is it the time of year, the brush off from the boss, or his own unique charms that have the steely Miss Fromsett falling for our guy?

Marlowe gets a look at himself after stepping on official toes.

The subjective camera takes a little getting used to. The first time I saw this film years ago I found it distracting and almost annoying. Later on, I sat back and enjoyed the off-beat rhythm it created. After all, life isn't a play with all the characters in neat groupings. When people look at us what exactly do they see?

The cast is rounded out by Leon Ames as the publisher, Dick Simmons in a fun turn as the gigolo, Jayne Meadows as a mysterious flirt, and Tom Tully and Lloyd Nolan as a couple of small-town cops.

Tom Tully, Lloyd Nolan - friends or foes

Montgomery includes a raucous car chase supported by a choral music background. He would use voices again in the score for his 1960 film The Gallant Hours.

In the midst of the whirlwind that is Marlowe's Christmas week, he and Adrienne do have some downtime. Christmas morning is spent with Marlowe recuperating from injuries while they share life stories and listen to a radio broadcast of A Christmas Carol. Private Eyes are people too, you know.

A lot of movies, especially detective movies, are like a lot of other movies and that is part of their charm. Lady in the Lake tries to be just a little bit different and that is part of its charm. It has made its way into my perennial holiday must-watch list. Such a persistent fellow that Marlowe.

'Tis the Season - Part II

Whodunit? That's the question on everyone's mind. Of course, motive and method are important, but only insofar as they are necessary to solve the puzzle. The classic whodunit should not be weighed down with psychological quirks and ramifications. As to method, we will leave the gory details to the television of the 21st century. If I had wanted to be an autopsy surgeon, I would be an autopsy surgeon.

The comedy-mystery film can be one of the most delightful ways to spend time, but the style is fraught with pitfalls. It takes the right touch from all involved to pull one off successfully. 1945s Lady on a Train is a comedy-mystery that works for me. It is based on a story by Leslie "The Saint" Charteris with a screenplay by Edmund Beloin who wrote everything from Bob Hope's Christmas classic The Lemon Drop Kid to episodes of television's Family Affair.

The movie was directed by Charles David, a career producer/production manager who has two directing credits to his name. The other is also based on a Charteris story, 1945s River Gang starring Universal's criminally under-valued Durbin back-up, Gloria Jean. Charles David married his leading lady, Deanna in 1950 and they remained so until his death in 1999.

Deanna Durbin

Lady...with a book...on a train

Deanna Durbin stars as Nikkie Collins, an heiress. She is not the madcap heiress of 30s comedies, but a determined young lady with an acute case of Nancy Drew Syndrome. On her way to NYC from San Francisco to spend Christmas with an aunt we never meet, Nikki looks up from her mystery novel and witnesses a murder through her train window. In the natural course of events desk sergeant William Frawley has no time for dizzy dames and suggests she consult the author of the fiction she's reading to help with the fiction she has brought to the authorities.

Nikki needs ploys-a-plenty to solve this case. She finds ways to ditch her "keeper", Haskell of the New York office, who proves totally inept in his assignment to keep her safe and secure. She convinces the befuddled and bemused mystery writer that he must help her. She convinces the heirs of the murder victim that she was the late millionaire's paramour.

Dan Duryea, Deanna Durbin, David Bruce

Suspects include disinherited nephews Ralph Bellamy and Dan Duryea, a proud sister, Elizabeth Patterson, a sinister underling, George Colouris, a mug, Allen Jenkins and a lawyer, Samuel S. Hinds. A gloomy mansion, a fancy nightclub and a deserted warehouse complete the atmosphere.

David Bruce, usually seen as the best friend gives an assured, appealing performance as the romantic lead in this picture. However, I'm one of those gals who has eyes for no one else when Dan Duryea is on the screen. Here Duryea is a wastrel nephew with an eye to increasing his fortune.

Deanna's lovely voice is showcased beautifully and naturally in this movie. She sings a tender Silent Night over the long-distance telephone to her father. When put on the spot by the baddies at the night club, she gives out with a cute-sexy rendition of Gimme a Little Kiss. Later in the club, Deanna's sultry Night and Day is a highlight.

Lady on a Train also abounds in Christmas trees. There is the tree the sergeant is delicately decorating at the police station. There is a big, friendly tree in the mystery author's spacious apartment. There is an elegant tree in Nikki's hotel suite. There is a partially decorated tree at the mansion. It is believed the deceased millionaire fell from a ladder while decorating his tree. We can also spot a tree behind a fellow who thinks he is shaving in the privacy of his own apartment but comes face to face with Nikki seeking the room she spotted from the train.

Lady on a Train offers a satisfying puzzle, moments of true suspense, and comedy that comes from its characters without becoming frantic. All that plus Dan Duryea and Christmas trees. Thank you, Santa.

'Tis the Season - Part I

I adore the Christmas season. I love the music, the baking, the decorations. The days grow short and the nights are long and dark with the murky atmosphere of mystery and film noir. Enough light seeps between the cracks in my Venetian blinds to remind me that life, filled with jolly revelers, is going on outside my door. I curl up with a steaming brew (dolloped with something special) and lose myself with the tough guys and gals of classic cinema.

First up, 1944s Christmas Holiday starring Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly. A movie with that title and those stars leads the mind to a Lake Placid resort featuring a tap dance on skates to Jingle Bells and a heartwarming Ave Maria solo. No. The musical side of my soul must seek elsewhere for that sort of entertainment. A Somerset Maugham story was the basis for Herman Mankiewicz's screenplay, a story of deceit and obsession. Noir master Robert Siodmak directed and this places among his best in that time-honoured style, The Killers, Criss Cross, Phantom Lady, and Cry of the City.

Deanna Durbin and Gene Kelly 

Reliable "everyman" Dean Harens plays Lt. Mason, a young soldier about to be sent overseas. On the eve of what he thought was to be his wedding a "Dear John" letter spurs him to thoughts of revenge. A storm detours his plane to New Orleans where he is befriended by drunken (aren't they all?) newspaperman Simon Fenimore played by future director (Champagne for Caesar, TVs My Three Sons) Richard Whorf. Fenimore thinks the lieutenant needs to drown his sorrows and takes him to a dive run by Gladys George who introduces him to jaded gal singer Jackie Lamont played by Durbin.

Jackie has her own troubles. Let's start with the fact that her real name is Abigail and she's running from something, running from herself. She fell in love with a charmer by the name of Robert Manette played by Kelly. Manette, in turn, had his own issues with narcissism, gambling and mother. Mother is played by Gale Sondergaard so you know off the bat that something is off-kilter in the family tree.

Deanna Durbin with Dean Harens

The rain-soaked Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Lt. Mason spends with Abigail as she recounts life with a murderous hubby and imperious mother-in-law prove to be life-changing for the young man and intriguing storytelling for the viewer.

Gene Kelly channels his famous energy and charm into the wastrel Manette. His attraction to lonely Abigail is understandable. Deanna Durbin's trademark perkiness is nowhere in view as we see her tentatively reaching for happiness and shutting down when life slaps her in the face. Her perfunctory delivery of Frank Loesser's Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year when we first meet her in the nightclub shows us her weariness. The later rendition of Irving Berlin's Always is a heartfelt glimpse into her pining heart.

I am struck when watching Christmas Holiday how so many private things occur in such very public places. Abigail and Robert meet and fall in love in the upper gallery of a crowded concert hall. The final crash of the safe world Abigail thought she had found is in a courtroom filled with spectators. It is in church on Christmas Eve that Abigail finds the strength to start to break down. What private calamities and victories will be going on around us during this busy season?