Pawsome Pet Pictures: Lucille Ball

You see that gentleman over there? I think he wants to come talk to me.

Let's play hard to get.

Stage Door (1937)

I watched Stage Door (1937) the other day and knew right there and then that it certainly deserved a post. I mean, Ginger Rogers, Katharine Hepburn, Adoplhe Menjou and Lucille Ball, all in one film? Count me in!

"It'd be a terrific innovation if you could get your mind to stretch a little further than the next wisecrack."

~Terry Randall from Stage Door

Stage Door (1937) Directed by Gregory La Cava

Terry Randall: I see that, in addition to your other charms, you have that insolence generated by an inferior upbringing. Jean Maitland: Hmm! Fancy clothes, fancy language and everything! Terry Randall: Unfortunately, I learned to speak English correctly. Jean Maitland: That won't be of much use to you here. We all talk pig latin. 

Cast:

• Katharine Hepburn as Terry Randall
• Ginger Rogers as Jean Maitland
• Adolphe Menjou as Anthony Powell
• Constance Collier as Catherine Luther
• Gail Patrick as Linda Shaw
• Andrea Leeds as Kay Hamilton
• Samuel S. Hinds as Henry Sims
• Lucille Ball as Judy Canfield

Plot:

The Footlights club is a theatrical boarding house in New York, inhabited by fast-talking, quick-witted showgirls all desperately in need of a job. Some of them, like Linda, take the easy way out by having a "sugar daddy" to buy her clothes and take her out, but the others take it the hard way. Work all the way. None more so than Jean Maitland who is determined to be "discovered" the right way. One day, Terry Randall arrives at the Footlights Club. Though slightly stage struck, Terry isn't going to take any nonsense. But she is teased by the other girls for being rich and well educated (her father is "Henry Sims, the wheat king", though she keeps that under wraps), especially by her new roommate, Jean. They don't hit it off well and Jean says they, "started off on the wrong foot, so lets stay that way." Despite Terry's efforts to be friendly.

One lodger in particular is finding it hard to get a job, Kay Hamilton was a big success in a play produced by Anthony Powell, but now can't get any work. 

One day she goes to Powell's office in search of the lead part in his new play "Enchanted April", with which she has a personal connection. After she is refused his audience for the nth time that week, she faints at the desk. Just before this, Terry comes in and sees all and she does storm the office - but to go and give Powell a piece of her mind.

Powell (left) "entertaining" Linda

After this, the girls start to give her a little more respect. But when Jean starts being tempted by Anthony Powell's fancy clothes and dinner trips and broadway star power, Terry steps in and goes to Anthony's apartment; to talk business. And not knowing that her good friend Kay wanted the part, get's the lead in Enchanted April. A play that her millionaire father is secretly financing on the condition that Terry plays the lead. But there is a lot more to go wrong than Terry suspects. And Kay is at her very lowest, with tragic results.

The Verdict:

I really liked this film. I know that it not everyone thinks it's amazing... but "I like it!" (Singing In The Rain reference, anyone? or just me.) I do completely get that Katharine Hepburn didn't understand her character and said that she was unimportant in the story, but the way that she plays Terry makes her essential to the film. It is quite vague and I can't imagine how hard it would be to make a memorable character from the lines alone, but Katharine Hepburn manages to give it the extra attitude and personality that was needed to make the role. She actually asked the director Gregory La Cava what the main point of her character was and he replied "She is a human question mark." After she asked him what that meant he replied, "Damned if I know." 

"The callalilies are in bloom again. Such a strange flower. Suitable to any occasion... I carried them on my wedding day and now I place them here in memory of something that has died." ~ Enchanted April

I really enjoyed Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Roger's performance together, even though they reportedly hated each other on set, but I liked the banter and the witty insults. Apparently {cue long-winded, might not even be true story...} the scriptwriters were inspired by listening to the actresses talk on set and lots of the fast paced exchanges and all that jazz is kind of what they sounded like! Cool, no? {And not as long-winded as predicted. Well there's a first time for everything ;-)} And this was my first Ginger Rogers film!

There are basically no men in this film, and I enjoyed the atmosphere of the predominantly women cast, a little like The Women. And this is all going fine and then BAM! Adolphe Menjou!

He's a good actor and all, but in this (and everything else I've seen him in) he has more than the average dose of sleazy. His whole section of the plot wasn't very well developed, and I think that problem stems from the fact that the character of Anthony Powell wasn't in the original play.

There were quite a few emotional moments in the film, but the one that really got me upset was when Jean walks into Terry's dressing room *SPOILERS AHEAD* and tells her that Kay has committed suicide and blames Terry. Then after Jean leaves Terry has a complete crying fit and is just heartbroken and I was just sitting there with my sister and both of us were really sad.

All the supporting actresses playing the roommates in the boarding house are great. I love Ann Miller and she was actually only fourteen when she made this! In the words of the wise Jo March... CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS! That is actually only one year older than me and she is up there dancing with Ginger Rogers and acting with Katharine Hepburn and Lucille Ball and Adolphe Menjou... Wow. I better start getting a move on!

Awesome, if not a trifle over-enthusiastic...

Lucille Ball is a also lovely, I haven't seen any "I Love Lucy" and I really want to! It's not available on youtube either so I'm just gonna have to wait until at least Christmas.

Eve Arden was also really funny :-D. Andrea Leeds is so fantastic. Just heartbreaking!

Here are two great quotes from Eve Arden's character in the film:

Mary Lou: Well, certainly you must have heard of "Hamlet"! 

Eve: Well, I meet so many people.

Eve: A pleasant little foursome. I predict a hatchet murder before the night's over. 

My mum also told me that Constance Collier is a great favourite of my Grandma's. I can see why. She was totally in her character the whole way through. At the beginning I was a bit concerned about how the performance would turn out, but I found that her portrayal worked out better than I had expected. Also, during the filming, she and Katharine Hepburn became great friends and remained so for the rest of her life. During Katharine Hepburn's stretch of time during the 50s when she played lots of Shakespeare and classics Constance Collier was her acting coach and when Constance Collier died, her secretary came to work for Katharine Hepburn, and did for 40 years. I think that's lovely :-)

And can I just say... Is Gail Patrick like, omnipresent? I don't know what it is but she has been in three of the films I've watched recently and I feel like she's just there... Always playing the same character... It's a bit weird...

Overall a very enjoyable film. Not a masterpiece and there are some holes and slow drags in the script but there are certain parts which I thought were fantastic. Definitely worth a watch.

~Bette

Loving Lucy Blogathon.

Lucille Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989). Lucy had one of Hollywood's longest careers, she began acting in the 1930s, becoming both a radio actress and B-movie star in the 1940s, and then a television star during the 1950s. She was still making films in the 1960s and 1970s.

Ball received thirteen Emmy Award nominations and four wins. In 1977 Ball was among the first recipients of the Women in Film Crystal Award. She was the recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1979, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986 and the Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1989.

In 1929, Ball worked as model began her performing career on Broadway using the stage name Dianne Belmont. She performed in many small movie roles for RKO Radio Pictures. Ball was labeled as the "Queen of the Bs".

In 1951, Ball was a big part in the creation of the television series I Love Lucy and "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour". Ball went on to star in two more successful television series: The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life with Lucy.

Lucy married Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz in 1940. On July 17, 1951, almost 40 years old, Ball gave birth to their first child, Lucie Désirée Arnaz. A year and a half later, Ball gave birth to their second child,  Desi Arnaz, Jr. Ball and Arnaz divorced on May 4, 1960. She then married her second husband, stand up comedian and business partner Gary Morton, for twenty-eight years.

Personal Quote:

"Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead".

One of my favorite Lucy movies is, Panama Lady(1939). A story about Lucy, a cabaret girl, who loses her job and is stranded in Panama. With no one to turn to, agrees to join up with Lenore and Pearl, who plan on knocking out and robbing, Dennis McTeague. When he comes to, he calls the police, not wanting to go to jail, Lucy agrees to travel with him to South America, where he is drilling for oil, and works for him as his housekeeper. Before leaving, Lucy leaves a note for Roy Harmon, her boyfriend, telling him where she is going. When Roy, a smuggler, reads the note, he has just been raided, blaming Lucy for tipping off his enemies, goes looking for her.

It is not long before Lucy, falls in love with McTeague, which makes Cheema, his girl friend jealous. Roy, arrives just as McTeague strikes oil and decides to steal his claim, but.. Cheema, kills him and then frames Lucy, for the murder. Will McTeague, be able to save her from the lie?

I really enjoyed watching Lucy's electric performance in which she steals every scene, in this "B" film Lucy Recardo, she is not!

One of my favorite lines in the movie is: "I'm going to take just one more crack at making a gentleman out of you, and if that doesn't work, we're really in trouble!"

Please click here to learn more about Lucy.

Video: First of 9.

Lucille Ball - A Rare Dramatic Role

From the 1938 film Beauty for the Asking, is a clip showcasing Lucille Ball in drama mode:

STAGE DOOR (1937)

Stage Door (1937). Adapted from the play by the same name. Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, Gail Patrick, Constance Collier, Andrea Leeds, Samuel S. Hinds, Lucille Ball, Eve Arden and Ann Miller.

When Terry Randall, an aspiring actress arrives at the Footlights Club, she is greeted by a group of actresses and chorus girls. Terry's uppity manner immediately alienates her from her roommates who pride themselves on their down-to-earth style. Because of her relationship with producer Anthony Powell, known womanizer, Jean also dislikes another room mate, Linda Shaw. Loved by all is Kay Hamilton, a actress who had done well the previous year, has since been unable to find work. Jean is spotted during a dance rehearsal by Powell, who arranges an audition for her and her partner Annie at a nightclub. Later Kay faints in Powell's office when she learns that the producer has refused to see her. Angry, Terry bursts into Powell's office and gives him what for, for his callous behavior. Powell dismisses Terry, but when he is later approached by a potential backer who has made casting Terry a part of his offer, agrees to star her in his next play, Enchanted April. Powell then invites Jean to dine with him and to spite Linda, Jean accepts. Powell shows Jean pictures of his young son and estranged wife, and plays a "poor little me" routine to win her over. When Jean becomes drunk, Powell sends her home, where Terry helps her to bed. Later Powell tells Terry that he wants her to star in Enchanted April. Kay is stunned to learn that Terry has been cast in the role and blesses her room mate's good luck. In spite of Terry's bad performance during rehearsal, Powell keeps her in the show and prepares for bad reviews. What will it take to turn Terry's out look on life?

FUN FACTS:

Ann Miller was only 14 years old when she performed in this film. She had lied about her age and produced a fake birth certificate. Miller was tall and beautiful at age 14 that she pulled it off. It is quite impressive to see her holding her own while dancing with Ginger Rogers, by then the dance partner of Fred Astaire.

Review: Five Came Back (1939)

Another great film from that golden year of 1939 that got overshadowed by the big guns of Gone with the Wind, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, The  Wizard of Oz and others. But this little taut thriller is really good and deserves to be on that list of 1939's best films. Twelve people are aboard Coast Air Line's flagship the Silver Queen enroute to South America when the airplane encounters a storm and is blown off course. The people include Lucille Ball as Peggy, a woman with a past. C. Aubrey Smith as Professor Spengler with his wife Martha (Played by Elizabeth Risdon). Also on board is Wendy Barrie as Alice, a secretary secretly eloping with her boss/fiancee Judson Ellis (played by Patric Knowles). Then there is the always reliable Allen Jenkins as racketeer Pete who is escorting Tommy, the son of his boss back to America. Also on board is John Carradine as Crimp, who is escorting the criminal Vasquez (played by Joseph Calleia) to stand trial for his crimes. And finally the pilots Bill (Chester Morris) and Joe (Kent Taylor).

The pilots are able to land the plane into a remote jungle, but it is populated with headhunters. The pilots have to repair the plane before they can try to take off and it's a race against time. As the headhunters drums signal they are preparing to attack. Days turns into weeks and most everybody pull their own weight except for Crimp and Ellis who become full on alcoholics. Everyone else remains strong and vigilant. The top performances are by Calleia who actually turns out to be a fair and actually likable man. He is at ease with the current situation because he knows once the plane if fixed, he is that much closer to being hanged for his crimes. Lucille Ball is very good in a rare dramatic role that makes her tarnished lady trying her best to be a better person, despite the resistance from others. Wendy Barrie is also very good as the lovestruck secretary who manages to put her alcoholic fiancee in check. Allen Jenkins is tops as Pete, who believes in honor, despite being on the wrong side of the law. Morris and Taylor are very good in their roles as the pilots. And C. Aubrey Smith is excellent as the Professor who is very knowledgeable about the current situtation. The final twist at the end is a shocker and makes one take value of life and choices. There are a few deaths before then but when the climax comes you will be completely enthralled.

The running time is only about 75 minutes long but it is a taut, tension filled 75 minutes. It's to the director's skill and credit that we actually never see the headhunters but we know they're coming thanks to those constantly banging drums. Five Came Back is a top notch thriller that deserves more attention now since it didn't receive it back then. A pleasing little B thriller from yesteryear.
B+
MOVIE CLIP FIVE WHO CAME BACK.

THE DARK CORNER (1946)

THE DARK CORNER (1946)

The Dark Corner (1946) Noir. Director: Henry Hathaway. Cast: Lucille Ball, Mark Stevens and Clifton Webb. The film features a rare dramatic role for Lucille Ball.

New York police lieutenant Frank informs private investigator Bradford, that his California friends have asked him to keep an eye on him. After hearing the news Brad, decides to go out to dinner with his secretary, Kathleen. They notice a man following them, Brad puts Kathleen in a cab, and follows him. Brad jumps the man and forces him at gunpoint to go to the office. Brad finds out that the man is working for attorney Jardine. Brad sends him on his way but decides to keep his wallet. Kathleen finds Brad back at his office, and when she tells him she wants to help. He warns her to leave and not to get involved. Meanwhile, at a party celebrating the anniversary of art dealer Hardy Cathcart and his wife Mari, Jardine takes the opportunity to meet up with a married woman, who he is blackmailing.

The next evening, the same man follows Brad and Kathleen from a nightclub to her apartment, outside the apartment, the man tries to run Brad over with his car. Brad gets a partial license plate number, while he and Kathleen, wait for the police at the corner cafe. He tells her about his ex-partner Jardine, stealing money from the firm. When Jardine offered to drive Brad back to his house to pay back the money, he knocked him out and put him behind the wheel of his car, where he had an accident, killing the driver of a truck. Brad received a two-year sentence for manslaughter. Later that evening, having gotten Jardine's address from the police, Brad goes to confront Jardine and knocks him out after he denies hiring someone to follow him. Will Brad ever get the truth out of Jardine and prove his innocence?

I saw The Dark Corner, for the first time. It kind of reminded me of the film noir Laura. Probably because Clifton Webb's, character had similar characteristics to Waldo. I also thought Bradford Galt, character had some similarities to the Dana Andrews detective character.