This site is devoted to the love of classic movies. What qualifies as a classic film or movie is somewhat subjective. There are certain films which endure because they strike an emotional chord long after their initial release. For example, a movie like "Casablanca" (1942) would qualify as a classic under that definition.
The 2024 Turner Classic Movies Film Festival (TCMFF) is now
history. As always, it went by so quickly that sometimes I wonder if it really
happened. I wasn’t dreaming, it did happen. In the four days of the festival, I
saw 14 movies.
Below is the movies I saw and where I saw them.
Thursday:
Clue 1985 –
Poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
Friday:
The Good Fairy
1935 – Egyptian Theatre
The Model and the Marriage Broker 1951 – Chinese Multiplex #6
Rear Window 1954 –
Egyptian Theatre
It Happened One Night
1933 – Egyptian Theatre
Saturday:
Night Has a Thousand
Eyes 1948 – Egyptian Theatre
Annie Get Your Gun
1950 – Egyptian Theatre
The Mad Miss Manton
1938 – Egyptian Theatre
Westward the Women
1951 – Egyptian Theatre
On the Waterfront
1954 – TLC Chinese Theatre IMax
Sunday:
Double Indemnity
1944 – TLC Chinese Theater IMax
The Big Heat 1953 –
Chinese Multiplex #6
The Searchers 1956
– Egyptian Theatre
The Goat/Sherlock Jr. 1921/1924
(counting these two silent movies as one)
Festival Highlights
All of the movies above I had seen before…some I even own on
DVD. But several like Night Has a
Thousand Eyes, The Big Heat, and Westward the Women, I hadn’t seen in
decades. For those films it was like seeing them for the first time.
I was disappointed that On
the Waterfront was scheduled at 10 p.m. at the TLC Chinese Theatre IMax.
The theatre wasn’t even half full which was disappointing.
I think I had the most fun during the screening of The Good Fairy. The movie has an amazing
pedigree but it’s been mostly forgotten, even by the most ardent classic movie
fans. I’m hoping that the festival screening will change that.
The 70MM restoration of The
Searchers was stunning. It was one of the most beautifully filmed movies
and to see it looking brand new was amazing.
Clue was the first
movie that I saw at the Roosevelt Hotel Pool. I’ve always avoided the pool
screenings because the weather in LA during the festival can be chilly at
night. But this year it was relatively mild and they had gas heaters
strategically placed around the pool. But my real motivation to attend this
screening was to see Lesley Ann Warren. Warren was probably my first childhood
crush. It was love at first sight when I saw Cinderella on television at eight years old. Dave Karger introduced
and interviewed her before the screening. She looked beautiful and talked about
the fun she had on the set with her talented co-stars.
Another favorite movie was The Model and the Marriage Broker. Like The Good Fairy, the movie also has a great pedigree but it too has
been so what lost to movie history. Another reason to see this film was the
fact that my friend Christy Putnam, who is writing a biography of Thelma Ritter
(one of the film’s stars) coming out next year, was interviewed by actress
Diane Baker.
Now that the 2024 TCM Film Festival is a memory, I’m looking
forward to 2025!
The new book by Alain Silver and James Ursini is a detailed
account of how the classic film noir Double
Indemnity came to be. The authors take a look at the real-life crime that
influenced James M. Cain’s novel on which the film is based. The thesis of the
book is that Double Indemnity is the definitive film noir and its influence is still felt
today.
Just when you thought you knew all there was to know about Double Indemnity and film noir, the
authors begin their book with the case of Ruth May Snyder and Henry Judd Gray.
Snyder and Gray came up with a plot to murder her husband. They tried to make
it look like robbery and murder but weren’t as slick as Phyllis Dietrichson and
Walter Neff.
Once the authors start talking about the development of Double Indemnity, the book really moves
along. The consensus was that Cain’s dialogue in the novel sounded stilted and
phony when read aloud. That’s where Raymond Chandler came in. Chandler’s novels
were known for their snappy, realistic dialogue. Chandler worked with director
Billy Wilder on the script. A contentious relationship at best but somehow it
all worked out in the end.
The casting was interesting. Dick Powell campaigned hard to
play Neff, but this was before his dramatic turn in Murder, My Sweet (1944). Powell was a musical comedy star during
the 1930s at Warner Bros. and wasn’t seriously consider by Wilder. Fred
MacMurray was known for light comedy and musicals as well, but Wilder saw
something. Casting MacMurray against type turned out to be a brilliant move. He’s
convincing and believable as Neff. For Phyllis Dietrichson, it doesn’t look
like Wilder wanted anyone but Barbara Stanwyck.
Billy Wilder (right in front of policemen) directs Stanwyck and MacMurray in the supermarket scene.
When Ball of Fire (1941)
starring Gary Cooper and Stanwyck went into production, Wilder, still a screenwriter,
decided he wanted to direct so he shadowed director Howard Hawks. Wilder and
Charles Brackett wrote the screenplay for Ball
of Fire. He was impressed with Stanwyck’s performance and the rest is
history.
There has always been a fascination with why Wilder had
Stanwyck wear that cheap blonde wig. The truth is the wig was the same one worn
by Marlene Dietrich in Manpower
(1941). Wilder wanted Stanwyck to look cheap but he ultimately admitted it was
a mistake. He decided this after a few weeks of filming but he decided he
couldn’t scrap what was already printed and start from scratch so he just kept
going. Paramount file executive Buddy DeSylva said, “We paid for Barbara
Stanwyck, and we got George Washington.”
One bit of information that I had never heard before was
that Mona Freeman was originally cast as Lola Dietrichson. When Wilder saw her
on film, she looked twelve years old. She was eventually replaced with Jean
Heather. Heather also had a role in Going
My Way, the film that beat Double
Indemnity for Best Picture. Its director Leo McCarey also beat Wilder in
the Best Director category.
The gas chamber scene that was filmed but cut from the final film
Dressing Stanwyck—done by the legendary Edith Head—to look
cheap was expensive. Some of Stanwyck’s outfits cost $7000 in today’s dollars. Stanwyck’s
bath towel and pair of slippers cost $40 in 1943 or $700 today.
The book delves into the films Double Indemnity has influenced during the peak noir era and more
contemporary or neo-noir films like Body
Heat (1981).
And you can’t ignore the foreboding score by Miklos Rozsa.
The feeling of dread is apparent from the opening credits and is carried
through to the very last frame.
If you’re a fan of Double
Indemnity and/or film noir, this book is a must.
Dead Reckoning
(1947) is an American film noir directed by John Cromwell and starring Humphrey
Bogart and Lizabeth Scott.
Bogart plays Capt. Warren “Rip” Murdock who is trying to
unlock the mystery surrounding the disappearance and death of his WW II buddy
Sergeant Johnny Drake. During his search he meets Drake’s girlfriend Coral
(Scott). During his search, Rip falls in love with Coral but is she worthy of
his trust.
Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott
John Cromwell (1886 – 1979) was an American film and stage director.
Cromwell started his career as an actor on the stage and in the early days of
talking pictures. He was under contract to Paramount where he directed many
pre-Code films. Some of the stars he directed during this time included Kay
Francis, William Powell, and Jean Arthur. In 1933, he moved to RKO and directed
Irene Dunne in Ann Vickers (1933), Spitfire (1934) with Katharine Hepburn, and
Of Human Bondage (1934) with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis. Of Human Bondage was a tremendous box office success and made Cromwell a
top director in Hollywood. Other films he directed include Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936) The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Since You Went Away (1944), Anna and the Kind of Siam (1946), and Dead Reckoning. He is the father of actor James Cromwell.
Lizabeth Scott (1922 – 2015) was an American actress dubbed
“The Threat” because she had a similar husky voice and screen persona as Lauren
Bacall. Scott was understudy to Tallulah Bankhead in The Skin of Our Teeth but never got the opportunity to replace
Bankhead’s run of the play. When Bankhead was replaced by Miriam Hopkins, Scott
did go on for one night and received good reviews. It wasn’t long for Hollywood
to take notice and producer Wallis signed her to a contract. She made her film
debut as Ivy Hotchkiss in You Came Along (1945) with Robert Cummings. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) was Scott’s second feature. She went
on to star in Dead Reckoning (1947) with Humphrey Bogart, I Walk Alone (1947) with Burt Lancaster, and Dark City (1950) with Charlton Heston in his film
debut. She had a falling out with producer Wallis after starring in Loving You (1957) with Elvis Presley and another Wallis
contract player, Wendell Corey. She basically retired from film after Loving You but appeared on television sporadically
during the 1950s and 1960s.
Dead Reckoning trivia
Rita Hayworth was the
original choice to play Coral but she was committed to The Lady from Shanghai with her estranged husband, Orson Welles.
Lizabeth Scott was on loan
from Paramount to play Coral and Bogart was on loan from Warner Bros. to play
Rip.
Bogart was miffed about the
terms of his loan out from Warner Bros. because Columbia paid Warner Bros. more
than his salary.
Coral’s car is a 1941 Lincoln Continental convertible. Only
400 were made.
Lizabeth Scott was billed as “The Threat.” Lauren Bacall was
tagged as “The Look” and Scott was often compared to Bacall.
Lauren Bacall supposedly thought Scott did a good job in the
picture.
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Foreign Correspondent
(1940) is an American spy thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Joel McCrea,
Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall, and George Sanders. The screenplay was written
by Charles Bennett and Joan Harrison. The music was by Alfred Newman and the
cinematography was by Rudolph Mate.
Before the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Powers (Harry
Davenport), editor of the New York
Morning Globe, sends crime reporter John Jones (McCrea) to report on the
situation there.
While in the Netherlands, Jones attends an event sponsored
by the Universal Peace Party led by Stephen Fisher (Marshall). When the
keynote speaker Van Meer (Albert Basserman) becomes ill, he is replaced by
Carol Fisher (Day), Stephen Fisher’s daughter. Earlier, Jones had insulted
Carol but now finds her irresistible.
As Jones continues to delve into European politics, he
becomes suspicious of the Universal Peace Party and Carol’s father.
Does the Universal Peace Party really stand for peace or do
they have another agenda?
Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980) was an English film director, producer, and
screenwriter. He is one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century.
Hitchcock directed over 50 feature films, many are classics that have been
honored and studied for years. Some of Hitchcock’s classic films include The 39 Steps (1939), Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Notorious (1946), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960).
JoelMcCrea (1905 – 1990) was an American movie star who
appeared in over 100 films. During his almost-five-decades career, McCrea
worked with some of the top directors in Hollywood including Alfred Hitchcock (Foreign Correspondent 1940), Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels 1941, The PalmBeach Story 1942), and George Stevens (The Morethe Merrier 1943). McCrea worked opposite some of the
top leading actresses of the day including Miriam Hopkins, Irene Dunne,
Veronica Lake, Claudette Colbert, and Barbara Stanwyck with whom he made six
films. He was the first actor to play Dr. Kildare in the film Internes Can’t Take Money (1937) costarring Stanwyck. McCrea married
actress Frances Dee in 1933. The two were married until Joel died in 1990.
Laraine Day (1920 – 2007) was an American actress. Day appeared in
films, stage, radio, and television. In 1939, she signed with M-G-M and starred
as Nurse Mary Lamont in the popular film series Dr. Kildare. She made seven Dr.
Kildare movies with Lew Ayres in the title role. In 1946, she signed a
contract with RKO. Her contract stipulated that she would make one movie per
year at $100,000. During the late 1940s, Day co-starred with John Wayne, Kirk
Douglas, and Robert Mitchum. Some of Day’s films include Those Endearing Young Charms (1945), The Locket (1946), and Tycoon
(1947) with John Wayne.
Foreign Correspondent
trivia
Gary Cooper was offered the John Jones role but turned it
down. He regretted it once he saw the film.
Alfred Hitchcock had two films up for Best Picture of 1940.
This film and Rebecca.
Hitchcock had wanted Barbara Stanwyck or Joan Fontaine for
the female lead.
The film was made before the U.S. had entered the war. The closing
scenes of the movie were added when it became clear that the bombing of London
was imminent.
An entire square was built on a ten-acre site for
$200,000 (over $4M today).
A flight on the Clipper 314 cost $675.00 round trip which is
roughly $12,000 in today’s dollars.
Laraine Day was 19 years old during production.
The film was a box-office hit but the film’s budget was so
high that it didn’t make a profit for the filmmakers.
Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, and George Sanders
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We all know the lines,
we've probably seen the tearful goodbye a hundred times, but what truly sets
this 1942 classic apart? It's not just the trench coat drama or the Bogie-Berman
magic. Casablanca's secret sauce is its unique ability to cook up a storm of
moral complexity in a wartime setting. Buckle up, cinephiles, because we're
diving into the heart of what makes this movie so darn special.
Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart
First off, Casablanca
throws you right into the grimy underbelly of a war-torn Europe. Rick's Cafe
Americain, our Casablanca hotspot, isn't some swanky Hollywood hangout. It's a
pressure cooker of refugees, gamblers, and desperation. Everyone's got a story,
everyone's running from something. This backdrop instantly throws out a
challenge: how do you define "good" and "bad" in a world
gone sideways?
Here's where Rick
Blaine, the cynical nightclub owner with a heart of gold (or maybe tarnished
silver), takes center stage. Humphrey Bogart doesn't play Rick as a superhero.
He's a guy who's seen the worst humanity has to offer, and it's hardened him.
He prioritizes self-preservation, neutrality above all else.But then Ilsa Lund walks in, a blast from his
romantic past, and suddenly Rick's carefully constructed moral gray area starts
to crack.
Dooley Wilson, Bogart, and Bergman
Ilsa, played by the
stunning Ingrid Bergman, is another wrinkle in this moral tapestry. She's torn
between her love for Rick and her duty to her husband, Victor Laszlo, a Czech
resistance leader. Laszlo embodies the
fight against tyranny, the clear-cut "good" in this conflict. Yet, Ilsa's love for Rick is real, and it
forces us to confront the fact that good guys don't always get the girl, and
love can be a powerful motivator, even if it complicates the fight against
evil.
Casablanca doesn't shy
away from the messy bits of human decision-making. We see characters wrestle
with their conscience. Renault, the cynical police captain who seems to be in
cahoots with the Nazis, throws a wrench into the works with his own moral
dilemma.Even Sam, the piano-playing
confidante, wrestles with the line between loyalty and doing the right thing.
There are no easy answers, and the film doesn't try to spoon-feed them to us.
This ambiguity is what
makes Casablanca's climax so powerful. The iconic scene where Rick lets Laszlo
escape with Ilsa is a masterclass in emotional storytelling. Rick sacrifices
his own happiness for a cause he initially wanted nothing to do with. It's a
selfless act born out of love, a love that transcends personal desires.In that moment, Rick sheds his cynicism and
chooses a side, a decision that resonates because it feels real, not forced.
Paul Henreid, Bergman, and Bogart
Casablanca's moral
complexity extends beyond the central love triangle. The film doesn't shy away
from the horrors of war. We see refugees desperate to escape, the cruelty of
the Vichy regime collaborating with the Nazis.
It reminds us that war isn't just fought on battlefields; it's a fight
for the soul in every corner of the world.
This brings us to the
final ingredient in Casablanca's recipe for moral complexity: cynicism versus
hope. Rick's initial cynicism reflects the disillusionment of a world at
war.But as the film progresses, a
flicker of hope emerges.Laszlo's
unwavering belief in the fight against fascism becomes a spark that ignites
Rick's sense of purpose.The ending,
while bittersweet, leaves us with a sense of optimism.Even in the darkest of times, good can
prevail, and individuals can make a difference.
Casablanca isn't a
film that gives easy answers. It forces us to confront the complexities of
human nature, the sacrifices we make for love and for what we believe in. It's
a film that stays with you long after the credits roll, prompting you to ponder
the murky waters between right and wrong.That's why, even after all these years, Casablanca remains a cinematic
masterpiece, a timeless reminder that the lines between good and bad can be as
blurry as the smoke hanging over Rick's Cafe Americain.
He Walked by Night
(1948) is an American film noir directed by Alfred L. Werker and an uncredited
Anthony Mann. The film stars Richard Basehart and Scott Brady. Others in the
cast include Roy Roberts, Whit Bissell, James Cardwell, Dorothy Adams, and Jack
Webb. The cinematography is by the legendary John Alton.
Set in Los Angeles, California, the film is based on the
real-life crime spree by Edwin “Machine-Gun” Walker. Walker, a former police department
employee and World War II veteran committed a series of burglaries, robberies,
and shootouts in the Los Angeles area between 1945 and 1946.
Office Rob Rawlings (John McGuire), a Los Angeles patrolman,
on his way home, stops a man whom he thinks might be a burglar. Roy Morgan/Martin
(Basehart) shoots the patrolman and mortally wounds him. Thus begins the cat
and mouse game between Morgan and Sgt. Marty Brennan (Brady) and Captain Breen
(Roberts).
How many lives will be in danger while Roy walks by night?
Richard Basehart
Albert L. Werker
(1896 – 1975) was an American film director who got his start during the silent
era. He continued working into the sound era, mostly directing B-pictures. Two
A-pictures he directed include The House of
Rothschild (1934) and Kidnapped
(1938) starring Warner Baxter and Freddie Bartholomew. In the late-1940s,
Werker signed on with Eagle-Lion Films where he directed Repeat Performance (1947) starring Louis Hayward, Joan Leslie, and
Richard Basehart.
Richard Basehart (1914 - 1984) was an American actor who
worked steadily in film and television. Basehart starred in several films noirs
of the late 1940s and early 1950s. He also had a lead role in director Federico
Fellini’s La Strada (1954). Other film roles include Moby Dick (1956), Decision Before Dawn (1951), The Brothers Karamazov (1958). Baby Boomers would remember Basehart
as Admiral Harriman Nelson on Irwin Allen’s science fiction television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964 -1968).
Scott Brady (1924 – 1985) was an American film and television actor
who achieved fame in a series of movie westerns. Brady followed his older
brother Lawrence Tierney to Hollywood. He studied acting at The Beverly Hills
Dramatic School under the G.I. Bill of Rights. Brady made his movie debut in
1948 and worked steadily in film until his death. His last film role was
in Gremlins (1984). Other films featuring Brady include Johnny
Guitar opposite Joan Crawford and Sterling Hayden, Gentlemen
Marry Brunettes (1955), co-starring Jeanne Crain and Jane
Russell, Marooned (1969), Doctor’s Wives (1971),
and The China Syndrome (1979). Brady guest starred on many
television shows starting in the 1950s to the mid-80s. He was offered the role
of Archie Bunker in All in the Family but turned it down! He
appeared on the show as Joe Foley for four episodes. He also guest starred
on Laverne & Shirley as Shirley Feeney’s father.
He Walked by Night trivia
During the filming, Jack Webb became acquainted with the
movie’s technical advisor, Sgt. Marty Wynn. It was from this relationship that Dragnet was born.
This was the first film to use the Los Angeles underground
sewer and storm-drain system and its canals and tunnels as a backdrop.
The film featured Jack Webb’s first credited screen
appearance.
Part of the film was directed by Anthony Mann who was
uncredited.
Both Webb and Scott Brady would become popular TV cops. Webb
in Dragnet and Brady who played a
retired officer and bar owner on Police
Story.
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link to join the discussion on Zoom.
Discussion questions
What did you think of the procedural style of the film?
Did you enjoy seeing what Los Angeles looked like in 1948?
Did anything surprise you?
The performances of the actors were praised when the film
was released, especially that of Richard Basehart as Roy Morgan/Martin. What
did you think of Basehart’s performance? Did any other performances impress
you?
During the late-1940s, procedural crime dramas were popular.
Did this film remind you of other procedural films you’ve seen?
One, Two, Three
(1961) is an American political comedy film directed by Billy Wilder and
starring James Cagney, Horst Buchholz, Lilo Pulver, Pamela Tiffin, and Arlene
Francis. The screenplay was written by Wilder and frequent partner I.A.L.
Diamond. The music is by Andre Previn and the cinematography is by Daniel L.
Fapp who won an Academy Award for West
Side Story (1961).
C.R. “Mac” MacNamara (Cagney) is an executive with the
Coca-a-Cola Company, based in West Berlin during the early days of the Cold War.
He was sent there after a business failure in the Middle East. Still bitter
over the demotion, Mac is determined to become head of the Western European
operations in London. While attempting to introduce Coke to the Soviet Union,
Mac’s boss asks him to look after his seventeen-year-old daughter Scarlett
(Tiffin) when she arrives in Berlin.
Looking for a “marvy” time in Berlin her trip to Europe wasn’t
any fun for her. Scarlett goes out every night, unbeknownst Mac and his wife
Phyllis (Francis). Every night, Scarlett would sneak over to East Berlin where
she met a Russian Communist named Otto (Buchholz). She falls in love with him
and they get married. Then, she declares she’s pregnant!
What will Mac do when Scarlett’s parents come to Berlin to
take her home to Georgia?
Billy Wilder (1906 - 2002) was an Austrian-born American film
director, screenwriter, and producer. He won six Academy Awards for his writing
and direction and was nominated twenty-one times over a career that spanned
five decades. Wilder started his career as a writer, penning the screenplays
for Ninotchka (1939), Ball of Fire (1942), Double Indemnity (1945), The Lost Weekend (1946), Sunset Boulevard (1951) Boulevard (1951), Sabrina (1955), Some Like it Hot (1960), and The Apartment (1961). As a director, he won Academy Awards for
directing The Lost Weekend (1946) and The Apartment (1961). Wilder directed fourteen different actors in
Oscar-nominated roles. He is considered one of the most versatile directors
from Hollywood’s Classical period.
Billy Wilder (far left), Pamela Tiffin, James Cagney, and Horst Buchholz
James Cagney (1899 – 1986) was an American actor of stage and film. During the early
1930s, Cagney emerged as one of the biggest stars in Hollywood in films like The Public Enemy (1931), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), and White Heat (1949). Cagney was nominated
for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times, winning for Yankee Doodle Dandy. His other Best
Actor nominations was for Angels with
Dirty Angels, and Love Me or Leave Me
with Doris Day. Cagney retired from acting in 1961 but came out of
retirement 20 years later for a role in the movie Ragtime (1981).
Horst Buchholz (1933 - 2003) was a German actor who was
once called “the German James Dean” was an international movie star and
voice artist. In America, he starred in The Magnificent Seven (1960), One, Two Three (1961). He starred opposite Leslie Caron in Fanny (1961) and Nine Hours to Rama (1963). He’s almost as famous for the roles that
got away. He was offered the roles of Tony in West Side Story (1961) and Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) but scheduling conflicts prevented him from
starring in those films.
Pamela Tiffin (1942 – 2020) was an American film, stage, and television actress.
She was discovered by producer Hal Wallace while she was on a tour of Paramount
Studios. She was given a screen test and was cast in the film version of Summer and Smoke (1961). Her next film
was Billy Wilder’s One, Two, Three
(1961). Wilder caller her “the biggest find since Audrey Hepburn.” She was
nominated for a Golden Globe award for her first two roles. Other roles followed
in State Fair (1962), Come Fly with Me (1963), The Pleasure Seekers (1963). She made
two films with James Darren geared for the teen audience: For Those Who Think Young (1964) and The Lively Set (1964). In 1965 she co-starred with Burt Lancaster,
Lee Remick, and Jim Hutton in The
Hallelujah Trail. She also co-starred with Paul Newman in Harper (1966). In 1967, she won a
Theatre World Award for her performance in Dinner
at Eight on Broadway.
Arlene Francis (1907 – 2001) was an American stage, television,
and film actress. Her career spanned more than five decades. Francis also
gained fame as a radio personality in New York City. She made her film debut in
1932 in Murders in the Rue Morgue.
Sixteen years later, she appeared with Edward G. Robinson and Burt Lancaster in
the film version of All My Sons
(1948). Perhaps her greatest claim to fame was as a weekly panelist on the popular
game show What My Line (1950 – 1967).
Francis’s last film role was in Fedora
(1978) directed by Billy Wilder. She earlier worked for the director in One, Two, Three playing James Cagney’s
wife.
One, Two, Three trivia
The film lost money due to
folks thinking the Cold War wasn’t a good subject for comedy at that time.
Joan Crawford (then on the
board of Pepsi) didn’t like the Coke-Cola connection. At the end of the film,
Cagney buys four Cokes but the last one out of the machine was a Pepsi.
The building of the Berlin
Wall impacted filming with the crew moving to Munich, building the lower half
of the Brandenburg Gate.
James Cagney hated working
with Horst Buchholz. Cagney complained that he was uncooperative and was always
trying to steal scenes. It was so unpleasant for Cagney that he retired from
movies until he accepted a supporting role in Ragtime.
In 1985, the film was rereleased
in France and Germany and was a big hit.
There are many homages to
other Wilder and Cagney films. Can you name some?
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Can you understand why the
film wasn’t well received when first released? Why do you think the film is now
considered a classic by many?
This was Cagney’s last film
before appearing Ragtime (1985). What
did you think of his performance?
Horst Buchholz was
reportedly a thorn in Cagney and Wilder’s side. What did you think of his
performance?
Wilder was really high on
Pamela Tiffin as Scarlett, comparing her to Audrey Hepburn. Some people might
declare “blasphemy” with this comparison. What do you think?
Is there anything that is
still relevant between the Capitalist and Communist systems?
The film is loaded with
great dialogue; did you have a favorite line or scene?