Monday, March 11, 2024

Sidney Poitier stars in “To Sir, With Love”

To Sir, With Love (1967) is a British drama directed by James Clavell who also wrote the screenplay based on the autobiographical novel (1959) by the same name by E. R. Braithwaite. Sidney Poitier stars as a teacher in an inner-city school. The all-British supporting cast includes Christian Roberts, Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall, Patricia Routledge, and Lulu.

Mark Thackery (Poitier) has had no success obtaining an engineering position after a long 18-month job search. He accepts a teaching position for Class 12 at North Quay Secondary School in the East End of London. He took the position as a stop-gap, still hoping to get an engineering position, even though he has no previous teaching experience.

The students Thackery has to teach are a tough bunch. He does his best to reach them despite their negative attitudes toward him and the school in general. 

Will Thackery be able to connect to his students or will he leave teaching for the engineering job that finally comes?

  


James Clavell (1921 – 1994) was an Australian-born British writer (later an American citizen), screenwriter, and director. Clavell is best known for his novels, especially his Asian Saga novels. He wrote the screenplays for The Fly (1958), The Great Escape (1963), and The Satan Bug (1965). Clavell’s novel Shogun (1965) was made into a TV miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain. The series achieved huge ratings.

 

Sidney Poitier (1927 - 2022) was an American actor and director. He was the first black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field (1963). Poitier made his film debut in No Way Out which launched him on a path to movie stardom. Other early films include Cry, The Beloved Country  (1951), Blackboard Jungle (1955), and Edge of the City (1957). Another breakthrough came with The Defiant Ones (1958) where he co-starred with Tony Curtis. Both actors were nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award, with Poitier’s nomination the first for a black man. In 1959, he starred in the first production of A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway. He starred in the film version in 1961. That same year he starred with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in Paris Blues. Other film roles include The Bedford Incident (1965) and A Patch of Blue (1965) co-starring Elizabeth Hartman and Shelley Winters. Poitier’s big year was 1967. He had three hits: To Sir, with LoveIn the Heat of the Night, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. The popularity of these three films made him the top box office draw of the year. Later in his career, Poitier started directing films like Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Stir Crazy (1980). Poitier was a recipient of an Honorary Academy Award for his contribution to the motion picture industry.

 

Sidney Poitier and Judy Geeson

 

To Sir, With Love trivia

  • The British Museum wouldn’t let the producers film inside. They did allow still photography which resulted in the montage that appears in the film.
  • Lulu performed the title song which was a number-one single in the U.S.
  • Sidney Poitier earned a flat fee of $30,000 plus 10% of the gross. Due to the film’s huge success, he earned the equivalent of $45M in today’s dollars.

 

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

 


 

Click HERE to join the discussion on March 18, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation via email with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

  1. The film was set in the late-1960s. Do you think this was a realistic portrayal of what it was really like?
  2. Sidney Poiter was surrounded by an all-British cast. How do you think his performance holds up?
  3. Did you have a favorite student in Thackery’s class?
  4. The movie was a huge and unexpected hit. Did this surprise you?
  5. Does the film remind you of any other films you’ve seen?
  6. Did you have a favorite scene or piece of dialogue?

 


Monday, March 4, 2024

Judy Holliday and Paul Douglas drive away in “The Solid Gold Cadillac”

The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956) is an American comedy directed by Richard Quine and starring Judy Holliday and Paul Douglas. The supporting cast includes Fred Clark, John Williams, Ray Collins, Neva Patterson, and Arthur O’Connell.

Laura Patridge (Holliday) attends the board meeting for International Projects, a billion-dollar corporation. John T. Blessington (Williams) announces that he is replacing Edward L. McKeever (Douglas) who founded the company and served as president and chairman of the board. McKeever is resigning to serve as Secretary of Defense in Washington, D.C. Laura is a stockholder with just ten shares who frustrates the arrogant and dishonest executives by asking them questions during the meeting which is her right as a stockholder.

To get Laura out of their hair, Blessington hires her for the position of director of shareholder relations. The job has no real duties, but to make sure Laura stays in check, Blessington assigns her a private secretary named Amelia (Patterson) to keep an eye on things. With nothing to do, Laura writes letter to the stockholders. She and Amelia become friends and Laura helps her in her romance with the office manager (O’Connell).

The board of International Projects is distraught because they’ve received no government contracts. McKeever is a straight-shooter and refuses to give preference to his former company. In a move to help them get business, Blessington sends Laura to Washington, outfitted in a new wardrobe to try and convince McKeever to throw some business their way. 

When Laura tells McKeever what’s been happening at International Projects, he decides to return to his old position, but there’s only one catch. He has no controlling stock in the company which leaves him powerless to act.  

Will Laura and McKeever come up with a plan to take the company back and run it honestly and honorably?

 



Richard Quine (1920 – 1989) was an American director, actor, and singer. As a child, he had roles in several films throughout the 1930s including Cavalcade (1933), Dames (1934), and Dog of Flanders (1935). Quine transitioned to adult roles but his career as an actor began to wane after World War II. He decided to switch to directing and producing and became a very successful director during the 1960s and 1970s. Some of his films as director include Bell, Book and Candle (1958), The World of Suzie Wong (1960), Paris When it Sizzles (1964), How to Murder Your Wife (1965), and The Prisoner of Zenda (1979).

Judy Holliday (1921 – 1965) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She started out in show business playing nightclubs before making her way to Broadway. Her role as Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday in 1946 made her an “overnight” sensation. When she recreated the role for the film version, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress of the Year. Other films include The Marrying Kind  (1952), It Should Happen to You (1954), Phffft (1954), The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956), Full of Life (1956), and Bells Are Ringing (1960), recreating her Tony Award-winning performance. Holliday died of breast cancer in 1965 at the age of 43. 

Paul Douglas (1907 – 1959) was an American actor. Douglas starred on Broadways as in film. He is mostly known for his comedic performances in films like It Happens Every Spring (1949), Angels in the Outfield (1951), and Never Wave at a WAC (1953). Other Douglas films include A Letter to Three Wives (1949), The Big Lift (1950), Love That Brute (1951), and Clash by Night (1952). Douglas was set to play the role of Mr. Sheldrake in The Apartment (1960) but died of a heart attack right before production was to start. He was replaced by Fred MacMurray.

 

Paul Douglas and Judy Holliday

The Solid Gold Cadillac trivia

  • The final scene was filmed in color to show of the “solid gold” Cadillac.
  • Holliday and Douglas starred together in Born Yesterday on Broadway.
  • Producer Hal Wallis tried to purchase the film rights as a vehicle for Shirley Booth.
  • The $225 sheer black nightgown would cost about $2500 today.

 

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

 


 

Click HERE to join the discussion on March 11, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation via email with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

  1. Do you think the film had a serious message underneath the comedy?
  2. Was this role similar to Holliday’s role in Born Yesterday?
  3. Did Holliday and Douglas have good screen chemistry?
  4. Would you have liked to have been on the board of International Projects?
  5. Does the film remind you of any other films you’ve seen?
  6. Did you have a favorite scene or piece of dialogue?

 


Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame find themselves “In a Lonely Place”

In a Lonely Place (1950) is an American film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Graham. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Dorothy B. Hughes published in 1947. The cinematography was by Burnett Guffefy who won Academy Awards for From Here to Eternity (1953) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Bogart stars as Dixon Steele a down-on-his-luck Hollywood screenwriter. He’s prone to violence and his troubled past behavior makes him a prime suspect in the murder of Mildred Atkinson, a young hat-check girl. Dix is considering adapting a novel into a screenplay but rather than read the novel, he let Mildred read it at his home and give him a plot summary. After that, Dix escorts Mildred out of his apartment and is witnessed by new neighbor Laurel Gray (Graham) and she gives this information to the police investigating the crime. Dix and Laurel are attracted to each other and begin a relationship. 

As the investigation into Mildred’s murder intensifies, Dix’s behavior becomes erratic, and Laurel begins to suspect that he might not be as innocent as he claims.  


Gloria Grahame and Humphrey Bogart

Nicholas Ray (1911 – 1979) was an American film director. Some of his best-known films include They Live By Night (1948), In A Lonely Place (1950), Johnny Guitar (1954), and Rebel Without a Cause (1955). His films influenced directors Joseph H. Lewis, Arthur Penn, Terrence Malick, and Robert Altman. Later in his career, he directed the big screen epics King of Kings (1961) and 55 Days at Peking (1963) starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, and David Niven.  

Humphrey Bogart (1899 – 1957) was an American film and stage actor. He is one of the most famous and popular movie stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Nicknamed Bogie, the actor toiled in supporting roles in both A and B pictures for a decade before his breakout role as Roy Earle in High Sierra (1941). Many more film roles followed including The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942), Key Largo (1948), and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). His career continued with good roles in films like In a Lonely Place (1950), The Caine Mutiny (1954), and Sabrina (1954) co-starring William Holden and Audrey Hepburn. Bogart died from cancer in 1957.  

Gloria Grahame (1923 – 1981) was an American actress. She began her career on the stage and then went to Hollywood in 1944 where she was under contract to M-G-M. At M-G-M, they didn’t seem to know what to do with Grahame. She was loaned out to play Violet Bick in It’s a Wonderful Life, earning good notices but M-G-M decided to sell her contract to RKO. She played minor and secondary roles in several film noirs, but her career didn’t gain any traction at that studio as well. She had good roles in Sudden Fear (1952) and won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952). Grahame’s performance in that film lasted just over nine minutes. She was the Elephant Girl, performing her own stunts, in Cecil B. De Mille’s The Greatest Show on Earth (1952). Other films include Not as a Stranger (1955) and Oklahoma! where she played Ado Annie, a change of pace from her typical femme fatale roles. Grahame died of cancer at the age of 57.

 

In a Lonely Place trivia

  • Gloria Grahame and Nicholas Ray were going through a divorce during filming.
  • Lauren Bacall and Ginger Rogers were considered for the role of Laurel Gray. Warner Bros. wouldn’t load Bacall to Columbia. The producer wanted Rogers but Ray thought his then-wife would be ideal in the part.
  • Not a big commercial success at the time of its release, the film’s reputation has grown over the years.
  • Many consider this one of Bogart’s best performances.

 

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

 


 

Click HERE to join the discussion on March 4, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation via email with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

  1. The film is supposed to be a cynical take on Hollywood. What are some of the cynical or negative aspects of the film?
  2. How did the lighting and cinematography add to the film? Did it enhance the film’s narrative?
  3. Does In a Lonely Place qualify as a film noir? How?
  4. Both Bogart and Grahame were praised for their performances. Would you add your praise to the critics?
  5. Does the film remind you of any other films released in 1950?

 



Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The Egyptian Theatre back as a TCM Film Festival venue

The legendary Egyptian Theatre, which opened its doors in 1922, is back as a major venue for the TCM Film Festival. Recently renovated by Netflix, the theatre is able to show 35mm, 70mm, digital formats, and nitrate prints. The TCM website recently announced that they were screening Annie Get Your Gun (1950) in a 35mm nitrate print. The Egyptian is the only festival venue that can show nitrate films. Seeing this classic on the big screen at the Egyptian should be a festival highlight.


The Egyptian Theatre changed the way movies were shown in Hollywood (and around the world) presenting the first Hollywood premieres. The red carpet—a staple of all major movie premieres and award shows—made its debut at this fabled venue.

The theatre was built by Sid Grauman and real estate developer Charles E. Toberman, who went on to build two other legendary theatres, the El Capitan and the Chinese Theatre. The Egyptian cost $800,000 to build and took 18 months to complete.

Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood was the first-ever Hollywood premiere presented at the Egyptian on Wednesday, October 18, 1922. Premiere night tickets cost $5, an extraordinary amount in 1922. Regular admission to the theatre was between $.75 and  $1.50.

The TCM Film Festival will be held in Los Angeles, CA, April 18-21, 2024.



Monday, February 19, 2024

Broderick Crawford, Judy Holiday, and William Holden in “Born Yesterday”

Born Yesterday (1950) is an American comedy directed by George Cukor and starring Broderick Crawford, Judy Holiday, and William Holden. Holiday recreated her role as Billie Dawn which she played on Broadway. Crawford replaced Paul Douglas who played opposite Holiday as Harry Brock and Holden replaced Gary Merrill who played Paul Verrall, both of whom created their respective roles on Broadway.

The film concerns Billie Dawn (Holiday), an uneducated woman involved with an older business tycoon Harry Brock (Crawford) who is in Washington to try and “buy” a congressman. Because Billie is uneducated, Harry hires Paul Verrall (Holden), a journalist, to educate her. During her “education,” she realized that Harry was a corrupt businessman. Due to Paul opening her eyes to a whole new world, Billie falls in love with him.

Judy Holiday, Broderick Crawford, and William Holden

George Cukor (1899 – 1983) was an American director. He was famous for directing comedies and literary adaptations of classics like Little Women (1933) and David Copperfield (1935). He was famously fired from directing Gone with the Wind (1939), but that incident didn’t mar an impressive directorial career that included The Philadelphia Story (1940), Gaslight (1944), and Born Yesterday (1950). Cukor won an Academy Award as Best Director for My Fair Lady (1964).

Broderick Crawford (1911 – 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor. Born in Philadelphia to a show business family, Crawford acted with his parents on stage and then established himself as a talent on his own by winning acclaim as Lenny in the original Broadway production of Of Mice and Men in 1937. He later moved to Hollywood and began acting in small roles and bit parts throughout the 1940s. He finally got his chance at stardom in All the King’s Men (1949), the film version of Robert Penn Warren’s award-winning novel. The film was a big hit and Crawford won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Willie Stark. Now a star, Crawford starred in more prestigious productions including Born Yesterday (1950) receiving top-billing over co-stars Judy Holiday and William Holden. Crawford became a television icon as Dan Matthews in the police dram Highway Patrol (1955 – 1959.) 

Judy Holiday (1921 – 1965) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She started out in show business playing nightclubs before making her way to Broadway. Her role as Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday in 1946 made her an “overnight” sensation. When she recreated the role for the film version, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress of the Year. Other films include The Marrying Kind  (1952), It Should Happen to You (1954), Phffft (1954), The Solid Gold Cadillac (1956), Full of Life (1956), and Bells Are Ringing (1960), recreating her Tony Award-winning performance. Holiday died of breast cancer in 1965 at the age of 43.

William Holden (1918 - 1981) was an American actor and major movie star. He was one of the most bankable stars of the 1950s. Holden starred in some of the most popular and beloved films of all time including Sunset BoulevardSabrina, Picnic (1955), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), and Stalag 17 for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Holden became a star with his very first role in Golden Boy (1939). He had lead roles in other popular films like Our Town (1940), and  I Wanted Wings (1941). World War II interrupted his career. Holden was a first lieutenant in the United States Army Air Force. After the war, he made some popular but forgettable films. It wasn’t after he collaborated with director Wilder on Sunset Boulevard that Holden’s popularity and stature in Hollywood grew to superstar status.

 

Crawford who got top billing on the screen is listed last on this lobby card.

Born Yesterday trivia

  • Judy Holiday’s role in Adam’s Rib (1948) was an audition to convince Columbia Pictures studio chief Harry Cohn that Holiday was up to the task of playing Billie Dawn on the screen.
  • Judy Holiday and Broderick Crawford played gin-rummy on the train to Washington, D.C. for location shooting. Holiday won $600 from Crawford. This cemented their friendship and they remained lifelong friends.
  • Marilyn Monroe screen-tested for the role but Harry Cohn never watched it.
  • Holiday’s wardrobe became more sophisticated as her character grew.
  • William Holden originally turned down the role fearing that he would be overshadowed by Crawford and Holiday. Because of this, Holden’s role was built up for the screen.
  • Director George Cukor had Crawford, Holiday, and Holden perform their roles in front of a live audience so that he could time the laughs between the dialogue.

 

Click HERE to watch the room on YouTube.

 


Click HERE to join the discussion on February 26, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

  1. Born Yesterday was released in the mid-20th century. Do you think it holds up today?
  2. Judy Holiday is so identified with the role of Billie Dawn. Can you see anyone else as successful in the role?
  3. Was Broderick Crawford believable in the role of Harry Brock?
  4. Holiday beat out Gloria Swanson (Sunset Blvd), Bette Davis and Anne Baxter (All About Eve), and Eleanor Parker (Cage). Do you think she deserved to win?
  5. Holden was afraid that he would be overshadowed by Crawford and Holiday. Do you think this was the case or did he hold his own in the less showy role as Paul Verrall?

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

“The Forbidden Street,” the hit that never was

The Forbidden Street (1949) is a melodrama directed by Jean Negulesco starring Dana Andrews and Maureen O’Hara. The other cast members include Sybil Thorndike, Fay Compton, and A. E. Matthews. The movie, set in Victorian London, was filmed in England by Twentieth Century-Fox with funds that were frozen in Great Britain.

Backstory

Based on the bestseller Britannia Mews by Margery Sharp (1905 – 1991), Fox paid the author $150,000 (over $2M in 2024 dollars) for the film rights. Sharp was a popular author of adult and children’s books. Cluny Brown (1944), was a huge bestseller and made into a successful film starring Charles Boyer and Jennifer Jones. An earlier novel, The Nutmeg Tree (1937) was filmed as Julia Misbehaves (1948) with Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. So with that track record, Fox was sure they had a box office hit on their hands. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan.

Dana Andrews as Henry and Maureen O'Hara as Adelaide

According to The New York Times critic Bosley Crowther, the screenplay by Ring Lardner Jr. “failed completely to get a tight dramatic script from the book by simply stringing together some of its narrative episodes. And certainly, he missed organizing a consistent temper or mood,” 

The film had a competent director Jean Negulesco (Johnny Belinda). The cinematography was by Georges Perinal who worked successfully with Rene Clair, Michael Powell, Charlie Chaplin, and Otto Preminger. And let’s not forget Dana Andrews and Maureen O’Hara, two top stars of the day and important Fox contract actors.

Is the film a total failure? There are some questionable choices the producer made. For example, Dana Andrews has a dual role. For the first character he plays, his voice is dubbed by someone who sounds like Ronald Colman. It’s jarring at first to those of us who know what Dana Andrews’s voice sounds like. As Carl Rollyson tells it in his biography Hollywood Enigma: Dana Andrews, “The picture upset Dana because he was dubbed, negating his carefully cultivated British accent, which—had it survived the editing process—would have made for a striking performance, as he reappears in the second part of the film as an American.


If you take the film on its own merits, it’s enjoyable. Andrews and O’Hara have good chemistry and work well together. The atmosphere of the mews—a street lined by buildings originally used as stables converted into dwellings—is well done. The mews was the forbidden street that O’Hara’s character was scolded for venturing into as a child.

The Plot

In late-1800s London, Adelaide Culver (O’Hara), a proper and well-to-do young lady marries her drawing teacher, an impoverished artist Henry Lambert (Andrews) who teaches young women like Adelaide to help pay the bills. To prove to her family that Henry didn’t marry her for her money, she moves to the mews with her husband. Unfortunately for Adelaide, Henry doesn’t love her and has been unfaithful with his artist models. An alcoholic to boot, Henry’s hobby was creating elaborate marionettes, rarely completing his paintings.

With money becoming an ever-increasing issue, Adelaide confronts Henry, who is drunk, about their deteriorating situation and marriage. Henry tries to grab Adelaide, but she pushes him away. Due to his drunkenness, Henry stumbles and falls down a flight of stairs and dies instantly.

Mrs. Mounsey (Thorndike) observed the argument between Adelaide and Henry before he fell to his death and used this knowledge to blackmail her. Enter Gilbert Lauderdale (Andrews) an American barrister who has a striking resemblance to Henry. Henry develops a real affection for Adelaide and gets rid of Mrs Mounsey by threatening to take her to court for blackmail. Gilbert is married to a woman who left him and moved to America so he cannot marry Adelaide. However, the two live together and call themselves Mr. and Mrs. Lambert. To keep things good and proper, the two sleep in separate rooms to avoid any sexual entanglements.

Dana Andrews as Gilbert and Maureen O'Hara

Gilbert discovers a trunk with the marionettes and is intrigued. Adelaide has long thought of them as nothing of value and a reminder of Henry. Gilbert connects with a man who knows marionettes—who declares the ones Henry made as excellent—and Henry learns how to operate the marionettes and before you know it, Adelaide and Gilbert are presenting marionette shows.  Their puppet theatre becomes a sensation, making the couple financially secure, and turning the mews into a fashionable place to visit. Adelaide’s success helps reunite her with her family.

Illustration of Maureen O'Hara and Dana Andrews by Alison Mutton

Then Gilbert’s wife Milly shows up at the mews. She tracked him down from an advertisement for the theatre. She’s looking for money due to his “improper” relationship with another woman. But Adelaide insists that Gilbert go back to his wife. At that, Milly comes clean. She divorced Gilbert years ago and married another man, allowing Gilbert to marry Adelaide.

A happy ending for Gilbert and Adelaide!

In Conclusion

The Forbidden Street wasn’t the blockbuster that Fox had hoped it would be, but wasn’t the disaster that some have called it.

Give The Forbidden Street a try. It’s on YouTube for free. What do you have to lose? You may even like it!



Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Walter Huston is the Devil and Edward Arnold is Daniel Webster in "The Devil and Daniel Webster"

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) is a film fantasy based on the short story by Stephen Vincent Benet by the same name. The film was directed by William Dieterle and starred an all-star cast featuring Walter Huston, Edward Arnold, James Craig, Anne Shirley, Jane Darwell, Simone Simon, Gene Lockhart, John Qualen, and H. B. Warner.

In New Hampshire in 1840, Jabez Stone (Craig), a poor farmer, is beset with hard times and bad luck. At the end of his rope, he says that he would sell his soul to the devil for two cents. Before you know it, a man calling himself Mr. Scratch appears. Scratch tells Jabez if he sells his soul, he will have seven years of good luck and prosperity. Jabez tempted by wealth and an easier life, signs a contract with scratch.

After several years, things change for Jabez. He becomes one of the wealthiest men in his village and his success never ends. During this time, he becomes friends with Daniel Webster (Arnold), the celebrated congressman, lawyer, and speaker. He and his wife Mary (Shirley) have a son and name him Daniel in honor of Mr. Webster.

As the seven years end, Jabez tries to negotiate with Scratch to extend their contract. In the meantime, Jabez’s marriage begins to crumble and Scratch knows he has the upper hand. Scratch agrees to extend the contract in exchange for Jabez’s son. Jabez refuses and turns to Webster to help him get out of his bargain with the Devil.

What transpires is an amazing court case featuring some of the most notorious historical figures as the jury.

How will the trial turn out? Will Jazez be set free from the clutches of Mr. Scratch or will he be forced to honor his original contract?


Edward Arnold, James Craig, and Walter Huston 


William Dieterle (1893 – 1972) was a German-born actor and film director. Dieterle emigrated to the United States in 1930 and acted in German-language films made in Hollywood for a time. He eventually worked his way up to director. He directed the 1935 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream starring James Cagney, Joe E. Brown, Dick Powell, and an 18-year-old Olivia de Havilland. Dieterle directed Paul Muni to a Best Actor win for his title role in The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936). He directed Muni again in another biographical film, The Life of Emile Zola (1937). The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor for Joseph Schildkraut, and Best Screenplay. Dieterle lost the award for Best Director to Leo McCarey. This was Dieterle’s one and only Oscar nomination. His other films include Juarez (1939), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), Dr. Ehrlich’s Magin Bullet (1940), and A Dispatch from Reuters (1940).

 

The Devil and Daniel Webster trivia

  • The was released as All That Money Can Buy so it wouldn’t be confused with The Devil and Miss Jones, also released in 1941.
  • Bernard Herrmann won an Academy Award for his scoring of the film. He was also nominated for the film score of Citizen Kane that same year.
  • Robert Wise (The Sound of Music), who would later go on to direct, was the editor of the film.
  • Thomas Mitchell was originally cast as Daniel Webster but had to be replaced due to an accident on the set that resulted in a fractured skull.
  • Anne Shirley said that everyone involved in the production believed they were making a great film.


James Craig and Anne Shirley

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

 


Click HERE to join the discussion online on February 19, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

  1. Walter Huston was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. Do you think he deserved it? What did you think of his performance?
  2. Was Edward Arnold as Daniel Webster a good match for Huston’s Mr. Scratch?
  3. What about the other cast members? The cast includes some very well-known character actors. Do you have a favorite?
  4. The film was praised for its production values when it was first released. Does it hold up in the 21st century?
  5. The film score won an Academy Award for Bernard Herrmann. Do you think the score added to the mood of the film? 
  6. Although the film was met with rave reviews when it was released, the public didn’t show up at the box office. Why do you think the film wasn’t a financial success?



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