Classic Film Review: School for Scoundrels (1960)

School for Scoundrels stars Ian Carmichael as Henry Palfrey, one of life's losers. After his friend, Raymond Delauney (Terry-Thomas), tries to steal his potential girlfriend, April (Janette Scott) from under his nose, he decides something must be done. He comes across the Lifeman college which purports to show men how to be in a constant state of 'one-up' over whoever he wants to be. The college is run by Mr Potter (Alastair Sim), who takes a great interest in Henry. When it's time for Henry to move into 'field work' it is Potter who accompanies him.

This is a very British film populated by very British characters. It also includes some traditional British symbols: tennis courts, dodging car dealing and the elitism of restaurants. It utilises these traditions to create an environment hostile to Henry in the first half of the film but one that he can manipulate in the second. As a comedy, then, it works, and, fortunately, Henry's character evolves so much to have become not only strong by the finale but also able to step back and look at what he's learned.

Carmichael puts in a good performance but, really, Terry-Thomas and Alastair Sim steal the show. Initially pompous and self-confident, Delauney has to face a resurgent Henry in the second half of the film and Terry-Thomas portrays this wonderfully, from the car prang down to the tennis court. Equally, Mr Potter portrays his suave character perfectly. Special mention must go to the used car salesmen played by Dennis Price and Peter Jones who are a delight to watch, both when they're swindling and when they're the ones being swindled.

With small appearances from Hattie Jacques, Hugh Paddick and John Le Mesurier, this film surpassed my expectations and proved very enjoyable. I thought the preamble before Henry's initiation into 'college' life was a little too long but it was necessary to set everything up for later. Perfect balance of set ups and pay offs make School for Scoundrels a very good British comedy.

Classic Film Review: To Catch a Thief (1955)

To Catch a Thief stars Cary Grant as ex-cat burglar John Robie. When a new spate of burglaries occur on the Riviera, Robie is instantly suspected and, mindful that the police won't give him a fair hearing, he escapes from them and sets about proving his own innocence with the help of insurance agent H.H Hughson (John Williams). He identifies mother and daughter Jessie (Jessie Royce Landis) and Frances Stevens (Grace Kelly) as potential victims and latches on to them but Frances is wise to his deception and doesn't trust him an inch.

I'm afraid that the editing and dubbing on this film was one of the worst I've seen, especially in such an otherwise excellent film. It really put me off, particularly the use of a non-English speaking actor, Charles Vanel, as important character Bertani. Rather than getting immersed in the story I found myself thinking how bad the dubbing was and that's not to mention the pasting together of shots, most noticeably during the rooftop chase, that pulled me back from the story.

The actual plot is excellent and Cary Grant is at his best as the reformed cat-burglar. He and Grace Kelly work well together as friendly adversaries, though I have to say that my favourite scenes came with Grant interacting with Jessie Royce Landis as Jessie Stevens. The characters interacted so beautifully, particularly in the bedroom scene where she lets him escape. Equally, John Williams as the upright insurance agent is a pleasure to watch.

The scenery in this film is amazing and it's worth watching for that alone. Awe-inspiring and utilised as a good backdrop to the main story, it's stunningly shot. Also, the costume ball section of the film is luscious, filled with vibrant costumes and wonderfully directed by Hitchcock.

All in all, this would have been an incredible film, if not for the atrocious dubbing and occasionally off-putting editing. Nevertheless, it remains an excellent one with Grant at his charming and debonair best.

Classic Film Review: Mary of Scotland (1936)

Mary of Scotland stars Kathryn Hepburn as the doomed monarch with Florence Eldridge as Elizabeth Tudor, Fredric March as Bothwell and a lengthy supporting cast including Douglas Walton as Darnley, Alan Mowbray as Throckmorton and Donald Crisp as Huntly. While the film seems based on the true events of Mary Stuart's life, there are problems with the film that made it difficult to watch.

It's a very stage-like production that hasn't adapted to film very well. A lot of the scenes are static with very little movement and they last for quite a while. There are relatively few Scottish accents in attendance and those that are Scottish are not always convincing. The love story between Mary and Bothwell doesn't feel very realistic, possibly as a result of the scope of the film being on politics rather than romance.The effects are over-played and unnecessary and some of the dialogue delivery is cringe-worthy. Florence Eldridge comes across as far more comfortable in her role (though she is nowhere near the standard of Elizabeth I that Bette Davis attained in her two outings, reviewed here and here). I don't think playing a queen was beyond Hepburn - I just think that a lot of issues contrived to make this film difficult to enjoy. Hepburn herself later admitted that she respected Elizabeth and not Mary, calling the latter a 'ninny'.

So those are the bad points. However, there were sparks in the film that helped elevate it a little. For instance, Douglas Walton's performance as the effeminate Darnley is excellent to watch and the meeting scene between Elizabeth and Mary adds tension to the film - perhaps too late to save it. There is also a moment where the peasants begin singing of their loyalty to their Scottish queen in a standout scene which wasn't hampered, like most, by its length.

There is nothing inherently wrong with stage-like productions but I don't think Mary of Scotland worked particularly well. Whether this was because of Hepburn's disbelief in her role, a domineering director or screenwriter or simply a few errors of judgement, it doesn't really matter. Watch for Eldridge and Walton, not for Hepburn or March.

Classic Film Review: Footlight Fever (1941)

Footlight Fever is the sequel to Curtain Call (1940, reviewed here). Alan Mowbray and Donald MacBride return as Don Avery and Geoff Crandall, theatre producers who are desperate to get their next venture off the ground. They are hampered by their backer pulling out, leaving them desperately in need of money. Their leading man's girlfriend has an aunt who is rich enough to manage it but she's under the thumb of her business manager. Don and Geoff try to persuade her to invest by posing as friends of her lost love but she's soon wise to them. Will the show go on?

I found this more enjoyable than Curtain Call, perhaps because it didn't rely on the premise of an aspiring writer being exploited and blown to pieces by everyone around her. Aunt Hattie Drake (Elisabeth Risdon, who I've previously seen and loved in Higher and Higher (1943, reviewed here)) may be a recluse but once she's out of her mansion she's hilarious and Risdon plays her to perfection.

Mowbray and MacBride's partnership isn't all that enticing, though in the scenes where they're trying to persuade Aunt Hattie that she should produce the play they're very enjoyable. I think they work better apart: for instance, when Avery decides he should be the leading man and does a very good 'will not die' routine. It's much easier to like Avery than MacBride but perhaps the problem in this partnership is that neither character is exactly likeable. They only made these two films and it's easy to see why.

That isn't to say Footlight Fever is an altogether bad film. It has moments of greatness but many moments of mediocrity and scenes/characters that serve no purpose. However, it's better than Curtain Call and doesn't quite let the tricksters get away with it.

Classic Film Review: The Big Street (1942)

The Big Street tells the story of Little Pinks (Henry Fonda), a busboy who falls in love with singer Gloria Lyons (Lucille Ball). When she's injured in an argument with her boyfriend and benefactor Case Abels (Barton MacLane) he takes care of her, paying her hospital fees and having her stay with him until she's better. The trouble is, Gloria is ungrateful and mean - she has her sights set on a rich playboy Decatur Reed (William T. Orr) and she'll have Little Pinks push her in her wheelchair from New York to Florida to get her way. The supporting case includes Agnes Moorehead as Little Pinks' friend Violette and Eugene Pallette as Nicely Nicely Johnson.

Based on a Damon Runyon story, this is a reasonably good film. It manages to bring to life the gambling and hustling of New York whilst still showing the hearts of those involved - there is a splendid scene where a group is pitching in money to help Pinks get Gloria to Florida, even though they don't like her and she's treated them like dirt. In this film, Gloria is the unreasonable one, pushing and pushing Pinks until he can't take it any more.

Lucille Ball, however, is excellent in the role. There are a few over-dramatic moments, particularly during the argument with Abels, but her moments of weakness as she struggles to acknowledge her injury, make up for this. She's a difficult character to like but it is a performance you can respect. With Henry Fonda, its the other way round: he's an altogether good character, easy to like but too liable to allow himself to be walked over. His defining moments come in the final minutes, which make up for his weaknesses as a character earlier. In addition, Agnes Moorehead is brilliant throughout, becoming a sounding board for Little Pinks but also enjoying a whirlwind romance with Eugene Pallette as Nicely Nicely.

All in all, this is an interesting little film that avoids the simpering ending I anticipated. Some of the dialogue is difficult to swallow but, on the whole, this is a bit of a lost diamond.

Classic Film Review: Son of Paleface (1952)

Son of Paleface is the sequel to The Paleface (1948), which I haven't yet seen. Still, it's not compulsory to have seen the first one to thoroughly enjoy the second.

Bob Hope plays the title character, a hapless Harvard graduate who travels to the Wild West to collect his father's fortune. Unfortunately, he can't seem to find it and his father's creditors are literally breaking down the doors to get to him. Elsewhere in town, Roy Barton (Roy Rogers) and his horse Trigger have arrived to track down the culprit for a recent spate of gold thefts in the area. The criminal is none other than Mike (Jane Russell), who has set her sights on the fortune she thinks Peter Potter Junior has. Oh, and there are Indians with a grudge against him too.

This is an hilarious film. It spoofs all the main aspects of Westerns but lovingly, and it doesn't skimp on the laughs. Hope is fantastic but, for me, Russell steals every scene she's in from the bandit scenes to the seductive dance number 'Wing Ding Tonight'. She and Hope bounce off each other extremely well, especially with their little duet reprise of the same song where she's in the bath and he's trying to peek through the keyhole. However, my favourite scene is definitely the shaving scene in the derelict hotel where they sing 'Am I In Love?' together. Russell is at her most witty and gorgeous in this film, no question about it.

With all my attention on Hope and Russell, I almost disregarded Rogers and Trigger entirely, although the scene where Peter Potter Junior and Trigger fight over bed covers is quite amusing. There are too many good scenes in this one to describe but they all add up to a fabulous comedy that showcases Hope and Russell perfectly.

Classic Film Review: The Fabulous Dorseys (1947)

The Fabulous Dorseys is a rather lacklustre film intended to showcase the music and talents of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey rather than display any real artistic merit as a film. It stars the brothers as themselves, essentially resulting in an entirely sanitised film which bears little resemblance to biography. It shows the brothers as warring boys then warring adults who split and form their own bands.

I found the scenes when they were children some of the most enjoyable. Once the 'real' Dorseys arrived on screen the entertainment seemed to slip a bit. There are unrealistic fight scenes and lazy dialogue, only relieved by a love story between two of the supporting cast - Janet Blair as Jane and William Lundigan as Bob Burton. The portrayals of Mr and Mrs Dorsey by Arthur Shields and Sara Allgood also lifted the film a little.

Of course, the main point of this film was to showcase the music. It manages this with limited success, only playing fragments of songs that I, for one, would have preferred to hear in their entirety. Still, there's no denying how beautiful the music and it's worth a watch for the performance pieces alone.

There's not much more to say about this one. It works as a musical showcase but not as biography. There's no denying the Dorsey brothers' talent as musicians but they were hardly threatening Cary Grant and Clark Gable in the acting stakes.