Comedies and musicals chase away the cold and frosty days. Sitting by the fire watching a film on my 55 inch HDTV is good way to forget and hibernate. On my birthday I went out for brunch with my sister and came back and watched films from my library. These are what I watched this week:
"The Rainmaker" (1956) Katharine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster in the film version of a play about a drifter and a spinster. He comes to the farm selling his services as a rainmaker and Kate, her two brothers and their father are locked in a struggle to get her a beau. Interesting period piece. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049653/
"Tootsie" (1982) One of Dustin Hoffmans funniest films. An out of work actor goes to a casting call for a part on a soap opera - as a woman. And gets the part. Jessica Lang won an Oscar for her supporting role as another cast member. Also in the great cast, Bill Murray, Dabney Coleman, Teri Garr and Charles Durning. Director Sydney Pollock plays the agent in a very funny scene with Hoffman where they go round and round and he ends up saying he doesn't know what they are saying. Great timing. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084805/
"Bachelor Mother" (1939) Ginger Rogers works in a department store during the holiday season and gets her pink slip at the end of Christmas eve. On the way home, she sees a woman putting a baby on the steps of a foundling home. She tries to stop the woman, but can't and she leaves. She picks up the baby to comfort it and the door opens and a staff member has her come in. Of course, they think the baby is hers. The mistake makes for funny mixups with store owner Charles Laughten and his playboy son David Niven. Funny and sweet. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031067/
"Murder At 1600" (1997) Murder in the White House, and an evil staff member is the villian and a D.C. cop tries to uncover who done it. Pretty good mystery with Wesley Snipes. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119731/
"Always In My Heart" (1942) Kay Francis is Mom about to marry a rich architech. Walter Houston is Dad who has just been pardoned from prison. Gloria Warren is the daughter with a beautiful voice. Dad is a great musician and composer. The title song is lovely and the story doesn't get in the way of the songs. Harmonica Rascals provide some of the music. First class fluff. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034454/
"100 Men & A Girl" (1937 ) Deanna Durbin's third film has her with an out-of-work musician father (Adolph Menjou) who forms a symphony orchestra of out of workers like himself. Busy-body Deanna is challenged to get them on the radio. To do that she has to get Leopold Stokowski to lead the orchestra one time for the coverage it would get in the news. Great scene of the great man leading the men on the steps and in the foyer of his home. Deanna sings La Traviata and two more solos with the orchestra. What a voice! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029347/
"Trapped" (2002 ) Kevin Bacan in a kidnapper; Dakota Fanning the little girl he takes; Charlize Theron the mother. Pretty good yarn that gets out of control during the last 20 minutes. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280380/
"A Foreign Affair" (1948) Billy Wilder's film of post war Germany show the bombed out city of Berlin with the four sectors, and the black market way of life that prevailed immediately after the bullets stopped flying. Jean Arthur is the Congresslady from Iowa; John Lund a soldier,and her constituant; Marlene Dietrich a cabaret singer,and his mistress. Very good and fun film with Dietrich singing two great songs; Black Market (who will buy my souvenirs?) and Among The Ruins Of Berlin. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040367/
"The Ghost & Mrs Muir" (1947) One of my all time favorite romances. Beautiful Gene Tierney is the widow who leases a seaside house built by a sea captain. The real estate man tells her the cottage is haunted by a ghost, but she rents it anyway. The first night the Captain (Rex Harrison) appears to her and they agree that he will let them stay if she will see that the cottage is left for elderly seaman. Thus begins their relationship, which eventually has them writing a book about his adventures. The great George Sanders is the new man she meets at the publishers and how it all turn out is a great love story, with no physical contact between the two stars. But their chemistry is palpable and the great score by Bernard Herrman is so romantic, I'm a puddle of mush as the door closes on this one. A 10/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039420/
"The Swan" (1956) A Prince (Alex Guinness), visits a beautiful Princess (Grace Kelly), at a gorgeous country palace. Her Mama is determined they will marry. Complications, in the form of Louis Jourdan, as the tutor to the young brothers in the family, and who is madly in love with the princess, makes for a sparkling comedy of manners. Guinness is at his droll best and the supporting cast is first rate. A lovely film. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049815/
Only another month until the calendar says it is the first day of spring. I'm ready for it as we are still in the deep freeze. And just had some more freezing rain and snow. Tiresome!
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