Sad news arrived this morning. The Coroner from The Wizard of Oz (1939) passed away yesterday. I would tell you that "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead" is one of my favorite scenes from The Wizard of Oz but the statement is meaningless; Every scene is "one of my favorite scenes" from The Wizard of Oz. I love that movie like it's a family member or body part.
Meinhardt Raabe (1915-2010)
As coroner, I must aver I thoroughly examined her. And she’s not only merely dead, She’s really most sincerely dead.
There are so few people of any height left alive from what's often regarded as cinema's greatest year. I don't know how many Munchkins are still with us from Oz but some must remain. After all, there were baby Munchkins, too.
According to the IMDb there are six cast members of Gone With the Wind still with us: Cammie King (75), Mickey Kuhn (77), Anne Rutherford (89), Mary Anderson (90), the legendary Olivia de Havilland (93) and Alicia Rhett (95). I want them all to live forever so that that one never drifts away. *
Jose here with a post seventy years in the making.
On December 15th, 1939 the city of Atlanta celebrated what President Jimmy Carter would later call "the biggest event to happen in the South in my lifetime." The entire city had been holding a celebration for the previous three days which had them decorate their houses in Civil War era style, lined their streets with Confederate flags and hold the largest costume ball seen to the date.
The worldwide premiere of Gone With the Wind would become an event of such magnitude that even a recent bestseller dedicated an entire chapter to the effect it had on its characters. If that was only the premiere, can you imagine the effect the movie had on the world?
Unrivaled to this day in scope, box office and critical acclaim (although that has come with its share of controversy...) the film remains the epitome of Hollywood's Golden Age. Unlike revered classics of the era though, it has been able to remain timeless and thoroughly enjoyable (I dare you to mention any other four hour long movie which you can sit through without taking a look at your watch).
Most of the film's success is owed to what I consider to be the greatest Oscar winning performance of all time: Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara. The search for the perfect actress to play the iconic role is legendary and as such also remains a fascinating part of Hollywood lore. Watching the result is obvious that David O. Selznick made the right choice.
Few actresses have been as volatile, fearless and relentless as Leigh, who in Scarlett found a perfect outlet to channel a continent's entire view of upcoming disaster. Gone With the Wind was made during the time leading to WWII and while its American Civil War plot had little to do with the conflict involving the Nazis, the irreparable changes Scarlett will go through represent problems humanity has faced for as long as it has existed.
Even if Scarlett spends most of the film acting like what some would call a spoiled bitch, she has a surprising side filled with the kind of strength that would even lead to murder. In the film's centerpiece she delivers the greatest speech captured on film.
The scene not only marks the ending of the movie's first part, it also establishes a point of no return after which none of the characters are the same they were in the two previous hours. The scene, which was beautifully shot by Ray Haller and Ray Rennahan, also marked a landmark for Hollywood aesthetics.
Notice how we can't really see Scarlett as she addresses the heavens. Shot against light in what has to be one of the most beautiful use of matte paintings, it's as if not even Scarlett recognizes who she's become. As she raises her body she remains in the dark, but the second when she starts talking there's a timid light that illuminates her face (metaphor for inner enlightenment perhaps?).
As God is my witness, as God is my witness they're not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill.
Then the camera moves one more time and once again we only see her silhouette as she repeats
As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again.
She's once again in the darkness, ignorant of what the future will bring. But this time she'll be prepared to face it.
If you have seen it, you know what I'm talking about and should put your DVD or Blu-ray in the player tonight and commemorate its anniversary. If you haven't seen it what are you waiting for? Tonight's a perfect chance for you to do so.
Who needs holidays? Make your own with the birthdays of movie people.
Parker, Oleg and Vlad the Impaler (as interpreted by Gary Oldman)
Today's Birthdays 11/08 1431 Vlad the Impaler would have turned 578 years old today if not for that stake through the heart. To be accurate, his exact birthday is unknown but sometimes he's listed on this date which probably has something to do with... 1847 Bram Stoker who wrote the original Dracula, which gave Vlad the immortality that he had mythically already won as the original nosferatu... vampyr. The cinema loves him harder and deeper than Lucy Harker ever could. 1900 Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone With the Wind. She didn't have to impale anyone or renounce heaven to achieve immortality. She just had to write one mammoth book. The movie based on her novel is still the highest grossing film of all time when adjusted for inflation. One of only four films to have ever topped a billion dollars in theatrical:
Gone With the Wind (1939)
Star Wars (1977)
The Sound of Music (1965)
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982)
Seems odd that 3/4ths of them came after the birth of television, though.
1913 June Havoc forever known as"Baby June" thanks to the enduring fame of Gypsy on stage and screen. June never achieved the pop culture iconicity that her sister Gypsy Rose Lee did though they've both been played by countless actresses since. But she turns 96 today (wow!). Film appearances include: My Sister Eileen, Gentlemen's Agreement and the infamous Village People movie Can't Stop the Music). <--- 1935 Alain Delon legendary French beauty who played that Talented Mr. Tom Ripley (Plein Soleil) long before Matt Damon did. Other highlights include Rocco and His Brothers and Le Samouraï 1952 Alfre Woodard, how can you be an Oscar nominee and four-time Emmy winner and still be underappreciated? Yet somehow, she is. Damn you, Hollywood! 1960 Oleg Menshikov terrific Russian actor and star of Oscar foreign film nominees like Est-Ouest, Burnt by the Sun and Prisoner of the Mountains. 1960 Michael Nyqvist, Swedish actor of As in Heaven, Tilsammans (wonderful, rent it) fame. He's also in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which just won EFA nominations. 1972 Gretchen Mol of The Notorious Bettie Page promise. Where's the big follow up? 1975 Tara Reid once worked with the Coen Bros and Robert Altman. The cautionary tale that Lindsay Lohan forgot to read.
Finally, a happy joint birthday wish to best friends Craig Chester (turning 44) and Parker Posey (turning 41), survivors of the 90s indie movie scene. Posey you know and love as a hipster icon, diva, Party Girl, actress, sassy vampiress, Lex Luthor's gal, Libby Mae Brown ("Who's on top and who's on bottom now???") and many other terrific screen characters. She's a gift that never stops giving. Chester you should know as one of the original stars of the New Queer Cinema in films like Grief and Swoon. He was one of the very few trailblazing out actors of the 90s. This decade he wrote, directed and starred in Adam & Steve but no films since. Hmmm. And because they are so adorable I'm breaking my photographic "birthday suit" rule to include this photo by Lorenzo di Flaneur of the pair celebrating their birthday together in 2006.
You must... you simply must set aside ten minutes today to read this terrific piece at TheNew Yorker on Victor Fleming and 1930s Hollywood. It digs into Fleming's heavily debated contributions to the twin immortals of 1939 (Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of Oz -- he was a replacement director on both) and what it unearths is fascinating, indeed. Frankly my dears, I gave a damn... several damns if you're counting.
<-- Clara Bow on Fleming: "Of all the men I've known, there was a man."
For instance, I knew that Vivien Leigh didn't like Fleming and was angry that George Cukor who worked with her closely on her performance was fired. But I had no idea how complex and influential Fleming's relationships to Hollywood's top actors (Gable prominent among them) and actresses actually were (nor what an actressexual -- ok womanizer but we're splitting hairs here -- Fleming was. He had affairs with Clara Bow, Norma Shearer, Lupe Velez and Ingrid Bergman among others). This is but one of many quotes worth sharing.
"Despite his later reputation as a ‘man’s director,’ ” Sragow says, “Fleming launched or cannily revamped a host of female stars from the 1920s on.” The hot-wired Bow did her sexiest, best work for him, in “Mantrap” (1926), and he got sensationally funny performances out of Jean Harlow in “Red Dust,” “Bombshell” (1933), and “Reckless” (1935). The sacred male companionships of seventy years ago did not have the effect of downgrading women—anything but. Fleming, along with his friend Hawks, created women onscreen who were resourceful, strong-willed, and sexual—the kind of women they wanted to hang out with, partners and equals who gave as good as they got. For a while, they, too, were an American ideal.
Selznick, Fleming, Leigh & Gable on the contentious Gone With the Wind set
Gone With the Wind gets the most time in the article. It's a great read and now I think I'll have to look into Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master as well since this essay references that work frequently.
screenshots from the 20th minute and 8th second of movies. I use a VLC but different DVDs do come up with slightly different screenshots. It's an inexact exercize.
It's a very plum... plum
Even Pee Wee Herman would love this redundant statement from The English Patient. 'Mmm, plummy!' But it gets at one of the best things about the movie, the feast it offers the senses.
In this first frame from Gone With the Wind, "Good Morning Scarlett", our heroine is all ablur ready to wreak havoc at the Wilkes Plantation. In the second frame (20:08 if you remove the overture) she's transferring her affections to Charles when she can't find a wedge inbetween Ashley & Melanie, newly betrothed.
Charles Hamilton, I want to eat barbecue with you! And mind you don't go philandering with any other girls because I might be jealous.
Such a troublemaker, that one! Or as her husband hunting rivals call her, "a hornet".
Visit Nick's Flick Picks for the new episode of Best Pictures From the Outside In as Mike, Nick and I tackle these two film giants, two of the longest best picture winners evah. "Fiddle Dee Dee"
Hello, Self-Styled Siren here, popping in while Nathaniel is out. Over at my place I often post a Hollywood Anecdote of the Week, because after all, nobody gives anecdote like Hollywood. This is one of the Siren's favorites, and she's posting it here for Nathaniel in hopes his faithful readers will appreciate it. It's from one of the best books ever written about Hollywood, Otto Friedrich's City of Nets.
Duel in the Sun, that 1946 milestone in the history of camp, was one of David O. Selznick's many attempts throughout his life to add something to his obituary besides "produced Gone with the Wind." Selznick attacked the project with the same pill-popping OCD energy that he did all his projects. When time came to compose the score, Selznick went through six composers before giving Russian émigré Dimitri Tiomkin a call.
[Selznick] wanted, he said, eleven main themes: a Spanish theme, a ranch theme, a love theme, an orgasm theme--
"Orgasm?" Tiomkin said. "How do you score an orgasm?"
"Try," said Selznick. "I want a really good shtump."
Tiomkin did try, for weeks, and finally presented the score to Selznick.
Selznick...asked Tiomkin to whistle the love theme for him. Tiomkin whistled.
"Fine, fine," said Selznick. "Now the orgasm theme."
Tiomkin whistled. Selznick shook his head somberly.
"That isn't it," Selznick said. "That's just not an orgasm."
Tiomkin went away and worked some more. He combined the sighing of cellos and a brassy stirring of trombones, all in the rhythm of what he later described as a handsaw cutting through wood. Once again, he was summoned to Selznick's studio, once again the orchestra assembled...Everything seemed to go splendidly until the orgasm theme, which Selznick wanted repeated, and then repeated again.
"You're going to hate me for this, but it won't do," he finally said to Tiomkin. "It's too beautiful."
"Mr. Selznick, what is troubling you?" Tiomkin protested. "What don't you like about it?"
"I like it, but it isn't orgasm music," Selznick said. "It's not shtump. It's not the way I fuck."
"Mr. Selznick, you fuck your way, I fuck my way," cried Tiomkin. "To me, that is fucking music."
On the 6th of each month I'm writing about one hand-picked musical. Anybody who loves the genre is invited to join in by screening, commenting, or publishing their own take on it. I started the series with three goals in mind: reacquaint myself with films I haven't seen in a long time, promote rental ideas for readers, enjoy films I've never seen (there are many) from within my favorite genre. Cabin in the Sky (1943), Vincent Minelli's first full directorial effort and a rare all-black musical from Hollywood's early days, falls into the latter camp. I am so pleased that you chose it from the list offered. It's a delight.
The story of gambler Little Joe (Eddie "Rochester" Anderson) and his ever-praying wife Petunia (Ethel Waters) is a riff on the classic Faust tale. It's one in a long line of literary and filmed entertainments that deal with Heaven and Hell's eternal battle for our souls. Some are heavy dramas but often they're comedies. The premise lends itself to goofy sets, outre performances and good triumphs over evil uplifts. Early in the film Joe nearly dies and the forces of Heaven & Hell agree to give him six more months on earth: repentance and good behavior wins him that dreamy 'cabin in the sky', more of the same wicked lifestyle will trap him in "H-E-double toothpick" as me mum used to say.
The last movie I personally remember seeing with this out-of-fashion premise was that awful Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta flop from 1983 Two of a Kind though I know there've been others since then. Anyone remember that film? It gave the world Olivia Newton-John's last big hit "Twist of Fate" and not much else worth mentioning.
Anywayyyyy.... Little Joe is a sinner who can't resist the dice or one of the devil's favorite gals "Georgia Brown" (the legendary Lena Horne). His wife Petunia prays and prays and prays for him to change and renounce both gambling and Georgia. And then she prays some more. Early in the film, Joe is shot in the local club Jim Henry's Paradise by a ne'er do wells he owes money. As he lay dying, the battle-lines for his soul are drawn (that six month contest) between Lucifer Jr's squad and some rather uptight angels. While convalescing Joe expresses bewilderment that Petunia is so confident that he won't stray again.
Little Joe when you're good, something in here [*points to heart*] starts singing.
And the lord seems to say, 'All my angels are playing beautiful music because they feel so happy for you. Can you hear it down there?' And I listen and sho' nuff I hear it as plain as if I was up in heaven myself. They were teaching me their prettiest tunes. Then I realized that's the Lord's way of telling me to be happy.
She then sings Joe this musical's gorgeous title song, beaming with both romantic and spiritual love all the while. Ethel's voice is expressive, nuanced and mature. Here's the way I see it/hear it: Musicals make the world beautiful. I hear them as plain as if I was up in heaven myself. They've got the prettiest tunes. Musicals are the Cinema's way of telling me to be happy.
There's a lot to enjoy in the film: Ethel Waters voice and performance were rich, the songs --many of them famous -- were quite good and Eddie Anderson's comic timing and inimitable screech in the song "Consequence" provided much amusement as he tries to ward off the advances of Georgia Brown. Though the film was obviously difficult to finance due to its risky all-black status in a racist era (many theaters wouldn't show the film in the 40s), there's still a bit of variety and ingenuity in the limited sets that are utilized. I loved the freezer burn detail on the air conditioned devil's office. Funny. For a musical it's skimpy on costume changes as well, but once Georgia and Petunia face off at Jim Henry's Paradise it's a feathery, glittery event that you wish you could see in full color. For film buffs there's some amusement to be had in the recycling of cast members from Gone With the Wind (1939) and sets and special effects direct from The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Yes Cabin in the Sky made me happy despite the odd warning or "disclaimer" that ran before the movie started.
That warning indicates "films" as in this is a stamp that's been placed on other films too? But unless I missed something (which is possible as a white boy) there wasn't all that much to be offended by on the race front. More troubling was the sexism but you'd never see a warning placed on a film from this era about that, now would you? And, what's more, the kind of sexism that Cabin in the Sky trades in --very popular in 40s movies, especially noirs, with seductive women painted as dangerous destroyers -- isn't all that dated, cinematically speaking. Both of the female characters are blamed for Joe's sins. Georgia Brown is blamed for seducing him (Men have NO CHOICE about who they sleep with, don't you know?! He says sarcastically) And later even Joe's devout patient wife is blamed for his tailspin when she fails to 'stand by her man' at one crucial point. Little Joe somehow wins points for Petunia's good deeds but she loses some for his free fall??? Heaven Can Wait ...for feminism apparently.
I leave you with the lovely Lena Horne's cut song "Ain't it the truth" which was deemed too scandalous what with Lena singing gleefully whilst enveloped in a decadent bubble bath.
Isn't she a honey?
Musical of the Month'ers Movies Kick Ass 'Heaven... I'm in Heaven' StinkyBits - finds this movie "fascinating, strange, well worth watching." Criticlasm thinks Ethel Waters rules the piece StinkyLulu -profiles Lena Horne's famous role as "Georgia Brown" If you write about it, send me the link...
Next Episodes November 11th (delayed) -Nov 6thmarks the exact 10th anniversary of the release of Todd Hayne's glam rock oddity Velvet Goldmine (1998). It was a big moment in the careers of Toni Collette, Ewan McGregor and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Lots of angles to be explored by any willing bloggers. Dec 6th ~'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' with Judy Garland in the classic Meet Me in St. Louis (1944).
Two sweaty men in combat for their lives against a tyrant whose subjects don't respect him. Two actors who are notoriously fond of themselves. Two alpha males of Hollywood's pantheon. It's the second consecutive showdown of 30's icon Clark Gable & 00's icon Russell Crowe in our "Best Pictures From the Outside In" series.
Late blooming -- both started acting young but became huge stars in their early 30s
Storied prickly relationships with other movie stars
Heighth, well, by Hollywood standards at least ...Crowe is nearly 6' and Gable was 6' 1"
Public adoration and true box office power
Gable had songs written about him / Crowe sings songs with his band
And finally, most importantly to our purposes here, there's the Oscar magnetized filmographies: Crowe starred in 5 Best Picture nominees, 2 of them winners in a span of seven years: LA Confidential (97), The Insider (99), Gladiator* (00), A Beautiful Mind* (01) and Master and Commander (03); Gable starred in 5 Best Picture nominees, 3 of them winners in a span of seven years: It Happened One Night* (34), Mutiny on the Bounty* (35), San Francisco (36), Test Pilot (38) and Gone With the Wind* (39)
For Nick this episode was all about realizing how little he'd seen from 1935 (and new 2000 indecisions). For me this BPFTOI episode was all about reconsidering both Gable and Crowe, neither of whom I've been all that attached to in the past. Crowe's Oscar'ed turn as Commodus Maximus improved for me a lot on this revisit (though I still think either Javier Bardem or Ed Harris' would have made a stronger choice for Best Actor in 2000 --and those are both biopic turns so, whaddya know? I'm not entirely predictable)
I admired Gable's 1935 performance, too. After his work in Mutiny on the Bounty (I'd only seen the 1984 Mel Gibson version) plus that recent return trip to It Happened One Night and my virgin screening of Red Dust, plus his connections to two of my favorite leading ladies (Carole Lombard, his wife pictured left with their siamese kittens awwww and Norma Shearer, his three-time co-star), I am officially considering membership in Team Gable. * and you?
69 years ago today Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer for Gone With the Wind (src). Two years later that popular southern novel would land on the nations screens and become a gargantuan and enduring screen epic. If you adjust for inflation, as you should, it's still the top grossing movie ever --nearly half a billion ahead of Titanic which is most frequently referred to as the biggest grossing film.
This year March, another civil war novel won the same prize. Will this one make it to the movies in so short a time? It springs from the Little Women mythos and tells about the father's side of things. You know the guy. He's the one Marmee and her girls are always yammering on about despite his absence. I hear Winona Ryder is looking for work. Noni needs a comeback in the worst way and what better way to do it than returning to 1994 (sort of) which you'll have to agree was her peak: she was a big star. She had just been nominated for an Academy Award. She followed that up with two majorly winning lead roles and a second consecutive nomination followed (it was for the wrong film but whatever). Maybe she could play Marmee this time?
69 years ago today Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer for Gone With the Wind (src). Two years later that popular southern novel would land on the nations screens and become a gargantuan and enduring screen epic. If you adjust for inflation, as you should, it's still the top grossing movie ever --nearly half a billion ahead of Titanic which is most frequently referred to as the biggest grossing film.
This year March, another civil war novel won the same prize. Will this one make it to the movies in so short a time? It springs from the Little Women mythos and tells about the father's side of things. You know the guy. He's the one Marmee and her girls are always yammering on about despite his absence. I hear Winona Ryder is looking for work. Noni needs a comeback in the worst way and what better way to do it than returning to 1994 (sort of) which you'll have to agree was her peak: she was a big star. She had just been nominated for an Academy Award. She followed that up with two majorly winning lead roles and a second consecutive nomination followed (it was for the wrong film but whatever). Maybe she could play Marmee this time?
Meinhardt Raabe (1915-2010)
