by ·Comments Off on Mildred Pierce (1945, Michael Curtiz)

In a noir mood, and this made up for The Big Knife being mid. Monte dies in the opening shot, Mildred runs, considers jumping off a bridge, settles for trying (unsuccessfully) to pin the crime on slimeball Wally.

Rewind to MP’s home life with hubbie Burt, young tomboy kid and older pretentious Veda. Burt has a very bad day, getting fired by partner Wally and thrown out of the house for cheating. Burt will agree to a divorce the day of MP’s big restaurant opening, after she buys property from the charismatic Monte, who then flits around with the extremely spoiled and shitty Veda (her younger sister having coughed once in an early scene, then died suddenly of pneumonia). Turns out MP married Monte for business reasons, caught Veda smooching on him, then V killed her own stepdad-boyfriend and mom was trying to cover-up for her criminal daughter.

Parrots keep popping up in scene backgrounds, and you know I love that. Crawford won the oscar, her business manager Ida and daughter Veda split the vote for best supporting, and The Lost Weekend won writing and picture. Veda is Ann Blyth of Brute Force, Bert is squaresville Bruce Bennett (olympic athlete-turned-Tarzan actor), Monte starred in Bunuel’s The Young One and Renoir’s The Southerner, and Wally would have his moment in the mid-50s with Red Garters & A Star is Born & Dangerous When Wet.

The nominees:

by ·Comments Off on Casablanca (1942, Michael Curtiz)

Ahhh, Casablanca at the nearly-packed 4600-seat Fox Theater. Katy liked it!

Ingrid Bergman had been in Hollywood three years, and it’d be eight more before she met Robert Rossellini. Bogart owned the 1940’s, had already done Maltese Falcon and High Sierra. Police chief Claude Rains would play Bergman’s evil husband four years later in Notorious. Her husband in this movie, underground war hero Paul Henreid, didn’t appear in many other interesting films, but directed a whole bunch of Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes. Nazi chief Conrad Veidt died a year after this came out. Dooley Wilson (Sam), would’ve been higher than tenth-billed if he was white.

Opened with Rabbit Seasoning from 1952, a full decade later. What, Blitz Wolf and Tulips Shall Grow from 1942 weren’t available? Or one of the Bogart-parody Looney Tunes? I have more imagination than the Fox programmers. A one-joke short, but it’s an enjoyable joke. The crowd loved it.