Ida Lupino headlines “Ladies in Retirement”

Ladies in Retirement (1941) is an American gothic suspense film directed by Charles Vidor and starring Ida Lupino and Louis Hayward. The movie was based on the play of the same name by Reginald Denham and Edward Percy. The cinematography was by George Barnes who won an Academy Award the previous year for his work on Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca.

The plot involves Ellen Creed (Lupino), a middle-aged spinster who is forced to work as a housekeeper/companion to Miss Leonora Fiske (Isobel Elsom), a wealthy retiree and former chorus girl in her youth. Ellen gets a letter about her two sisters Emily (Elsa Lanchester) and Louisa (Edith Barrett) who are a bit odd, to put it mildly. The letter threatens to evict the sisters and send them to an institution.

Ellen suggests to Miss Fiske that her two sisters come for a visit. The visit turns disastrous with Miss Fiske ordering the sisters and Ellen to leave her home. To complicate matters, Albert Feather (Hayward), a distant relative shows up at the most inopportune moment.

Charles Vidor (1900 – 1959) was a Hungarian film director whose career started during the early days of talking pictures. Vidor is most famous for the work he did under contract to Columbia Pictures including Ladies in Retirement (1941), Cover Girl (1944), Together Again (1944), A Song to Remember (1945), and Gilda (1946). After leaving Columbia, Vidor directed Hans Christian Andersen (1952) for Sam Goldwyn, Love Me or Leave Me (1955) for M-G-M, and The Joker is Wild (1957) for Paramount. Vidor suffered a heart attack and died three weeks into filming.

George Barnes (1892 – 1953) was an American cinematographer who began his career during the silent era and worked into the early 1950s. Barnes was competent in both black and white and color cinematography. He won an Academy Award for his black and white photography in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940). Some other films Barnes photographed include Jesse James (1939), Meet John Doe (1941), Jane Eyre (1944), Spellbound (1945), Samson Delialah (1949), and The War of the Worlds (1953).

Lupino and Hayward at home with their dog

Ida Lupino (1918 – 1995) was an English-American actress, director, and producer. She appeared in over 50 films and was one of Warner Bros.’s biggest contract players during the 1940s starring in High Sierra (1941), The Sea Wolf (1941), and The Man I Love (1947). After she left Warner Bros., Lupino formed her own production company, producing, writing, and directing films that tackled subjects the big studios wouldn’t touch. During the 1950s, Lupino was the only female director working in Hollywood. She directed several small independent films but really made a name for herself directing for television. Lupino directed episodes of The Twilight Zone (starred in one too), The Rifleman, Bonanza, Gilligan’s Island, It Takes a Thief, Family Affair, and Columbo. In 1966, she directed her one-and-only big-budget studio picture, The Trouble with Angels starring Rosalind Russell and Haley Mills.

Charles Laughton visits the set of Ladies in Retirement

Louis Hayward (1909 – 1985) was a British-American actor. He worked on the London stage under the tutelage of Noel Coward. He made some films in England in the early 1930s and came to Broadway in 1935 working with Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in Noel Coward’s Point Valaine. His Broadway fame brought him to Hollywood where he was cast in some minor roles before getting starring roles in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939), My Son, My Son! (1940), and The Son of Monte Cristo (1940). Hayward was married to Ida Lupino from 1938 to 1945.

Ladies in Retirement trivia:

• Ida Lupino and Louis Hayward were married during the filming.
• Rosalind Russell was originally announced as the film’s lead.
• Lupino was 23 playing a woman in her mid-40s.
• The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White; Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture

To watch the film, click on the YouTube link below.

To join us on November 3, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. for a discussion on Zoom, visit the Chicago Film Club Meetup page.

Questions for discussion:

1. What genre would you classify this film?
2. Did Ida Lupino make a credible middle-aged woman?
3. Why do you think Miss Fiske gave money to Albert?
4. What did you make of the two “batty” sisters?
5. Did you have any sympathy for Ellen?

“The Hitch-Hiker,” a taut film noir directed by Ida Lupino

The Hitch-Hiker (1953) is a film noir directed by Ida Lupino and starring Edmund O’Brien, Frank Lovejoy, and William Talman. The movie is based on the true-crime spree of psychopathic murderer Billy Cook. The cinematography is by Nicholas Musuraca (Out of the Past, The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer, I Remember Mama).

Frank Lovejoy, William Talman, and Edmund O’Brien

The plot concerns two friends Roy Collins (O’Brien) and Gilbert Bowen (Lovejoy) driving down to Mexico to go fishing. On the way, they pick up a hitchhiker named Emmett Myers (Talman) whose car (stolen car) has run out of gas. Myers has committed several murders and uses Roy and Gilbert to help elude the police that is hot on his trail. Roy and Gilbert held at gunpoint by Myers try to devise a plan to survive their ordeal while plotting how they can overtake him when the time is right.

Ida Lupino directing O’Brien and Lovejoy

Ida Lupino (1918 – 1995) was an English-American actress, director, and producer. She appeared in over 50 films and was one of Warner Bros. biggest contract players during the 1940s starring in High Sierra (1941), The Sea Wolf (1941), and The Man I Love (1947). After she left Warner Bros., Lupino formed her own production company, producing, writing, and directing films that tackled subjects the big studios wouldn’t touch. During the 1950s, Lupino was the only female director working in Hollywood. She directed several small independent films but really made a name for herself directing for television. Lupino directed episodes of The Twilight Zone (starred in one too), The Rifleman, Bonanza, Gilligan’s Island, It Takes a Thief, Family Affair, and Columbo. In 1966, she directed her one-and-only big-budget studio picture, The Trouble with Angels starring Rosalind Russell and Haley Mills. To learn more about Lupino and her impact on Hollywood, click here.

Edmund O’Brien (1915 – 1985) was an American actor who appeared in more than 100 films. He received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for The Barefoot Contessa (1954). His other films include The Huncback of Notre Dame (1939), The Killers (1946), A Double Life (1947), White Heat (1949), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1961). Lupino cast O’Brien in the title role of The Bigamist (1953).

Frank Lovejoy (1912 – 1962) was an American actor in radio, film, and television. Lovejoy had supporting roles in dozens of films like Home of the Brave (1949), House of Wax (1953), Strategic Air Command (1955), and, Julie (1956). His role in The Hitch-Hiker was probably the role he is best remembered for.

William Talman (1915 – 1968) was an American television and movie actor. He is probably best known for his role as Los Angeles District Attorney Hamilton Burger in the television series Perry Mason. Talman began his career on the stage, including Broadway productions of Beverly Hills, Spring Again, and A Young Man’s Fancy. In their review of The Hitch-Hiker, The New York Times took notice of Talman's performance stating that “William Talman, as the ruthless murderer, makes the most of one of the year’s juiciest assignments.”

The Hitch-Hiker Trivia:

• Ida Lupino interviewed the two men that Billy Cook held captive as research for the film.
• The Hitch-Hiker is considered the first American film noir to be directed by a woman.
• The film was selected in 1998 for preservation in the United States Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join us for a discussion of the film on Zoom October 27, 2020, at 6 p.m. Central Time, click on the link to RSVP and get invitation details.

Questions for discussion:

1. Noir or not? Do you think this film qualifies as film noir, based on your knowledge of the genre?
2. Do you think the movie would have been different if a man directed it?
3. What did you think about the performances of the three male leads? Did anyone of the three stand out?
4. Did you have any sympathy for the killer?
5. What did you think of the portrayals of the Mexican and American police officers?

Don’t talk to “Strangers on a Train”

Strangers on a Train (1951) is a psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock starring Farley Granger, Ruth Roman, and Robert Walker. The film was based on the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr. Ripley), with cinematography by long-time Hitchcock collaborator Robert Burks and music by Dimitri Tiomkin.

The fateful moment that starts the action

The plot concerns two strangers who meet on a train: a young tennis player Guy Haines (Granger) and a somewhat charming psychopath named Bruno Antony (Walker). Bruno suggests that they should exchange murders, but Guy really doesn’t take Bruno seriously. When Bruno commits the first murder and tries to convince Guy to complete their “bargain,” the plot takes a series of strange and exciting twists and turns.

Strangers on a Train ushered in a golden period for director Hitchcock. He would go on to make some of the most memorable and successful films of the 1950s including, Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), and North by Northwest (1959).

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 (1935), Sabotage (1936), Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960).

Robert Burks (1909 – 1968) was an American cinematographer. He was adept at both color and black and white photography. In 1928, Burks got his start in film at Warner Bros. He eventually worked his way up to Director of Photography in 1944. The first feature that he worked on as a cinematographer was The Fountainhead (1949) starring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal. Burks is closely associated with Hitchock. He was the cinematographer on some of the directors most famous works from the 1950s and 1960s including Strangers on a Train (1951), I Confess (1952), Dial M for Murder (1954), Rear Window (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), The Wrong Man (1956), Vertigo (1958) and North by Northwest (1959).

Dimitri Tiomkin (1894 – 1979) was a Russian-born American film composer. He received 22 Academy Award nominations and won four Oscars. Tiomkin got his big break working with director Frank Capra on the classic Lost Horizon (1937). He also collaborated with Capra on You Can’t Take it With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Meet John Doe (1941) and It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). Tiomkin was famous for scoring western films including Duel in the Sun (1946), High Noon (1952), Giant (1956), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), and Rio Bravo (1959). Tiomkin also wrote the scores for three other Hitchcock films: Shadow of  Doubt (1943), I Confess (1953), and Dial M for Murder (1954).

Farley Granger and Ruth Roman

Farley Granger (1925 – 2011) was an American actor best known for his two films with Alfred Hitchcock: Rope (1948) and Strangers on a Train (19510). Signed to a long-term contract by Samuel Goldwyn. He made two films: The North Star (1943) and The Purple Heart (1944) before joining the United States Navy. When he returned to Hollywood he starred in They Live by Night (1948) which brought him to the attention of Hitchcock. Granger went on to star in other Goldwyn films including Enchantment (1948), Roseanna McCoy (1949), Edge of Doom (1950), and Our Very Own (1950). Granger worked in films, stage, and television, including work in several soap operas into the early 2000s.

Ruth Roman (1922 – 1989) was an American film, stage, and television actress. Roman got her start in the movies starring in the Jungle Queen (1945) film serial. She had a notable role in The Window (1949) which lead to her being cast in Champion (1949) co-starring Kirk Douglas. These successes earned her a contract with Warner Bros. During her years under contract, she costarred with some of Hollywood’s top leading men including Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, Glenn Ford, and James Stewart. Roman also worked steadily on television during the 1950s and beyond, appearing on such popular shows as Mannix, Marcus Welby, M.D., The Mod Squad, The FBI, and The Outer Limits.

Robert Walker and Donna Reed in See Here, Private Hargrove

Robert Walker (1918 – 1951) was an American actor who was to the first husband of film actress Jennifer Jones. In 1943, he was signed to a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he had supporting roles in Bataan (1943) and Madame Curie (1943). The studio started grooming him for stardom with the starring role in See Here, Private Hargrove (1944). Other starring roles followed in films like Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944), The Clock (1945) co-starring Judy Garland, Her Highness and the Bellboy (1945) with Hedy Lamarr and June Allyson, and Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) where he portrayed composer Jerome Kern. Walker’s last film, My Son John (1952) used footage from Strangers on a Train when Walker died before production ended.

Strangers on a Train also features Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock (the director’s daughter), and Laura Elliot (later known as Kasey Rogers).

Strangers on a Train trivia:

• Hitchcock bought the rights to the novel for a mere $7,500.
• Robert Walker was Hitchcock’s only choice to play Bruno Antony.
• Hitchcock had wanted William Holden to play Guy Haines, but he was unavailable.
• Patricia Hitchcock is the last surviving member of the cast.
• Farley Granger said that Hitchcock didn’t like Ruth Roman and treated her badly in front of everyone.
• Tennis pro Jack Cunningham coached Farley Granger for the tennis scenes and played his opponent in the movie.

To watch the film, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on Zoom on October 20, 2020, at 6 p.m. Central Time, click the link to the Chicago Film Club Meetup Group.

Questions for discussion:

1. What did you think of the opening scenes of the movie?
2. What clues do we have that Bruno may be “trouble?”
3. How do the tennis match and Bruno’s struggle to retrieve Guy’s lighter add to the film’s suspense?
4. The film develops the idea of the double: Bruno Guy, Miriam, Ann. Can you find any other pairs?

Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave in Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes

The Lady Vanishes (1938) is a British thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. The success of this film caught the attention of producer David O. Selznick. Selznick signed Hitchcock to a long-term contract and brought him to Hollywood in 1940.

Michael Redgrave, Dame May Whitty, and Margaret Lockwood

The plot involves Iris Henderson (Lockwood), a young woman returning home to get married after a European vacation with two girlfriends. An avalanche blocks the train so she ends up staying an extra night where she meets a kindly old governess and music teacher named Mrs. Froy (Dame May Whitty). When Iris finally gets on the train home, she ends up sharing a compartment with Mrs. Froy. Sometime during her journey, Mrs. Froy disappears and no one in her compartment remembers the old woman, making Iris wonder if she dreamed up their meeting or if her fellow passengers are lying. She enlists the help of Gilbert Redman (Michael Redgrave), a young ethnomusicologist who is somewhat skeptical of her claims.

Will they find Mrs. Froy or did Iris dream up the whole thing, the result of an accident before boarding the train.

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 (1935), Sabotage (1936), Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960).

Alfred Hitchcock and Margaret Lockwood on the set of The Lady Vanishes

Margaret Lockwood (1916 – 1990) was an English actress who began her career on the stage but gained fame as one of Britain’s most popular movie stars during the 1930s and 1940s. She had a starring role in Bank Holiday (1938), directed by Carol Reed. The movie was a huge success and made Lockwood a star. Next up would be The Lady Vanishes (1938), which brought her to the attention of Hollywood. Lockwood didn’t take to Hollywood and soon returned to England where she made a series of popular costume dramas including The Wicked Lady (1945) co-starring James Mason.

Michael Redgrave (1909 – 1985) was an English stage and film actor and a director. He worked primarily on the British stage but had some significant film roles. He made his American film debut in Mourning Becomes Electra (1947) co-starring Rosalind Russell. For his performance, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Other notable film roles include The Stars Look Down (1940), Dead of Night (1945), and The Browning Version (1951). He is the father of actresses Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave.

Dame May Whitty (1865 – 1948) was an English stage and film actress. Whitty made her Hollywood debut at age 72 in Night Must Fall (1937) co-starring Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell. For her performance, Whitty was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. After her role for Hitchcock in The Lady Vanishes, Whitty moved permanently to Hollywood where she appeared in many classic films including Suspicion (1941), Mrs. Miniver (1942), Gaslinght (1944), and Green Dolphin Street (1947).

The Lady Vanishes trivia

• There is no background music, except for the beginning and end of the film
• Motion picture debut of Michael Redgrave
• The movie begins in the fictional European country of Bandrinka
• Charters and Caldicott were created for the movie; they don’t appear in the novel
• Vivien Leigh screen tested for the role of Iris Henderson

To watch the film, click on the link below.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x239ehl

After you watch the film, join us for a discussion on Zoom, October 13 at 6 p.m. Central Time. For links to the Zoom meeting click the Meetup link.

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the Macguffin in this film? A Macguffin “is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself.”
2. The French film director Francois Truffaut said The Lady Vanishes was his favorite Hitchcock film and was the best representation of his work. What do you think he meant? Do you agree?
3. What did you think of the chemistry between Lockwood and Redgrave?
4. What did you make of the characters Charters and Caldicott?

Robert Donat and Madeleine Carrol navigate “The 39 Steps”

The 39 Steps (1935) is a British thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll. The Screenplay was by Charles Bennett and Ian Hay. It was based on the novel of the same name by John Buchan.

Madeleine Carroll and Robert Donat

The plot centers on a man, Richard Hannay (Donat) who meets Annabella Smith (Lucie Mannheim) at a London music hall after three shots are fired. She tells Richard that she is a spy and is being chased by two men who want to kill her. She has uncovered a plot to steal information that is critical to the British army’s defense. She brings up “The 39 Steps,” but doesn’t explain its significance. Later that evening, Annabella is fatally stabbed and tells Richard to flee because they’ll be after him next. He finds a map of the Scottish Highlands in her dead hands and sees the town of Killin where a house named “Alt-na-Shellach” is circled. Thus begins his journey to escape from the assassins and a murder rap for killing Annabella. Along the way he meets Pamela (Carroll) who flees with Richard most reluctantly.

The 39 Steps was an enormous hit in Britain and the United States. Both Donat and Carroll had made films in Hollywood and were a known quantity there. Both would go on to have successful careers in Hollywood and Europe.

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 Lady Vanishes (1938) (1935), Sabotage )1936), Rebecca (1940), Suspicion (1941), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960).

Robert Donat (1905 – 1958) was an English stage and film star. During the 1930s, he was one of Britain’s top male stars. He is perhaps best remembered for his roles in The 39 Steps and Goodbye Mr, Chips (1939), winning the Best Actor Academy Award for the latter. Hitchcock wanted Donat for the role of Detective Ted Spencer in Sabotage (1936) and Secret Agent (1936), the latter role would have reunited him with Carroll. Donat suffered from severe and chronic asthma which affected his film career. He only made a total of 20 films.

Madeleine Carroll (1906 – 1987) was an English film and stage actress who was a star in both Britain and America. In 1938 she was the world’s top-paid actress. In The 39 Steps, Carroll was the prototypical cool, blonde. The film boosted Carroll’s film profile and brought her to Hollywood and was offered a lucrative contract with Paramount Pictures. Some of her popular American films include The General Died at Dawn (1936) co-starring Gary Cooper, Lloyd’s of London (1936) which made a star of Tyrone Power, The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) costarring Ronald Colman, Honeymoon in Bali (1939) with frequent costar Fred MacMurray, Northwest Mounted Police (1940), again costarring Cooper with direction by Cecil B. DeMille. In 1942, Carroll was cast as Bob Hope’s leading lady in My Favorite Blonde. After World War II, Carroll returned to Britain. She was back in the US to costar once again with Fred MacMurray in An Innocent Affair (1948). Her last film was The Fan (1949) where she played the mysterious Mrs. Erlynne.

Madeleine Carroll Humanitarian

When Carroll’s only sister, Marguerite, was killed during World War II’s London Blitz, Carroll gave up her film career to work in field hospitals as a Red Cross nurse. She was a naturalized US citizen in 1943 so she served at the American Army Air Force’s 61st Station Hospital in Foggia, Italy the next year.

Carroll donated her chateau outside of Paris to house more than 150 orphans. She organized young people in California to make clothing for the orphans. For her work, she was awarded the Legion d’honeur by the French government. Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower allegedly said that of all the movie stars he met in Europe during the war, he was most impressed with Carroll and Herbert Marshall. Marshall helped military amputees gain confidence and independence. Marshall was an amputee himself. After the war, Carroll stayed in Europe where she helped in the rehabilitation of concentration camp victims.

Part of what makes this turn in Carroll’s life worth noting is that she left Hollywood at the very height of her career, something that few people in her situation would have done.

A young Peggy Ashcroft (1907 – 1991) has a small, but important role as Margaret, a young married woman who helps Richard escape from the assassins. Ashcroft would go on to have a successful stage and film career. In 1984, she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Mrs. Moore in A Passage to India.

The 39 Steps Trivia

• It was a follow-up to his first international success, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934).
• Robert Donat’s illness made it difficult to do long takes.
• Gaumont British Picture Corporation wanted to crack the U.S. market so they invested more money in the picture than they typically would any other production and they signed Donat and Carroll, both familiar to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.
• J.D. Salinger in The Catcher in the Rye mentions that The 39 Steps is the favorite film of his younger sister Phoebe and that “She knows all the talk by heart.” 
• Carroll and Donat met on her first day of filming.

To watch the film on YouTube, use the link below

To join our discussion on Zoom, October 6, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click on the link below for links and information.

https://www.meetup.com/Chicago-Film-Club-Meetup-Group/

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the Macguffin in this film? A Macguffin “is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself.”
2. What did you think of the chemistry between Donat and Carroll?
3. What future Hitchcock film(s) do The 39 Steps foreshadow?
4. Orson Welles considered this film a “masterpiece.” Would you go so far as to say the same?
5. Did you have any favorite supporting characters?