brackenhe Reviews

The Go Getter (1937)

A good little film

[7/10 · 29 November 2011]

Believe it or not, this film was directed by Busby Berkley and there's not an elaborate dance number, or scantily dressed women, in the film. It's about a navy man who loses his leg in a dirigible accident because he goes down with the ship. As he tells his captain, It Shall Be Done. Bill Austin, played by George Brent, is the man who won't take "no" for an answer. For some reason, he knows he'd be good in the lumber business and finagles a job with the Ricks Lumber Company owned by Cappy Ricks, played by a delightful Charles Winneger. Cappy has been put out to pasture by a couple of company managers who think he's too old for the game. He's bought a batch of useless lumber and if Bill can sell it in the worse lumber markets of Nevada, he can have the job. Of course, he does and becomes the best salesman of the company. He also falls in love with Cappy's daughter, played by Anita Louise. Cappy is a little less willing to let her go, and devises all sorts of crazy tasks to test his mettle. It gets pretty wacky by the end, but all ends well for everyone. It's a fun & funny film, and Brent proves once again he could be as light hearted as the script, not as wooden as he's sometimes regarded (not by me, though.) Mary Treen has a funny scene as the newlywed bride of one of Bill's Navy buddies.

John Loves Mary (1949)

What a silly movie

[5/10 · 20 January 2011]

I have to concur that there would be no film if John just told Mary the truth from the beginning.

The silly premise of this film is that John (Reagan) marries his best friend's girl to facilitate her immigration to the U. S. after WW 2. Because he hasn't notified his friend, Fred has married someone else and is about to have a baby, thinking Lily (Field) has died. However, he neglects to tell him at first. It comes out in a phone call that's overheard by John and the unsuspecting Mary. Then, the two of them conspire to keep this news from Mary (Neal) with the help of an old army buddy (Morris) by fabricating some top secret mission in Nevada, where John plans to go to get his divorce from the war bride. Mary thinks John doesn't really want to marry her, so her father (Arnold) uses his connections as a Senator to expedite the marriage with the help of an obliging General (Harvey). A lot of ridiculous situations happen when the truth comes out. It's a farce but it's awfully silly. The last 10 minutes are really the funniest part of the whole film, when we learn that it was all for naught.

I gave it a 5 because Carson, Arnold & Morris are all quite funny in their roles--they save the whole thing. Neal & Reagan are adequate as the young couple. I could definitely see Reagan's former wife, Jane Wyman, in the Mary role--she was specializing it this kind of stuff at that point in her career. Too bad they split before they got a chance to do this movie. Neal is just all wrong for her part.

Carrie Fisher: Wishful Drinking (2010 TV Movie)

Carrie doesn't hold back

[8/10 · 15 December 2010]

I wanted to say something positive about this special one woman show after the scathing review I just read.

Most of the stuff she talked about it common knowledge, at least to me, except I didn't know that Eddie Fisher didn't marry Connie Stevens until after they had a couple of kids.

Anyway, Fisher does not hold back about anything--she talks about her entire life & the lives of her famous parents. However, nothing she says really seems malicious. Both Debbie Reynolds & Eddie Fisher were still around when she first started this show--she even mentioned that her father saw it. She never talks about anything that isn't well known, if you know anything about her at all. She seems cordial with her ex-husbands and loves her kid. She's not bitter; in fact, I found the show quite upbeat considering the mess her life had been.

She's frank, but if you're a fan you'll enjoy this little peek into her life.

Stepping Out (1931)

A Slight Little Film

[6/10 · 2 July 2010]

This is a small little film about 2 Hollywood Executives and their wives. As far as I can determine, the men (Reginald Denny & Harry Stubbs) take every opportunity to "step out" on their wives (Charlotte Greenwood & Leila Hyams) with young starlets but to prove their fidelity, sign all their assets to their wives. The men are caught; their wives, upon finding the papers stating that they are now in possession of the assets decide to go to Agua Caliente to spend it all. While there, they meet up with some college guys (Kane Richmond & Cliff Edwards) to have some fun. It's all a comedy of errors & everyone is reunited by the end of the film. It's a precode so marriage is not as revered as it was in later films, but it's not a bad way to spend a little over an hour.

According to Leonard Maltin's Guide to Classic Films, the film was shot on location at the homes of Denny, Buster Keaton and John Gilbert.

Paris Model (1953)

I feel sorry for those involved

[3/10 · 3 June 2010]

TCM showed this film in a tribute to Paulette Goddard and the 100th anniversary of her birth. What a lousy film. I guess it's supposed to be a comedy but I didn't laugh one time.

It a collection of vignettes about different women who buy & wear a particular dress to help them achieve goals. The first story, starring Eva Gabor, is about a woman who uses rich men to attain a certain lifestyle. The second, starring Goddard, is about a secretary trying to woo her boss away from his shrew of a wife. The third, starring Marilyn Maxwell, is about a woman trying to get her husband a promotion. The fourth, starring Barbara Lawrence, is about a girl turning 21 who is trying to get a marriage proposal out of her long time boyfriend. The men this dress is supposed to "seduce" are Tom Conway, Leif Erickson, Cecil Kellaway (?), and Robert Hutton. And the dress isn't even all that great. It's a horrible premise for the film, or at least it wasn't used in the correct way. The dress starts off as couture and ends up as a purchase from a Thrift Shop.

The actors, especially the women, deserved better. Oh, and on top of all this, somehow Prince Michael Romanoff, the owner of the eponymous restaurant, got a small part in the film. What a waste--of time, talent and imagination. Skip it unless you're a completist for any of these people.

Two Alone (1934)

Poor Maizie

[6/10 · 7 January 2010]

Jean Parker plays a poor girl who's adopted by Slag & his wife (Arthur Byron & Beulah Bondi) and is treated like a Cinderella--he doesn't want her to go to their daughter's wedding because it cost 75 cents a head! Poor Maizie only has two friends--Adam (Tom Brown) and Sandy (Charley Grapewin.) Sandy wants the two lovers to be happy but Slag has other ideas. He does all he can to keep them apart--even threatening Adam and Maizie with reform school if they keep seeing each other. Meanwhile, Maizie real father, George, gets wind of her predicament and tries to go get her since he's now back on his feet. Adam & Sandy are found out and Slag tries to hold them with a gun until the sheriff comes. However, when he gets there, Slag has some explaining to do.

This film was made right on the cusp of the Production Code early enforcement, so the film maker was able to get away with a hint of sexual & physical abuse by the adoptive parents. It's not a bad film especially if your a fan of Parker or Brown.

Constellation (2005)

Not the best movie I ever saw

[3/10 · 24 January 2009]

I'm going to be generous here and give it a 3 only because I live in Huntsville and it was great to see how well the city was filmed. That said, this movie was pretty bad. It's like they started off with hardly any script and the director just told the actors to stare at each other meaningfully with a lot of music playing over it. And Billy D. Williams looked like he'd rather be anywhere but in this movie. It's just a mess. I think I could write a script better than the dislodge for this film, and I'm no writer.

There is one thing I've seen mentioned throughout the reviews and message boards--everyone is under the impression that the movie begins around World War 2 and actually it seemed more like it was supposed to start out in the late 1950's/early 1960's. While the military was not segregated by then, I'm pretty sure that any troops waiting to board a train would still be segregated in a place like Huntsville, Al. If the beginning of film was supposed to be the 1940's, then Billy D, Lesley Ann & Rae Dawn would have to have been in the 70's and 80's instead of their mid 50's or early 60's.

Don't waste your time unless you really, really like the actors because the story isn't very interesting.

Kill Gil Volume 1 (2005)

A Good Story

[8/10 · 25 October 2008]

This film tells the story of Gil Rossellini's struggle with a staph infection contracted while on the film festival circuit with a film he made in Malaysia. He begins his story by telling how he was adopted into the family of famed film director of Roberto Rossellini, how he spent some years in the U. S. before becoming an international documentarian & commercial director. While traveling to Sweden to promote his latest project he contracts a rare staph infection that leads to multiple operations and months of hospital care, leaving him a paraplegic. Be warned though--the film has a lot of up close shots of his ravaged body, his daily care and some operating room shots that may not be suitable for those with an aversion to that sort of thing. Surprisingly, Sr. Rossellini remains upbeat throughout most of his ordeal and makes friends with other paraplegics he meets at the rehab center in Switzerland, where he does most of his recovery. He follows up with a second film that documents his additional treatment and recovery for another year, culminating with Part 1 being shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC.

I only knew about him when I saw Isabella on Iconoclasts with Dean Kamen on the Sundance Channel, when she was checking out a wheelchair that Kamen had invented that climbed stairs--I had no idea what an ordeal the poor man had been through.

I gave it an 8 out of 10 because some of the film drifts off into a little surrealism and is a little hard to connect to the actual events that are going on. I recommend seeing both parts of this man's journey to better health.

ETA: I had no idea that when I submitted this review that Sr. Rossellini had passed away earlier this month. What a sad ending for a man that seemed to love life.

Bitter Harvest (1963)

Munro turns tramp

[7/10 · 27 June 2008]

Let's give this one a 7 just because this is so far removed from Swiss Family Robinson. I haven't seen too many films with Janet Munro. I always remember her as the tomboy castaway from Swiss Family Robinson. I saw Darby O'Gill as a child. I don't remember too much about it except that it scared me to death, but it seems like she was a naive village girl in that one. She does a 180 in this one; a young woman from a small village in Wales that's dying because the pit has been closed and most everyone has moved elsewhere. So her dad tries to ship her off to her elderly aunts' house. She decides she wants something better so she picks up a customer from her father's shop and ends up in bed with him. When she's late for an appointment to meet up with him the next day, she meets a truly kind but poor barman who takes an instant interest in her (she's quite beautiful in this film.) The young barman offers her security when she needs it the most, at least the way he sees it. She gets tired of him and when the opportunity comes along to meet more glamorous folks, she seizes it. It becomes the beginning of the end for her.

Needless to say, I was surprised by the ending--nothing happy happens for poor Jenny. Munro was quite good as the small town girl gone bad and John Stride as Bob was effective as her knight in shining armor who realizes, almost too late, that she's just no good. I'd never heard of this film before but Encore shows it occasionally so I decided to watch today. The viewer is required to put 2 & 2 together to figure out what happens at the end so I guess it could be helped by a little more exposition. But for a B movie, it's pretty good and the acting was very good.

Roustabout (1964)

This Movie makes me mad

[4/10 · 15 June 2008]

I know Elvis Presley made better films after this (at least in my mind) but this must have been the beginning of the end of his movie career. The only reason I give this 4 out of 10 is because there is makings of a decent movie here. But the writing is so bad, and Elvis is made to sing a bunch of ridiculous songs (except Little Egypt.) This movie makes me hate Colonel Parker more than I already hate him. There is a story here about a young man who ends up working in a carnival and falling for a girl (basis for all EP movies.) But with a supporting cast such as this, it should have been better. It had Barbara Stanwyck in it for goodness sake, not to mention several veteran character actors. I think by this point Elvis didn't care anymore because why would he make such schlock. He must have been forced into it because he needed the money to keep up the Colonel and his ever growing entourage. He deserved better than this.

Happy Anniversary (1959)

I laughed out loud a few times

[7/10 · 25 April 2008]

I'd never seen this film before today, but it was a cute little movie about a NY family in the late 1950's. David Niven plays the husband, who comes home a little tipsy on his anniversary (he's married to Mitzi Gaynor) with his law partner and their client who just got her 4th divorce. When the client finds out it's their 13th wedding anniversary, she laments that she's never been able to have as happy a marriage as the lawyer & his wife.

The thing is, underneath it all, Chris (Niven) is an old fashioned guy and wants his marriage to be like it was in the beginning--all romantic and sexy. Alice (Gaynor) takes a more practical view. They have been married a while and have 2 children (delightfully played by Patty Duke & Kevin Coughlin.) The trouble starts when they receive not 1, not 2 but 3 TV's for their anniversary--which starts trouble every time one of them is delivered. The main reason is because Niven thinks he's being pushed around by everyone--his wife, children, maid, partner & in-laws. Things escalate to the point where the daughter goes on TV and tells a very embarrassing story about what happened when her parents had an anniversary dinner with her grandparents. The story takes a some what serious turn at this point but all ends happily.

Niven blows hard over everything and there are lots of misunderstandings. However, it's not bad for an 83 minute movie. It doesn't require too much from the viewer but it's a pleasant diversion mainly because of the kids & the in-laws. And it's a nice bridge from old fashioned family life to a new type of family life that the 60's brought. The kids may be a little too clever (I don't remember being that clever at 10 & 12) but they bring a lot of humor. The son even drinks 3 glasses of champagne and gets a little tipsy, which would never fly in a movie in this age of "family values." It's not a great movie, but it has some laughs and it's not insulting to the viewers intelligence even when it goes over the top.

Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)

Just as funny as I remember

[8/10 · 30 March 2008]

Okay, it's no Blazing Saddles, which I think is the funniest movie of all time. Having not seen it since it's release I watched this again last night and had forgotten how funny it was. Garner plays his usual laid back self as he did in most of his 1960's comedies, but it's the supporting performances that really make this movie. Jack Elam, Harry Morgan, Bruce Dern and Walter Brennan took all their Western clichés and turned them on their heads. And Joan Hackett was up for anything because that poor woman was put through the ringer in this one. Highly recommended for any one who likes comedy, westerns or any of these actors.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream (2007)

Great doc

[3 December 2007]

I recently saw Amazing Journey about The Who and thought that was a very good doc. I resisted this one because of the running time (nearly 4 hours) but I sat down this afternoon and watched it. I'm about the same age as Petty so I kind of "grew up" with his music but I forget sometimes how great he is--how profound yet simple his lyrics are. This doc shows his long journey from a kid who just played a little music with his friends to the giant Rock & Roll hall of famer he became. I'll agree with some here who said he appears to be a laid back, go with the flow type of guy. However, there is something just underneath the surface shows how dedicated and driven he is as an artist. Band members came and went but none of them seemed bitter--just grateful to have been part of the experience until separate interests drove them to pursue other things. Even though it's a long film, it moves along and engages the viewer (it probably would help if you're a fan of the music.) All I can say is that toward the end of the movie, I was willing to break my long standing POV that I would never go to another concert. I want to see them in concert now. I probably won't but it did bring back a lot of memories and good feelings about a really great man and his music.

Starlit Days at the Lido (1935)

Beautifully photographed

[8/10 · 10 June 2007]

I'm giving this film an eight only because of the brilliant Technicolors filming. This production took full advantage of the process by having everyone dressed in colorful costumes and the setting has lots of colorful umbrellas, a swimming pool and the lawn is so green. What I found fascinating is that all the "stars" are seated with a member of the same sex such as Robert Montgomery & Richard Barthelmess, Constance Bennett and some other woman, Johnny Mack Brown and some tennis star with the exception of Clark Gable and his wife who looked old enough to be his mother. What does that all mean? I don't know since is was all an innocuous lunchtime crowd at a private club. But it seemed to insinuate that these folks only went out with their "buddies" or maybe they're all gay. The only "romance" were the scenes between Arthur Lake and some woman and Cliff Edwards with some woman magician, two men not exactly known as heartthrobs. It's a fun short with lots of women in hilarious bathing suits and some awful musical numbers.

Come Fly with Me (1963)

Okay for this kind of movie

[6/10 · 25 May 2007]

I love watching these types of movies because they were released when I was just a child, and it's fun to see what women were up to in the early 60's. Since it was made before the women's movement got serious about equal rights, it's no wonder women of a certain age were confused in how to approach the opposite sex (maybe it's just me--in my courting years I wavered between wanting to be like these women or to be a liberated, take charge kind of gal.) Anywho, this film is a mild diversion that certainly won't change your life but at the same time is kind of fun with a little drama thrown in to make it a more "serious" movie. The plot is simple--3 "stews" and their lives and loves while flying all over Europe. What I couldn't figure out is why the Hart character was so cynical and why Nettleton was so scared (illegal marriage notwithstanding.) It seems like a lot was left on the editing room floor that would explain some of the plot points.

I agree that Hart was a pretty good actress and added something to any film she was in. I had no idea this was her last movie before becoming a nun, considering her character seemed like a gold digger with a bad cigarette habit.

I had to come here to find out who the 4th stewardess was. I kept thinking I'd seen her somewhere before but couldn't put my finger on who she was. Now that I found out she was Miss Moneypenny, I'm embarrassed because I've seen her a thousand times in the Bond movies.

I recommend this movie to those who like the early 60's films about relationships before feminism changed everything. It also has some great shots of Paris & Vienna, another reason I like to watch non American films from an earlier time--to see what it use to be like.

Nobody's Children (1940)

What a bunch of corn

[5/10 · 19 April 2007]

I gave this movie 5 stars only because I'm a sucker for B pictures from the 30's & 40's. However, this was the corniest movie I've seen in a long time. I'm sure the reason this movie was made was to provide some kind of public service to encourage folks to adopt older children. Since it was made in 1940, there may have been a lot of those types of children who were victims of the Depression. I don't really know because I wasn't born until the 1950's. The acting was just okay but it was all so earnest that it didn't seem real. I think Edith Fellowes probably has a following but she was not as good an actress as say Shirley Temple or Margaret O'Brien. She wasn't even as good as Deanna Durbin (who I find grating on many levels.) Unless you like cornball in all this glory, I would avoid this movie.

The Penalty (1941)

I'm just now noticing Reynolds

[7/10 · 10 April 2007]

I'm a big fan of old movies (keep my TV tuned to TCM mostly) and I've been noticing Gene Reynolds a lot more lately. I'm sure I've been aware of him in the past because looking at his credits I've seen several of his films as a child star. Why he's not better known for this is a wonder to me.

Slightly Spoilerish Plot Points below.

I watched The Penalty this morning and he was just great in this film. It's a slight little film (less than 90 minutes) but it was long enough for him to make a transition from a tough gangster's kid to a responsible ward of a good farmer. He conveys emotions well. He's just as good as Freddy Bartholomew or Mickey Rooney, who I supposed were the biggest male child stars of the late 30's and early 40's. In fact he's more subtle than Rooney, whom I admire.

The rest of cast is good too including Edward Arnold as the father, Robert Sterling as his guardian, and Marsha Hunt & Lionel Barrymore as neighbors who help Sterling turn the boy around.

None Shall Escape (1944)

A Good Little Unknown Movie

[8/10 · 26 February 2007]

The only reason I give this movie an 8 out of 10 is because there are few movies, in my opinion, that are perfect. This little B picture is a taut story, well told. I've always been intrigued by Alexander Knox, but have seen him very few movies. Here he plays Wilhelm Grimm, a sad little man who turns into a monster. He betrays everything and everybody without an ounce of remorse. The performance is one of the most chilling performances I've ever seen. Since World War 2, actors who played Nazis or other evil types in films have occasionally been nominated for Oscars. I imagine that since this was made during the war, the Academy felt like honoring a performance like this would have been like honoring evil. But Knox puts in that kind of performance--a man so bitter and consumed by guilt that he thinks nothing of making others suffer. I still can't get over it.

Marsha Hunt, who usually plays the filbert gibbet or social butterfly, is cast against type in probably the best performance I've ever seen her give, too. Maybe not Oscar worthy, but the best of her career. Nothing against her; I have enjoyed her in those "slight" roles she often played. But here she proves she up to the task of heavier drama.

If you like human drama stories, or stories about the fates of those who suffered at the hands of the Nazis, I highly recommend this fine little film.

Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion (1965)

Not a terribly bad film however

[5/10 · 27 July 2006]

I laughed at some of the corny setups and jokes and loved the animals. However, this movie made me rethink what passed for family movies back in the 60's (I was a kid then but I'd never seen this movie before today--I wasn't really into animals at 12 years old.) There were some very adult behavior that would never make it into a family film today--all the alcohol drinking and a few Hell's & Damn's thrown in not to mention the raid by troops on poachers. But if you don't have anything else to do and this movie is on, it's not a total waste of time. Betsy Drake is really pretty good in it and Richard Haydn made me laugh some. I've seen Marshall Thompson in better movies but maybe the reason he never was a huge star was because he really wasn't a good actor. I was glad they kept Cheryl Miller's scenes to a minimum.

Period of Adjustment (1962)

Not a bad little film

[7/10 · 6 June 2006]

Watched this again yesterday and I guess I never really paid much attention to it before. Even though I claim to dislike movies made based on Tenn. Williams plays, I have seen most of them (I dislike the intensity most of the time even though there are usually good performances that sometimes tend to be over the top--and this one is no exception.) However, I found this one a good film about 1950-1960's marriages before women realized they had other options. I laughed at Fonda, cringed at Hutton, sympathized with Nettleton but the greatest surprise was Tony Franciosa. Probably one of the best things about the movie was him. Although not exactly likable, he combined the sides of most men--mature by experience but a little despicable in intimate relationships. Mable Albertson and John McGiver were great in supporting roles as the disapproving in-laws.

There was a couple of things in the movie that kind of bothered me though--and they are minor things. For one thing, if they're in the South, it's a pretty good bet that there's no snow at Christmas. I've lived in the South all my life and don't ever remember a White Christmas. But to the credit of the performers, they all have pretty good Southern accents. Another thing was Hutton's character. I had a hard time with him having such a beautiful wife (and Fonda does look great in this) and treating her so miserably. I realize it was all bravado but it still didn't sit well with me. Too much ego and not enough understanding. I suppose it was a reflection of the times but still wasn't pretty. It's hard to like someone who's pretends to be overconfident when it's obvious they have problems that need to be addressed. I guess it's called denial.

A point in favor of the movie is that it wasn't set in the steamy South because that's one of the things that turns me off about Williams' movies based on his plays. Everyone seems to be required to be hot & sweaty. Yuck.

The Member of the Wedding (1952)

Not as good as I remember

[4/10 · 24 May 2006]

I wish I could give this film a higher score because of the lovely portrayals given by Ethel Waters & Brandon de Wilde. However, Julie Harris ruined this film for me. I've seen this movie before, a long time ago, and thought is was really good. However, I watched it again last night and had forgotten how truly over the top Harris' performance was. I've been 12 years old and I can't imagine that any 12 year old would get away with behaving like that in any circumstance. She was just a little too smart and a little too angry for my taste. Like someone else stated, it was the intensity that got to me (I don't really like Brando either--thank you Michael Bo.) The thing that saves the movie for me is Waters performance--probably the best she ever had in the movies. Too bad it was overshadowed by Harris' histrionics. I just don't think that most 12 year old girls would be that outwardly angry. Plus, it was a little creepy to me the obsession she had with her brother & sister in law. Was she in love with both of them or just in love with love, even though she commented, continuously, about not believing in love. Gah!!! It just bugged me to no end. However, I do give credit to the makers of the film for capturing a little bit of what the South was like in the 1950's.

Gone with the Wind (1939)

Greatest Story ever told

[14 April 2004]

Is there a greater story put on celluloid than this? When I see Godfather 1 & 2 I think there the greatest, but then I watch GWTW and I think there is any greater movie than this. Vivien Leigh with the greatest female role in the history of film, Clark Gable never sexier, Olivia de Havilland all sweetness and light, and the Great Hattie McDaniel!!! Even Leslie Howard, probably the weakest in the cast, is even good. This movie will stand the test of time as long as we have entertainment and can see and hear. And this is a 65 year old movie. Titanic & LOTR (all 3 of them) just wish they were this great. That why, with respect to the Bible, this is the greatest story ever told, at least in the movies.