Book Review: Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise by Sam Irvin

My first wisp of anything Kay Thompson related came on the expanded soundtrack to The Harvey Girls. There was a demo of her singing along with 'In the Valley' with Judy Garland and the voice caught my attention years ago - but I thought nothing of it. Then I read a couple of books about Judy and Kay's name popped up as a solid friend and Liza's godmother. Then, finally, I watched Funny Face and thought 'so that's Kay Thompson!'. It was like a lightbulb switched on in my head and I had to know more about this entrancing performer. Fortunately, Sam Irvin's comprehensive biography sheds some light on a woman who was well known in Hollywood circles but floundered beyond that.

Kitty Fink began life as something of an ugly duckling, overshadowed by her prettier sisters. She realised she excelled at entertainment and changed her name when she was sacked for tardiness from one radio job in the hope that her reputation wouldn't follow her. It did and that really began a life of close bonds followed by some cataclysmic rifts. What is most fascinating about Kay (and also most frustrating) is her conscious decision to take ultimate control of everything she touches. This probably stemmed from some disappointments in her early career, notably her axing from the Vincente Minnelli stage musical Hooray for What! in the late 1930s. It would've been her big break and composer Hugh Martin (of Meet Me In St. Louis fame) described the stupidity of that decision: 'To fire that marvellous woman was unforgivable. We all knew Kay was great. Star quality! She could have been another Ethel Merman. Nobody could understand it.' (p64)

With Kay there's a tremendous amount of 'what-ifs', some of them ruined by other people but some ruined by herself. Her most famous creations were her nightclub act with the Williams Brothers and the Eloise books. She took ultimate control of the former, essentially taking much of the profit and credit on herself. While she certainly deserved the credit, some of her manipulations of her performance partners (not limited to the Williams Brothers either) are plain cruel. For instance, Andy Williams (her lover at this point) wanted to use her arrangement of 'The Lord Is My Shepherd' on a new album and she outright rejected the proposal. Williams explained: 'I couldn't believe that she wouldn't allow me to perform the song...I had been with her when she wrote it, and I had sung it for her many times in her apartment. I guess that was Kay; she was possessive about everything she worked on.' (p328) This possessive nature reared its ugly head again when Eloise was adapted for television. A passing comment from Eartha Kitt about the actress playing the title character being the 'new' Eloise set Kay completely against the little girl, since she was thought of Eloise as herself and only herself. She set about taking creative control over the special - with disastrous results. Her star turn in Funny Face was also marred by problems when she and Fred Astaire fell out to the extent that he refused to attend the opening with her. Try rewatching the 'Clap Yo' Hands' sequence with this mutual dislike in mind and see how good actors both of them were!

There are so many little titbits in this book that it's a must for anyone interested in this era of film and music. Kay's involvement numerous talents is both astounding and exhausting but what comes across most potently is the waste of her own talents. She was an acquired taste and there are frequently stories behind many of her own songs, including in-jokes that make them difficult to comprehend outside showbiz circles. This book illuminates some of those in-jokes, allowing the songs to be heard in their original glory. I'll admit that I had only listened to the album I had of her work a few times before reading this book but now I can't stop playing it. My favourite song at the moment is probably 'Bazazz', a word she used in Funny Face and decided to create a song around, but they're all wonderful songs in their own way.

Sam Irvin tries to sum up what Kay was in the opening pages of his book: 'Not to name-drop or anything, but... Kay Thompson was Judy Garland's mentor and best friend and Frank Sinatra's and Lena Horne's vocal coach. She went to school with Tennessee Williams and got her first big break from Bing Crosby. She created a nightclub act for Ginger Rogers, and played charades with Gene Kelly. Bette Davis learned from her, Diana Vreeland was portrayed by her, and Danny Kaye masqueraded in drag as her. She auditioned for Henry Ford, trained Marilyn Monroe, channelled Elvis Presley, rejected Andy Warhol, rebuffed Federico Fellini, and got fired by Howard Hughes. Prince Aly Khan made a pass at her and the Beatles wanted to hold her hand.' (pxiv) And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

Classic Film Review: The Prince and the Showgirl (1957)

The Prince and the Showgirl is, naturally, quite a fantastical film. The regent of a fictional country, Grandduke Charles (Laurence Olivier), comes to Britain for the coronation in 1911. He has one free evening in the capital and decides to see a show at the Coconut Girl Club. He takes a shine to Elsie (Marilyn Monroe) and invites her up to the embassy for a little supper. Once Elsie realises exactly what he wants from this intimate supper she tries to escape but foreign officer employee, Northbrook (Richard Wattis), persuades her to stay. The next day she overhears a conversation between the regent's son, king-in-waiting Nicolas (Jeremy Spenser) and someone he is plotting an uprising with. Of course, she sets about trying to reconcile father and son and suddenly finds herself at the coronation courtesy of the Dowager (Sybil Thorndike).

This is a rather complicated film with some over-long scenes and fragments of dialogue that don't work particularly well with the assembled cast. Taken individually, Olivier is tolerable as the regent while Monroe puts in a very inconsistent performance as Elsie. There are moments which seem specifically tailored to recapture her innocent hilarity of earlier roles but the pieces just don't seem to fit together on this one. There are some genuinely funny moments involving Monroe, though the overall effect of her charm is diluted. Thorndike is, however, superb as the Dowager and I think Richard Wattis as the dry (and very English) representative of the foreign office stole the film for me.

Implausible plots are fine if the film has enough charm to carry it off. For me, The Prince and the Showgirl failed on this point. It seemed more preoccupied with showing off the London scenery than anything else - hence the long monotonous scene of Elsie staring at the ceiling of Westminster Abbey while the coronation was going on. There was no chemistry between Olivier and Monroe that I could see, though there was definitely a spark of something else there! All in all, a passable film but not one I'd actively go out of my way to rewatch.

Classic Film Review: All About Eve (1950)

Occasionally a film is so universally praised that you think it can't possibly live up to expectation: All About Eve is one of those films and it certainly lived up to the hype. It tells the story of Eve Harrington (Anne Baxter), an aspiring actress who worms her way into the life of popular actress Margo Channing (Bette Davis) and her friends. Although she is welcomed as a fan and becomes Margo's assistant, it soon becomes apparent that she has her own agenda and is willing to do anything to achieve her goals.

The cast for this one is absolutely perfect. Apart from Baxter and Davis, you've got George Sanders as theatre critic Addison DeWitt, Celeste Holm as Karen Richards, wife to Hugh Marlowe's playwright Lloyd Richards and Gary Merrill as Margo's lover Bill. On the periphery you've got the wonderful Thelma Ritter as Margo's employee Birdie and a brief appearance by Marilyn Monroe as Miss Casswell. None of them put a foot wrong and there are some terrifically tense senses. There are three worthy of particular note. Firstly, there is Margo's meltdown in the theatre when she finds out that Eve has been appointed as her understudy is very emotional, as she manages to alienate everyone and is left sobbing on the set of a bedroom. Secondly, Karen's confrontation with Eve in the bathroom of a restaurant where the former realises just what lengths Eve will go to for her own way. Finally, the scene between Eve and Addison where he explains that he knows all about her brims with tension. Those are perhaps my three favourite scenes but they don't stand out from what is a very coherent and consistent whole.

Assisting an excellent cast is a fantastic script which never feels laboured. In addition, the use of music in the background of specific scenes is wonderfully effective without pummelling you with the subtext. For instance, after Karen and Eve's confrontation at the restaurant 'That Old Black Magic' plays in the background and 'Stormy Weather' is used at Bill's birthday party when Margo disappears upstairs. All instances of music are subtle enough to be accidental but they add to the atmosphere of the film as a whole.

It's difficult to find anything bad to say about this one. If I was to nitpick I'd say that the introductory voice-over by George Sanders perhaps lingers too long but every word of it is useful and adds to what comes after. There are no extraneous scenes or dialogue and no deviations from character. All About Eve deserved every Oscar nomination and win it received, although I can't help wishing that Celeste Holm had picked up the gong in the 'Best Supporting Actress' category. 

Truly a classic and, although long, one which seems to end too soon. 

Classic Film Review: Monkey Business (1952)

I have to preface this review by saying that I really can't remember when I watched a film that made me laugh as hysterically as this one. Starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Marilyn Monroe and Charles Coburn, Monkey Business tells the story of absent-minded professor Barnaby Fulton (Grant) trying to come up with a formula for the fountain of youth. His boss Mr Oxley (Coburn) is very interested in the idea while Fulton's wife Edwina (Rogers) just has to deal with her husband being a little more scatty than usual. Barnaby thinks he's got the formula right and tests it on himself - what he doesn't know, however, is that instead of his formula working one of his chimpanzees has turned scientist and mixed another version of the formula into the laboratory water bottle... Chaos ensues.

There were so many hilarious scenes in this that I can't list them all. For instance, Edwina's first effects from the formula lead her to put a fish down Mr Oxley's pants. Rogers's comic ability really shines through in this film, particularly when she uses a slingshot to hit secretary Miss Laurel (Monroe) on the rear end. In fact, even popping gum is hilarious when Rogers does it. Not to be outdone, Cary Grant dresses up as an Indian brave in order to scalp a love rival and flies down a laundry chute when he loses his glasses. Miss Laurel is the only one never polluted but Marilyn Monroe is at her lightest comic best. The effect of all this is one of the best comedy films I've watched in years. Not bad for 1952.

Film buffs also might be interested in the fact that while Monkey Business co-stars Monroe and Coburn prior to their success together in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), it also has a small appearance by child actor George Winslow as a little Indian. Winslow played, of course, Henry Spofford III in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the young man who helps Monroe's character out of a porthole amongst other things. He may only have a few lines in Monkey Business but he makes them count.

Classic Film Review: River of No Return (1954)

River of No Return tells the story of Matt Calder (Robert Mitchum) reunited with his young son Mark (Tommy Rettig) in the Rocky Mountains after being released from prison. Mark has formed an attachment to singer Kay (Marilyn Monroe) while waiting to be collected. The trio later meet again when Kay's gambling partner Weston (Rory Calhoun) nearly crashes the raft the pair are on and Calder saves them. Kay and Weston are trying to file the deed for a gold mine Weston won in a poker game. When Calder refuses to give up his precious rifle and horse, Weston steals them. Kay elects to stay and look after an injured Calder but the pair along with Mark are forced to flee when Indians attack. What follows are lion and Indian attacks and the trials of the treacherous river they travel on.

I was a little underwhelmed by this one. Monroe really wasn't at her best (for 'best' see There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)) and seemed out of place in a Western. There was little chemistry between her and Mitchum, although both the leads had a good rapport with Tommy Rettig as young Mark. That - along with the beautiful scenery - was the film's saving grace. The few songs were instantly forgettable and only served to show off Monroe's body. This was unnecessary, I thought, since later on she was forced to adapt to her rustic setting and male fans got more than eyeful then. The Indian scenes were as stereotypical as in any 50s Western and the script was a little bland. Monroe, especially, seemed to struggle with her but, then, her character had more to say than Mitchum's brooding one. 

I can forgive bad performances or a bad script but rarely both in the same film. This film was spectacular for the on-location shots but forgettable for almost everything else.