Bette Davis wants “The Catered Affair” for daughter Debbie Reynolds

The Catered Affair (1956) is an American drama directed by Richard Brooks and starring Bette Davis, Ernest Borgnine, Debbie Reynolds, Barry Fitzgerald, and Rod Tayor. The musical score is by Andre Previn and the cinematography is by John Alton.

Agnes Hurley (Davis), a Bronx housewife married to cab drive Tom Hurley (Borgnine) wants her only daughter to have the wedding she never had. The problem is, she and her husband are of humble means and really can’t afford one. Their daughter Jane (Reynolds) and her fiance Ralph Halloran (Taylor) don’t want a big wedding, in part due to all the complications and conflicts they can create.

Agnes persists with the big wedding plans and Jane, Tom, and Ralph reluctantly give in, not realizing how this decision will impact family and friends as the big day approaches.

Richard Brooks (1912 – 1992) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He received eight Oscar nominations during his career. Some of the famous films he directed include Blackboard Jungle (1955), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), Elmer Gantry (1960), In Cold Blood (1967), and Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977). Brooks was married three times, twice to actresses: Jean Brooks (1941 – 1944) and Jean Simmons (1960 – 1980).

Ernest Borgnine, Bette Davis, and Debbie Reynolds

Bette Davis (1908 – 1989) was an American actress who had a career on stage and screen that spanned more than 50 years. Davis came to Hollywood in 1930 and within four years of her arrival, she was one of its biggest stars winning her first Best Actress Academy Award for her role in Dangerous (1935). Her starring role in Jezebel (1938) won her a second Best Actress Oscar. Davis would go on to star in many popular films during the 1940s including Dark Victory (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), and Now, Voyager (1942). In 1950 she starred as Margo Channing in All About Eve (1950), a role she is probably most identified with today. Other popular films include The Old Maid (1939), All This and Heaven Too (1940), Mr. Skeffington (1944), and The Corn is Green (1945).

Ernest Borgnine (1917 – 2012) was an American actor who had a six-decade career in films and television. His film career began in 1951 where he appeared in supporting roles in films like From Here to Eternity (1953), Vera Cruz (1954), and Bad Day at Black Rock (1955). In 1956, he starred in the film Marty (1955) where he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He also achieved success on television in the comedy series McHale’s Navy (1962 – 1966). Borgnine made another film with Davis, Bunny O’Hare (1971) where the two played senior citizens who go on a crime spree.

Rod Taylor and Debbie Reynolds

Debbie Reynolds (1932 – 2016) was an American singer and movie actress. Reynolds made her film debut in 1950 in Three Little Words. Two years later she had her breakout role as Kathy Seldon in Singin’ in the Rain (1952). She appeared in many films during the 1950s including The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953), Susan Slept Here (1954), and Bundle of Joy (1956) co-starring her then-husband Eddie Fisher. In the 1960s she starred in How the West Was Won (1962), The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964), The Singing Nun (1966), and Divorce American Style (1967). In 1973, she made her Broadway debut in a revival of the musical Irene. For her role in The Catered Affair, she was voted the Best Supporting Actress of the year by the National Board of Review.

Barry Fitzgerald (1888 – 1961) was an Irish stage, film, and television actor. He appeared in many notable films over four decades including Bringing Up  Baby (1938), How Green Was My Valley (1941), Going My Way (1944), None but the Lonely Heart (1944), and The Quiet Man (1952). He was a member of the Abbey Theatre and made his film debut in Juno and the Paycock (1930) directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Rod Taylor (1930 – 2015) was an Australian actor who appeared in over 50 feature film including The Time Machine (1960), The Birds (1963), Sunday in  New York (1963), 36 Hours (1965), The Glass Bottom Boat (1966), and Hotel (1967). Taylor was approached to play James Bond but turned the offer down, something he regretted. Taylor starred in the television series Hong Kong (1961) and Bearcats! (1971), and The Oregon Trail (1976). Taylor’s last film role was a cameo in Inglourious Basterds (2009) where he played Winston Churchill.

 

The Catered Affair trivia:

• Ernest Borgnine was 39 when the film was released, just 15 years older than Debbie Reynolds who played his daughter. Bette Davis was 48 and played Borgnine’s wife.
• The $8,000 for the cost of a New York City taxi medallion is equivalent to about $70,000 today.
• Rod Taylor was cast in the film after his impressive screen test for the lead role in Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956). Paul Newman won the role, but Taylor’s Brooklyn accent during the test impressed the folks at M-G-M that they signed Taylor to a long-term contract. The Catered Affair was Taylor’s first film under this contract.
• Debbie Reynolds said that director Richard Brooks treated her badly on the set, even slapping her once in front of the cast and crew.

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

To join us for a discussion on Zoom on February 2, 2021, at 6:30 p.m., click on the link. Once you RSVP, you’ll get a link to the discussion.

Questions for discussion:

1. What did you think of the film overall? Could you relate to it?
2. This film features Bette Davis in a character role. Was she convincing as a middle-class housewife?
3. The cast included Debbie Reynolds in an early dramatic role. What did you think of her performance?
4. Ernest Borgnine was at the height of his career when he made this film; do you think he was believable as a New York City cab driver?
5. Were there other performances worth noting?

Debbie Reynolds made me love the movies

I grew up going to the movies. I’m old enough to remember a time when movies didn’t have ratings. When I was young, it was completely acceptable for a group of grade-school-age kids to go the movies without any adult supervision. Often on the weekends, our whole family would go to the movies. My sister, who is 8 years older than I, also took me to the movies on a regular basis. We probably saw every Disney movie released between 1963 and 1970. But the movie I most remember seeing from my childhood is How the West Was Won, which was released in the U.S. on February 20, 1963.*

How the West Was Won was the epic story of four generations of the Prescott family as they migrated from New York to the west. The film took place between 1839 and 1889 and was shot in the curved wide-screen Cinerama process, using three cameras filming simultaneously, with each camera capturing a third of the action. When shown in theaters, three projectors were required and they had to be synchronized exactly so that the three panels would match. Although this process was technically cumbersome and had its drawbacks, for a big sprawling production like How the West Was Won, it was perfect. The screen was so big and wide that it was almost overwhelming. I was six years old when I first saw it. The film’s scope and the story of the Prescott family mesmerized me. I remember being taken by both Carroll Baker and Debbie Reynolds who played Eve and Lilith Prescott respectively. But I was especially taken by Reynolds’s character. She was the rebellious sister who was funny and cute.

How movie theaters were set up for Cinerama

During one scene, the Prescott family is taken in by river pirates headed by Jeb Hawkins played by Walter Brennan (Amos from The Real McCoys!). With some help from fur trader Linus Rawlings (James Stewart), the Prescott family is saved. But the Prescotts don’t just sit around and wait to be rescued. Oh, no. And Lillith is not afraid to fight for her family. There is one memorable scene where Hawkins’s daughter, Dora (Brigid Bazlen), tries to escape with the Prescott family’s money, but is spied by Lilith. Lilith takes the sack of money from Dora and proceeds to smack her in the head with it! What a brave girl! From that moment on I was smitten with Reynolds’s character.

After the encounter with the river pirates, Older sister Eve ends up marrying Linus and the two homestead in Ohio, where Mr. and Mrs. Prescott died in the river rapids on their journey west.

The Prescott family sing a song with some other travelers west.
Debbie Reynolds is second from right next to her screen sister, Carroll Baker

Lilith decides to continue moving west and ends up in St. Louis as a dance hall girl where she meets gambler Cleve Van Valen (Gregory Peck). When he discovers that Lilith has inherited a California gold mine, he follows her on a wagon train taking her there. The two eventually marry and settle in San Francisco.

Publicity shot with (from left to right) Carroll Baker (Eve Prescott), James Stewart (Linus Rawlings),
and Debbie Reynolds (Lilith Prescott)

The story then turns to the Civil War, where Linus Rawlings is killed in battle. Eve and Linus’s oldest son Zeb (George Peppard) wants to enlist and join the fight, but once he does and sees the horrors of war, he has second thoughts. But he endures and after the war he meets one of his father’s fur trapping buddies Jethro Stuart (Henry Fonda). Zeb a lieutenant in the U.S. Calvary, is in charge of keeping the peace while the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads are racing to join the east and the west. Jethro is in charge of supplying the railroad crew with meat, as well as being a go-between with the Indians. When railroad man Mike King (Richard Widmark) breaks a treaty with the Indians, who retaliate by sending a stampede of buffalo through his camp, killing many women and children, Zeb resigns in disgust and moves to Arizona.

Reynolds and Gregory Peck who played her husband, Cleve Van Valen

We go back to Lilith who is now a widow forced to sell her home and possessions in San Francisco to pay off her debts. She travels to Arizona to meet her nephew Zeb and his wife Julie (Carolyn Jones) and their two sons Prescott (Stanley Livingston from My Three Sons) and Zeke (Bryan Russell) and their daughter, Eve. Lilith wants Zeb to manage her ranch, which is her one remaining asset. But before they can get to the ranch, Zeb, a marshall, has to do battle with the outlaw Charlie Gant (Eli Wallach). Zeb killed Gant’s brother in a gunfight and Gant has threatened Zeb and his family with revenge. An exciting fight takes place on a train with a large gold shipment. A shootout between Zeb and his men against Gant and his gang results in a fantastic train wreck. Gant and his men are all dead. Zeb and his family, along with his Aunt Lilith begin their journey to Arizona to start a new life.

George Peppard (Zeb Prescott), Reynolds, unidentified little girl, Carolyn Jones (Julie Prescott)

How the West Was Won was the first movie that I can remember being able to follow the narrative. For the first time it hit me that movies weren’t just images on a big screen. Movies could reach a person on an emotional level. I was able to relate to the Prescott family and their struggles and I was pulling for them. Debbie Reynolds’s character, fought with bandits, survived the rapids in Ohio, a wagon train Indian attack, had some success as a showgirl in St. Louis, made and lost a fortune in California, and eventually retires with her nephew and his family on a ranch. She was in the first and closing scenes, which tied all the generations together.

Seeing the film as an adult I find it still resonates with me. Reynolds’s performance holds up and is really quite remarkable. A very young looking 30 years old when she made How the West Was Won, Reynolds effectively portrays the young teenage Lilith, developing into the older and wiser showgirl and businesswoman. She is the film’s emotional anchor, holding her own with some of the biggest movie stars of all time.

It was my connection to Reynolds’s characterization of Lilith in How the West Was Won which led me to love the movies and appreciate the power of visual storytelling. Whenever How the West Was Won is on Turner Classic Movies, it’s hard for me to resist watching it, even though I have it on DVD (two copies actually!). The story, the stars, the musical score, all hold a special place in my heart and I have Debbie Reynolds, in part, to thank for that.

*How the West Was Won was released in U.K. November 1, 1962.

Tab Hunter Confidential now on DVD and Blu-ray

Tab Hunter (born Arthur Andrew Kelm) was a teen idol during the mid-1950s. Hunter starred in dozens of movies—most of which are forgettable—but his popularity with teenage girls was phenomenal, making him a top box office attraction. He even scored a number 1 hit record—“Young Love”—that knocked Elvis out of the top spot. So popular was Hunter as a singer that Jack Warner at Warner Bros. founded Warner Records specifically to promote their hot property. The documentary Tab Hunter Confidential, based on his autobiography, tells his story.

Hunter was born in New York City to Gertrude Gelien and Charles Kelm. Hunter’s dad was abusive to his mother. His parents eventually divorced with his mother taking her two sons (Hunter had an older brother named Walter) and moving to California.  Even as a teenager, Hunter’s good looks got noticed. He got so much attention from the opposite sex in school that he joined the Coast Guard at 15, lying about his age, to escape. He was eventually discharged when his real age was revealed. Now a California boy, Hunter was signed by agent Henry Wilson in the early 1950s and eventually landed a long-term contract with Warner Bros. Wilson was also the agent of Hollywood heartthrobs Guy Madison, Rock Hudson, and Rory Calhoun. Hunter appeared in several forgettable films but caught the public’s attention as a Marine having an affair with a married woman in the World War II drama Battle Cry (1955), one of the biggest films of that year. He was quickly given male lead status in films like The Burning Hills and The Girl He Left Behind (both 1956 and both co-starring Natalie Wood). During this time, Hunter was appearing on television, performing in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates (1958) and Meet Me in St. Louis (1959). It’s hard for us to imagine today how popular Hunter was. Not only was he a movie star, but he was a recording artist who sold millions of records. The publicity machine said Hunter was “6" of rugged manhood who stirred the heart of every woman” and he was called “The Sigh Guy” which was based on the reaction of his female fans upon seeing him.

Like many Hollywood idols, Hunter had a secret. He was a homosexual (he recounts that the term gay was never used in his day). Hunter says his homosexuality was the worst kept secret in Hollywood, but the studio publicity machine at Warners kept the rumors at bay by pairing him on dates with young female stars like Debbie Reynolds and Wood. Hunter details his relationships with actor Tony Perkins and champion figure skater Ronnie Roberston (Hunter himself was a competitive figure skater in his teens), as well as with Etchika Choureau, his French costar in Lafayette Escadrille (1958).

The documentary presents Hunter, a naturally shy and modest man, front and center. He details his struggles with his hidden private life. It also features input and commentary on the times by Reynolds, Robert Wagner, Connie Stevens, George Takei, and Clint Eastwood. Also in the mix are film critic Rex Reed, gossip columnist Rona Barrett and many others. These friends and costars help put 1950s Hollywood and the old studio system and the power they waged over their contract players into context. In spite of all these conflicts, Hunter was dedicated to his work and honoring his contract. Unfortunately, he felt that some of his best work was on loan from his home studio. Hunter points to Gunman’s Walk (1958) where he was cast against type as a murderer and That Kind of Woman (1959) opposite Sophia Loren. Hunter disillusioned with the roles Warners was offering him decided to buy out his contract and work as a freelance artist. This was the beginning of the end. Hunter said, “leaving Warner Bros. was career suicide.” Without the backing of a major studio, Hunter found it difficult to obtain lead roles in major Hollywood productions. This and the fact that Hunter’s All-American image was losing its luster with the public. His fall was quick. He went from co-starring with Gary Cooper and Rita Hayworth in They Came to Condura (1959) to flying on a magic carpet in The Golden Arrow (1962), an Italian production that dubbed someone else’s voice for his in English?! He received third billing (under Fabian and Shelley Fabares) in the surfer movie Ride the Wild Surf (1964), and perhaps the worst of this period, The Birds Do It (1966) playing second banana to Soup Sales.

In the late 1960s, Hunter worked steadily in dinner theater. In the 1970s, Hunter guest-starred on television appearing in shows like The Love Boat, Police Woman, Hawaii Five-O, and Charlie’s Angels. His career took a wild turn when John Waters cast him as Todd Tomorrow in Polyester (1981) opposite transvestite drag queen Divine. The attention was short-lived; no major movie roles followed.

Hunter’s last film role was in  Dark Horse (1992), based on his original story about Allison Mills, a girl crippled in an accident with her favorite horse, Jet, also crippled. Allison learns to rise above her disability with the help of Jet who eventually runs again.

The above could be Hunter’s story. Introduced to horses and horseback riding by his older brother, Hunter was most at home caring for and riding horses in competition. He’s now retired and living with his long-time partner, film producer Allan Glaser, in Santa Barbara, California. According to Glaser, Hunter’s main joy in life is taking care of his horse Harlow, grooming her and cleaning her stall every day.

Tab Hunter Confidential is available from Amazon.com in DVD and Blu-ray formats.
Run Time 90 minutes
DVD Released August 23, 2016
Not rated

Top-ten posts of 2012

Here are the top-ten post, in descending order, from the past year. The interest in classic films, including the stars and directors who made them, seems to be as strong as ever. Two blogathons made the list as well as three posts promoting the special big-screen showings of three classic films.

10. A blogathon featuring the films produced by Val Lewton garnered some interest. Lewton is most famous for his horror films, but the blogathon featured other genres he worked in. This blogathon was presented and promoted with another classic movie fan, Kristina, who writes the amazing Speakeasy blog.

9. My review of the Academy Award winning film The Artist, which I saw almost a year ago today, attracted some readers. With it’s fictional recounting of the transition from silent to talking films, The Artist was a wonderful achievement. Classic movie fans should enjoy this film immensely.

8. Singing in the Rain was back on the screen for two days this summer. The classic musical included a taped interview with star, Debbie Reynolds, reminiscing about her participation in the film alongside Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor.

Jeanne Crain and Ethel Waters in Pinky

7. The feature, “Classic Films in Context” is somewhat self-explanatory. The reviews of classic movies puts each film in the context of when it was conceived and produced. Sometimes a little background information is required in order for us to fully appreciate a classic film. The post on Pinky, a 1949 melodrama starring Jeanne Crain as a light-skinned black women, enjoyed wide readership. Hardly remembered today, it was one of Elia Kazan’s early directorial efforts and a big box office hit for its film studio, Twentieth Century Fox. It also earned Crain a Best Actress nod (she lost to Olivia De Haviland).

6. The announcement for the much-anticipated Dana Andrews blogathon let me know that once it was launched it would be a success. And it was. See below.

5. The Dana Andrews blogathon started on July 28 and contributions and comments came fast and furious. Andrews biographer Carl Rollyson joined in on the fun, contributing a blog post, as well as commenting on everyone’s posts! Thanks, Carl, for taking the time and for making such thoughtful comments.

4. The Birds on the big screen! Yes, the Alfred Hitchcock classic had a one-night-only showing on movie screens across the country in September. I had the pleasure of seeing the film on the big screen for the first time ever and really enjoyed it. Somehow seeing a classic film in a theater with an audience is like seeing it for the very first time. The digital transfer looked great and the sound was amazing. Totally fun popcorn eating movie. I’m so glad I got a chance to see it.

3. Speaking of classic films on the big screen, Casablanca had a special showing in March to commemorate the 70th anniversary of its release. The restored digital transfer was impeccable. The black and white cinematography really popped and I found that I couldn’t take my eyes off of Dooley Wilson’s (Sam) white jacket that seemed to shimmer under the lights in Rick’s Café American. That showing was so popular that they included another one-night-only showing in April, which resulted in this post.

2. I was interested in the “Titanic” disaster before I was interested in classic films. So it was no surprise that I decided to tackle the “Titanic” disaster on film in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the disaster. I featured several of the most popular films detailing the tragedy, as well as other films and TV shows that included the disaster as part of the storyline.


1. The post with the most reads was one I did on Angela Lansbury when she was the TCM star of the month last January. With over 6,000 reads, this post is on track to be one of Classic Movie Man’s most popular posts of all time.

Well, that does it for 2012. Here’s hoping that 2013 is a prosperous, healthy, and happy new year for everyone. And thank you for visiting the Classic Movie Man blog. Look for some exciting new posts in 2013!

“Singing in the Rain” 60th Anniversary Screening August 22, 2012 one night only

Turner Classic Movies and Warner Brothers are presenting special screenings of the classic musical Singing in the Rain (1952) on August 22, 2012 at theaters around the country and here in Chicago. The film has been digitally restored promising to look as good as new. Before the movie screening, TCM will present a short documentary on the film that includes an interview with star Debbie Reynolds. In the documentary she talks about what is was like working alongside Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor.

Produced by the legendary Arthur Freed at M-G-M when that studio was producing some of the best movie musicals every made, including Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and An American in Paris (1951). For those who don’t know the plot, it takes place during the time movie studios were making the transition from silent to talking films. If you saw The Artist, 2012’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture, you will see some similarities between the two. You might say that Singing in the Rain inspired director Michel Hazanavicius, but that’s another post.

To find out where Singing in the Rain will be screened near you, click here.