Sunday Movie Review: "Daisy Kenyon" (1947)

Hello dahhhlings,

Channeling my inner Tallulah Bankhead. I started saying "darling" so often now I've got my friends doing it with me. ;)

Today's an exciting day! My blog turns three months old exactly, and will finally be eligible for entry into the LAMB - for those of you who don't know what that is, LAMB stands for Large Association of Movie Blogs. It's exactly what it sounds like; a big cluster of all types of movie blogs. I've been waiting to join it ever since I first heard about it a couple of months ago, but my blog has to be old enough first. It is today, I plan on sending in my entry, and I'll let you know when it's all official! ;)

Oh, I also made some tweaks to my blog. Nothing big, I suppose you've noticed them already. For one, I'm trying desperately to clean up my sidebar because I felt it was getting too crowded. My blog roll looks smaller, but don't worry - all the blogs are still there (with some new editions), too, only it now displays five blogs instead of ten. Just hit "show all" to see all of my favorite blogs. Also, instead of showing off just a couple of my Youtube videos on my sidebar there's now a cute little pink TV widget that will take you to my channel page. STILL, I'm annoyed because the sidebar still feels crowded and it's driving me nuts. !!! Oh well. I'll stop complaining. ;)

And one more quick thing:

VOTE HERE

Voting for Film Classics's contest ends in a week I believe, so if you haven't already be sure and go over and do so! Just hit the little reminder under Lucy above :) [I still haven't figured out how to link URLs with pictures...]

Okay, now, with no further ado, onto the review! (Hey, that rhymes, doesn't it???)

***

Oh my gosh, I LOVE that poster. So awesome and beautiful - I just want to blow it up here, actually. ;)

Tired of waiting for her lover, Dan (Dana Andrews), to dump his wife, commercial artist Daisy Kenyon (Joan Crawford) decides to settle down and marry war vet Peter (Henry Fonda). But when Daisy learns that Dan has gotten a divorce and wants her back, she's caught in a terrible dilemma. Dan is a high-powered attorney who lives a glamorous life, but Peter is an honest man who sincerely loves her. [from Netflix]

The cast's got:

• Joan Crawford as Daisy Kenyon
• Dana Andrews as Dan O'Mara
• Henry Fonda as Peter Lambert
• Ruth Warrick as Lucille O'Mara

It is directed by Otto Preminger.

I happened to see parts of this movie in passing on TCM, but never sat down to watch the whole thing. What I had seen looked promising though, and I wasn't disappointed.

To begin with: the plot. Though it isn't the most original, it still has a lot of potential and a lot of ground to work with which the film utilizes quite well. I wouldn't exactly call this film outright film noir, though it screams to be one with the classic film noir lighting elements that are used several times throughout the movie (spotlighting Joan Crawford's humongous eyes, the dancing shadows - my God, there are a lot of shadows). Instead I would call it "noirish"; there, but not exactly. Like I've said, the lighting is all there --

And I liked it, it seemed to set a mood to the film. But throw away the guns or dramatic music or any of that (do those count as spoilers? I hope not). Anyhow, if you're avoiding this film because you think the plot and the love triangle all seem too cardboard and stuff you've seen before, I can proudly tell you not to worry and go ahead and give it a try anyway. 

Moving onto acting: I really liked Joan Crawford's performance as Daisy. These are the roles Joan Crawford was built for: tormented woman who manage to remain strong and somehow come out alive. (Also, she has a habit of playing in films whose titles are just the main player's full name, doesn't she? Mildred Pierce. Sadie McKee. Letty Lynton. :D)

But anyway, Joan usually excels in these noirish roles (gee whiz, I'm having fun with that word, amn't I?) and her performance as Daisy is no different. You feel sorry for her, you feel her pain, her dilemma, all that she suffers through. Her character, as complex as she may be, comes out very likable in the end. (At least to me, i guess some may argue). Henry and Dana are good but Joan's strong willed character becomes so that she takes over the film, giving her a chance to shine, and the latter mentioned men become props. Over all a solid performance, what was expected of Joan in this sort of a film, this sort of a character, and she doesn't fall short at all.

DAISY:

"It's a funny thing about being in love. Sometimes it's easier to tell when you are than when you aren't." 

I like Joan the more and more I watch her, though I'm still decidedly Team Bette. (Of course, that doesn't mean I can't like Joan at all!). And so I liked her in this, quite a lot.

Onto the men. Dana Andrews - this was the first movie of his I'd seen, believe it or not. His character was interesting; as a viewer at times I liked him and at other times I hated him. By the end of the movie I must admit he was a character I didn't like all that much but it wasn't only until till the last few minutes of the movie I came to that final conclusion (and I'm sticking to it). He does a good job with his role as well, though as I admitted earlier in this review he and Henry Fonda are eventually like props for Joan. Good props, though.

Anyway, I liked him and I hope to see more of him in the future because he was pretty good.

His connection, or chemistry, rather, with Joan's character is very good and they have some strong scenes together. (Let me give you a hint: it results in the bandage on his head in above photo).

Now, onto Henry Fonda. Henry is one of my favorite actors, though I haven't really talked about him much at all in my three months of blogging. :( My apologies, Henry! I really enjoyed him in this, though I usually enjoy him in anything. His character reminded me somewhat (just a hint) of his role in "The Big Street", a 1942 movie he made with Lucy, but you'd have to have seen that movie to understand what I mean. (Of course, this character has a LOT more backbone). 

This movie has a prominent love triangle, and that being said he plays good against Joan. I liked the two of them together and though their chemistry isn't as strong or as high-strung as Joan and Dana's (which is what the film calls for), it is good in the way it supposed to be: comfortable, reliable, and a sense of stability.

Also there was Ruth Warrick as Dana Andrews' wife. She was in Citizen Kane, I believe, and Driftwood. (Okay, you're probably scratching your head at that last film there. It was a really awful B movie that Natalie Wood made as a child actress, and it was available for instant watching on Netflix, so... ). She was familiar to me. I HATED her character so that means she obviously did a great job. Ruth, who to me looks slightly like Jean Arthur (see photo below), is an underrated actress but on the occasions I have seen her, I have always liked her performances.

Jean Arthur? Please? Slightly? Yes? Maybe it's just me...

There were two child actresses in this as well, both girls, and I liked them too.

I pretty much enjoyed this movie. It was exciting and somewhat suspenseful, keeping me on the edge of my seat at times. It kept me guessing about how everything would turn out in the end until the very last minute.

At moments it shines brighter than at others; nearing somewhat corny at points, but still a good noirish (okay, this is like my word of the day or something) melodrama. If you like Joan Crawford you'll love this; and if you're just on the fence about this movie, go ahead and watch it. I give it a 4/5 stars. Not disappointing and never falls short of exciting.

***

That's it for today's Sunday Movie Review. I actually also watched "State of the Union" (1948), with Kate and Spencer, with the intentions to write my review of that film but I was so disappointed in that movie! I would have to say, my least favorite Kate/Spencer movie to date (and I've seen seven of their nine movies). Too much political talk and simply too talky; and as much as I love the two of them I must say: avoid it like the plague! (Unless you love movies about politics and scripts with rambling speeches that go on for two pages. I had high hopes for that film, too... :( Oh well.)


Also: don't forget, it you have a request for a Sunday Movie Review feel free to leave me a comment and let me know! My only limitations are that it be pre-1970, not R rated (this is, after all, a family friendly blog :P) and nothing so obscure that I can't find it. If I can get it within my means, I'll be happy to review it for you! 

Au revior!

I Love Lucy: 60 Years of Love and Laughter.

On this day, 60 years ago, the very first episode of I Love Lucy aired on CBS.

The episode was "The Girls Want to Go To a Nightclub". The original first episode was supposed to be "Lucy Thinks Ricky is Going to Murder Her", but on the night of the premiere episode there was a glitch with that particular reel and luckily, their second episode was already there to fill in.

Stills from the historic first episode

America in the 1950's was a curious time, and a time of change. They had survived the tough years -  the Depression, the War Years - and now the new decade loomed before them clear and glittering. Filled with the patriotic pride, can-do spirit, and endurance that had followed them throughout the difficulties of the past 20 years, they charged forward with a new, hopeful spirit.

Now that the boys were back home, "The Baby Boom" era had launched and families were growing quicker and faster ever than before. The American suburbs were born: pretty, tidy, yet somewhat identical and stereotypical single family homes with big backyards in a wholesome neighborhood popping up all over the country.

America in the 1950's was commercial. They were willing to reward themselves with perhaps a shiny new dishwasher or refrigerator; the Retro Housewife was getting her share of presents. And the American Woman was a new person. Though she still sent the kids and the husband to school in the morning, cooked and cleaned and gossiped with her girlfriends throughout day, all in having the house spanking clean and the pot roast ready for dinner, she was somehow becoming more independent. The War Years had given women new opportunities, told them to take charge. They got jobs and held down the fort with their husbands away. Now their husbands were back and they fell back into their role as housewives but with a new air of confidence. They wore pants, for example, and demanded the new household appliances that went hand in hand with independence.

The 1950's was very much the hyperbola of the glory years: the decade when "things were better" and that glorified "The American Dream." A gorgeous new car would cost you $1,000 - a house perhaps $9,000, the milkman would drop off the bottles of milk in the back of the house for 92 cents, and a dozen eggs would spare you two dimes and then some. America was happy, rejuvenated, and excited by the prospect of the future. They had survived the rough times and now, they could sit back and thoroughly enjoy life.

This was the world that I Love Lucy walked into. 

Television was something new, but it was hot and Americans were excited about it. Still, in the year 1950 (just a couple years after it came on the market), only one in ten Americans owned a television set. Lucy would premiere the following year, give birth to the sitcom, and change television for good. For by the year 1955, more than half of Americans would own a television set and most of the time, their dials would be turned to CBS, to Lucy.

One of the most classic of all episodes - "Job Switching."

The next morning after Lucy's premiere, the critics excitedly declared the show a runaway hit ("full of good comedy, slick in comedic construction, preformed with a smart feeling!"). The Hollywood Reporter was so enthusiastic that they blurted, "The show should bounce to the top of the rating's heap in no time at all. If it doesn't, the entire structure of  the American entertainment business should be overhauled from top to bottom!"


The Hollywood Reporter needn't worry because Americans were able to take notice of this good thing when they had it. Lucy shot to number three for the first season of the show, but that was only the beginning.

Season Two started out with a bang. Since Lucy and Desi were pregnant, Ricky and Lucy were about to be, too. CBS shook in their boots: scandal, perhaps? The infant of television had never dared show a straight up, openly pregnant woman before on TV. Some moral guardians shook their head and clicked their tongues "no", one woman writing into a newspaper:

What must we tell our eight year old daughter when she fails to see why Lucy's inability to get out of a chair is a joke?

The newspaper, who supported the show, gave it write back to the woman.

Several mothers of young daughters in our neighborhood solved the problem by explaining exactly why Lucy has difficulty getting out of chairs.

Years later, Lucy would say, "We weren't even allowed to say the word 'pregnant', and today not only can you say the word you can show how they got that way!" (That was thirty years ago).

Most, however, were supportive of the nine consecutive episodes surrounding the pregnancy and the sweet moments that were provoked from it. One lady writer wrote, "Lucille Ball lends chic to maternity", while other writers agreed the pregnancy shows were one hundred percent appropriate for the family viewing and that the episodes were done with total taste, not to mention with the approval of a priest, minister, and rabbi (who never brought up an issue, instead wondered what was the problem and thought that showing motherhood on television was a beautiful thing).

When the Ricardos' son, Little Ricky, was born on January 19th, 1953 (that morning Lucille Ball had given birth to the Arnaz baby, Desi, Jr. in perfect timing), more than 70% of TV viewers tuned into watch the episode. Based on the number of people who owned television sets and then the over all percentage that tuned in, this spawned one of the most watched TV moments. The inauguration of President Eisenhower was the next morning and he famously failed to rake in only 68% of the viewers.

If Lucy wasn't a phenomenon before, that was the clincher. The first edition of TV Guide displayed "Lucy's $50,000,000 baby", Desi, Jr. It was announced on radio in Japan that the Ricardos had given birth to a baby boy, and up until then people had even been making bets on what the sex would be. Lucille Ball's hospital room was filled with flowers - so many that they spilled into the hallway and several floors down - and the Arnazes received hundreds and hundreds of cards (only twenty-three of them were negative.)

America adored Lucy.

An interesting article entitled "I Love Lucy Takes Nation by Storm" examined and showed just how strong the popularity of the show was in the country. The article tells us just a few of the habits of religious Lucy watchers. Like, for example -

• In Dallas, Lucy viewing parties were all the rage despite the show broadcast on a Monday night, which was both a school and work night.
• In Pennsylvania, a department store manager who used to keep his store open Monday nights was forced to move it to another night because he and all his help wanted to go home and watch Lucy with their families.
• A telephone company in LA confirmed that telephone calls plummeted to a minimum during the Lucy half hour.
• Parents began sending requests to Lucy and Desi if the 9:00 PM show could be move to earlier in the evening as their children were constantly begging for allowances in bedtime to stay up to watch the show - allowances which, indeed, the parents had to make.
• The writer himself remembered one instance sitting in a dentist office on Monday night when the young lady across from him suddenly dropped her magazine and shot out of her chair, declaring, "I've got to get out of here! I forgot tonight is Lucy!"

One of the greatest conversations on a Tuesday whether it would be between girlfriends, at the office, or at the dinner table was Lucy. And it wasn't "Did you see I Love Lucy?". It was did you see the show. "The show" signified only one show in the world, everyone was watching it, and everyone knew it.

That was the 1950's, that was sixty years ago. The most intriguing thing about the show, however, is it's capability to remain popular today.

How is that so? Maybe that it is the hyperbola of the classic television, the hallmark of the Golden Age of TV; why, for most people if you were told "classic TV", the first thing that would come to mind would be Lucy. Even before I watched the show I had heard of it and in my mind it was just what you thought of when you thought of old TV or black and white TV.

To each avid Lucy viewer and fan, the show means something to him/her. Usually something individual. Oh, there all the underlying factors that just about everyone will agree with: it's hilarious, for one. But there are others that lie beneath the surface. 

Like for me, it cheers me up. If I have ever had a hard day or a long one, all I need to do is watch one episode and it helps me relax and smile again. It is a comfort. I have seen each episode so many times, so much so that I can say the lines in unison with the characters. I know exactly what Lucy's scheming do and when and why Ricky is going to blow. Yet I watch a few episodes nearly every day, and I never get tired of it. Never "oh, that old episode again." Each time I watch it the the lines can still be funny, still fresh and new, but familiar so I feel like it's a friend and a good one.

I have always felt that in my worst moments or my worse times, I can turn to this show and instantly feel better. And I think that is simply one of the things that gives this show it's an enduring popularity. It can never feel outdated (for antagonists of old things) because some things, whether it was sixty years ago or today, can never become old. Two of these big things are "love" and "laughter", and Lucy gives us both.

"Laughter", of course, is the most obvious of these two. One might have to stop for a moment and think about "love". Is it because of the title? The title, given by the show's producer, Jess Oppenheimer, actually has meaning. He wanted the show to be about this ditzy redhead and her bandleader husband. She's always botching up, doing these silly things, he loses his temper but at the end of the day he still loves her. The show is about unconditional love. (A bit of trivia: Lucille Ball agreed to the title because she felt that it gave Desi top billing, as the "I" in I Love Lucy was Desi and he came first. Up until then, they had been trying to do "The Lucille Ball Show" or "The Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Show", which always gave Desi second billing).

The show is warm and loving. And I know it must feel strange to have such a strong attachment to a television show; just black and white characters frolicking on our screens (tiny then, humongous now). But I know I'm not the only one. The show was a labor of love and a gift. To me, laughter is the greatest sound in the world and Lucy is one thing you can be sure of will always have it.

Some follow-ups to what I have written:

♥ My first experience watching 'Lucy'

♥ Examining part one of 'Lucy' 's dream team: the stars

♥ and part two: the backstage brains.

♥ The top ten most classic 'Lucy' moments

♥ A list to help you discover if you're obsessed with 'Lucy' or not

And if you want more, just check my "I Love Lucy" tag.

Of course, I have made a tribute for this particular day and this amazing show. Here it is:

And I'll leave you with a picture... and quote! 

"I'm happy that I have brought laughter because I have been shown by many the value of it in so many lives, in so many ways."

- LUCY

I guess there's nothing left to say, but: Thank you. Thanks, Lucy, for all the love and laughter and the good times you've given to generations of people, for sixty years. ♥

I Love Lucy's Dream Team || Part Two, "The Backstage Brains"

Hi there,

This is part two of I Love Lucy's Dream Team - I wrote the first part on Wednesday and you can read it here. Today's post will be about the backstage brains, and if you're not a Lucyphile you may not have heard of all of them. They deserve a lot of credit because they added so much to the show, despite never appearing on camera. My summaries may not be so extensive because of my lack of information on them. But here goes!

***

THE BACKSTAGE BRAINS.

Jess Oppenheimer (1913 - 1988) was "the brains behind the show," as Lucy would credit him. He was a radio producer when called to help the struggling radio show "My Favorite Husband" (which starred Lucy). This show would be the basis for I Love Lucy, and Jess tweaked the show to make it everything we know. The original "Lucy" character on the radio show was much more sophisticated, but Jess changed her to be more childlike and scheming, reminiscent of Fanny Brice's Baby Snooks. 

When Lucy and Desi became pregnant, they broke the news to Jess first, knowing they'd have to cancel the show but willing because they were so happy to be pregnant (Lucy was nearly 40. She had given birth to daughter Lucie a year before, but she had suffered several miscarriages before that and they thought Lucie would be it). It was Jess who thought "what the heck is wrong with a pregnancy? Let's do it! I'll spice up our season two!" So they did, thanks to Jess. 

Madelyn Pugh Davis (1921 - 2011) and Bob Carroll, Jr. (1918 - 2007) were the original writers for Lucy. Like Jess, they were with the show from it's roots in "My Favorite Husband" and helped develop the characters to the television screen. Though Bob Weiskopf and Bob Schiller would join them later on, Madelyn and Bob stuck on for all the seasons and would go on to write for several of Lucy's other shows, as well.

Lucy loved her writers. (And, being a writer myself, this gives me another reason to love Lucy. I'm glad she was one of those actors who ALWAYS gave credit to her writers. ♥). When Lucy won Best Situation Comedy at the Emmy's, Lucy and Desi went up and said something along the lines of, "Would it be wrong to get the writers up here and have them accept the award?"

After all, Madelyn and Bob would sit around and come up with the crazy plots! It is said Madelyn would often test the pranks to see if it could be preformed by a woman as well. 

I have immense respect for these two people. They... came up... with the show. All those hilarious lines and scenes and plots? And Madelyn Pugh, being a girl writer in the 50's when pretty much every show only had males for writers. Not only was she a good writer (OBVIOUSLY) she added the femininity that was needed to the show surrounding a "beautiful clown" (the nickname she and Bob gave Lucy). I was upset when she died earlier this year and to me she is a great inspiration. You should check out her autobiography, "Laughing with Lucy", for an interesting look at her life.

Lucy had three different directors throughout it's run, but I have chosen William Asher (born 1921) as the one to profile. He directed the most episodes (101), was married to Elizabeth Montgomery, and would go onto direct her in "Bewitched", yet another fabulous series.

I couldn't get as much meat on this quite brilliant man as I wanted to, but for a fact I know he directed some of Lucy's best and famous episodes. His first was the candy wrapping episode, and it would be followed by other greats like: the pregnancy episodes (including when Lucy breaks the news to Ricky and the actual birth of Little Ricky), the gang's escapades in Hollywood and Europe, and when the Ricardos and Mertzes moved out to Connecticut.

He directed Lucy in more episodes than any other directer ever would.

Karl Freund (1890 - 1969) was an Academy award winning cinematographer at the time he was hired by Desi Arnaz to film Lucy.

It is true that the three camera system had been invented by the time Lucy began, but it was Lucy that perfected it and made it popular thanks to Freund. They filmed Lucy in a new way: a "flat lighting system." 

This system, still in use for sitcoms today, lit up the entire stage instead of just portions to evade shadows and instead it give it the fresh, almost luminous black and white that we all know and love. The studio's floor was changed to smooth, wood paneling so Karl's three camera technique would be able to glide easily across without making any noise.

The cameras themselves were special - up until that point a cheap kinescope camera had been used, not giving the viewers the greatest print always. But they decided to use real motion picture cameras. CBS was not jumping at the idea, so Lucy and Desi agreed for a $5,000 salary cut to cover the cost as long as they could own the episodes. (In 1957, Desi sold the episodes back to CBS and the rerun was born). 

There is a lot more to Karl's innovative style of camera making. Read his own account of filming for Lucy (with much more information that I can offer clearly) here.

***

Those are just the five "backstage brains" I decided to spotlight for this post, but there are so many countless people that contributed to the show to make it the gem that it is today. And I wish I had been able to write about each member of the Desilu family and their contribution to the show!  

But, even a super Lucyphile like me cannot, and therefore that concludes our selection of I Love Lucy's Dream Team. I'll be back tomorrow to celebrate the big day!

Oh, and I happened to find this article by Lucie Arnaz about her parents. She was interviewed on the occasion of Lucy's 60th and I found the article to be a very interesting read! (I'm glad to know that, like me, Lucy was not a big fan of change and probably wouldn't have been a social networking junkie were she around today).

I Love Lucy's Dream Team || Part One, "The Stars"

Hello friends (I can't say this without thinking of "Vitavetavegamin").

With the anticipation for I Love Lucy's sixtieth anniversary on Saturday, I thought I'd do a two part post on examining I Love Lucy's "dream team" - a short profiling of the handful or so of actors and backstage crew that worked to make the show a success. Instead of doing a summary of their life, however, I'm going to discuss how they became involved with the show, why their role was important, and just how they added to the show's overall amazingness. ;)

I'll probably write the second part either Friday or tomorrow, if I can swing it. For now, here's part one!

***

THE STARS.

THE WOMAN WHO WAS LUCY 

Lucille Desiree Ball (1911 - 1989), would make famous the zany redhead we all know and love, Lucy Ricardo. My dahhling Lucy ventured into the world of television when her career in movies had been consistently the same for over a decade -  strings of B movies; studios were giving her second hand roles The American public was familiar with her face but she wasn't a big movie star. Television was risky. TV and movies were hardened enemies at the time because the small screens with their antennas were attacking the popularity of going to the theater - why would you, when you could just flick a dial at home? With a little help from deceased friend Carole Lombard, who appeared to her in a dream - "Give it a whirl!", Carole said - Lucy decided to take the plunge. After all, this may save her marriage to husband Desi too. Destined for true stardom, her life would never be the same.

I cannot sum into a few sentences what Lucy's contribution was to the show.. it would be impossible.. - she was the show. All the other members of this dream team were amazing and spectacular in their own way and the show wouldn't possibly be the same without them, but Lucy was the star and she proved to people what they had doubted for years. It takes a lot to be a comedienne and she had all of it: the perfect timing, a gift for physical comedy, a good rapport with her co-stars. America began a love affair with the character that never ceases to end. With all of her  imperfections, we still love her and that's the premise of the show. Look, to be put simply: Lucy was the show. Without Lucy, there was no show. She made it everything that is and always will be. ♥


Fantastically short, yes, but I think you all know already how much I love this woman. And if you've watched even a couple seconds of any episode, you'll know why she was special and why she was indeed the show. Desi, when once asked to distribute the success of the show among the actors, writers, directors, said: "Give Lucy 90% of the credit and divide the other 10% among the rest of us. Viv, Fred, and I were just props; damned good props, but props nevertheless. " And I am sure every single person who worked on that show would agree.

THE MAN WHO LOVED HER

Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y de Acha III (1917 - 1986) was not having much luck in the movies, either. In fact, he was doing quite a bit worse than his wife, who had at least taken the title of "Queen of the B's." Studios would not take Desi despite his obvious talent; at first they were enchanted by the "Cuban glamour boy", but their curiosity had run out. That accent, to begin with. What roles could they possibly give him with that accent? Because of these factors, his only source of income was to tour with his rhumba band all the time. This put a great strain on his marriage, however - "You can't get pregnant over the phone," Lucy would cry.

They wanted to work together but execs felt that the American public would not accept redheaded, all American Lucy and Cuban Desi together as a couple. "But we are married!" Lucy insisted. I Love Lucy was their only chance to work together. It was developed from the radio show "My Favorite Husband" which Lucy had starred in with Richard Denning voicing her husband. Lucy liked Denning but insisted that Desi be her husband or there would be no show. They were desperate to work together so he would be able to stay at home; and then they may actually begin to start a family. Again, execs balked at the idea so they took a vaudeville show on the road to convince them that the public would accept them. The show was a success and Desi was on board.

Desi as Ricky was different than any of the other TV husbands or dads on the tube. Sure, he had dark looks and the accent. That to begin with that made him stand out from any other program with their all American men. But his famous Latin temperament was the perfect foil for Lucy's antics, and the chemistry between he and his on screen wife sparkled because they were married off screen. You could believe the Ricardos were really in love.

Desi played a big part off screen, though. He was the executive producer and quite good at his job; the true brains, people would say. He made sure everything rolled smoothly, he knew how to talk to his employees and also helped birth the rerun by selling back all of the Lucys to CBS. I think Lucy sums it up pretty well in what she once told friend and protegee Carol Burnett: "Y'know, when I was married to the Cuban, I never had to worry about a thing. Desi was so damn smart about everything- scripts, cameras, lighting, costuming, you name it. I would simply waltz in on Monday mornings and the cast and I would read a perfect script, all ready for rehearsal. All I had to do was be Lucy."

THE BEST FRIEND A GIRL COULD ASK FOR

Vivian Roberta Jones (1909 - 1979) was having some steady roles in theater. Though she wasn't the toast of the town, she popped into the mind of Lucy director Marc Daniels, who "remembered her from New York." It was not so long before the original rehearsals of Lucy would begin (in fact, one must remember most of the planning for show happened in a hurried six month period), and they were searching for the perfect "second banana": Ethel Mertz. Ethel was going to be a hard type to cast. She needed to be slightly older than Lucy and somewhat frumpy, but at the same time not so out of Lucy's range that Lucy would not be able to scheme with her.

 Lucy was at home resting from her Cesarean pregnancy to daughter Lucie when Desi, Marc, and Jess Oppenhemier (the producer) went to the La Jolla Theater to see Vivian in "The Voice of the Turtle." They loved her and went backstage to deliver the good news, but Vivian was dubious. The character sounded kind of frumpy and Vivian wanted to be a serious actress. None the less, she would audition for the role and a few days later, she got it.

Vivian made Ethel Mertz the most famous second banana or sidekick of all time. Vivian's Ethel and Lucy's Lucy went together like peanut butter and jelly. It certainly helped that backstage they were becoming great friends (and always would be), much in the same way that Lucy and Ricky's marriage seemed real because the Arnazes were truly married off screen. You can sense their friendship and that even if Ethel knows what kind of a mess she's going to be getting into, she'll do it because she (like us) loves Lucy... also, sometimes she can't resist the fun!

The Ethel-Lucy pairing would produce some of the funniest moments in the show, most famously the candy factory scene.

HE WAS FRED;

AND FRED WAS HIM

William Clement Frawley (1887 - 1966) actually can be noticed in small character roles in several films, like "Miracle on 34th Street" or "East Side, West Side." He first met Lucy on the set of "Ziegfield Follies". They did not work together in the movie (the whole film was stitched up musical numbers or skits starring various MGM stars - Bill participated in a skit with Fanny Brice whereas Lucy had a fancy musical number consisting of horses and beautiful pink outfits centered around her) or got to be great friends or anything. But when Bill discovered Lucy needed a Fred Mertz, and that her first choice (Gale Gordon) was unavailable, he called her up and asked for the role.

Both Lucy and Desi loved him as Fred Mertz, but the others became worried about Bill's habit of drinking. A deal was made that if Bill was ever late or missed a show for any reason but a truly important medical situation, he would be fired. Bill agreed to it. Though he would often pluck through the script for his lines and learn them alone (sometimes so that he didn't even understand the plot or the jokes), as well as battled hard with Vivian Vance (it has been said she declared "Champagne for all!" when the news of his death reached her), Bill never missed a show due to his drinking or any other reason. He was never drink on set and best of all, he made the perfect Fred Mertz.

"He was Fred Mertz," Lucy would say of him. He identified so perfectly with Fred's cranky yet lovable character that the two become one and it resulted in pure hilariousness. His banter with his wife, his adoration for his godson, his love of watching the fights with Ricky. Fred Mertz really put definition into "being a character" and we loved him for it.

                                                                                      THE SUPPORTING PLAYERS

As if it wasn't even wonderful enough that the stars of the show would be so perfect and true in their characters, the supporting cast and bit players were excellent players as well. They were familiar faces throughout the whole run of the show. There was Keith Thibodeaux (billed as Richard Keith or simply "Little Ricky") as the Ricardos son, Little Ricky (read here my explanation why he was the cutest TV kid EVER). Or Doris Singleton who would appear several times in hilarious episodes as Lillian, or later on, Carolyn Appleby. Elizabeth Patterson, another character actress veteran, was Mathilda Trumbell, who we'd all come to know and love as Little Ricky's dependent babysitter, or Mary Jane Croft was Betty Ramsey, who would become one of Lucy and Ethel's BFFs when the gang moved out to Conneticuit. They supported the main characters perfectly and even in roles that were sometimes quite small, shone and contributed to the sitcom to make it all around perfect. 

***

Okay, that's it for part one. I'll be back with part two soon that will spotlight the writers, directors, even cameramen. 

By the way, as we celebrate I Love Lucy's 60th among the next few days, I'm personally inviting everyone to leave your comments with what you think made the show special, why we love it so much, which member of the "dream team" is your favorite, which episode, etc. I hope you all would comment anyway, but this is a special request. Think of it as a big valentine to the show. :)

Sunday Movie Review: Indiscreet (1958)

Bonjour mon ami,

I'm going to review a film I watched a while back, as the movie I watched over this weekend was "Elena and Her Men", a French film I watched only because Ingrid Bergman was in it. Despite it being directed by Jean Renoir, who has made quite a name for himself, I could not follow the plot and ultimately gave up on reading the subtitles and just sat there, watching the pretty Technicolor and the awesome costumes on Ingrid. I don't really think I can write a review of that (considering I don't even understand the plot, even after WATCHING the film), so...

Then I watched "An Affair to Remember" again, but only to show a friend (who sort of fell asleep). That film is too perfect to review, though.

So instead I shall review another Ingrid film that I watched earlier this past summer: "Indiscreet." The review will be pretty short (as all of my reviews land up in being), so for that I apologize. Hopefully I'll have a proper review up for next Sunday.

***

^^ I'm not really crazy about this poster. I like it but not for this movie. It does not seem to depict the light feeling of the movie and seems totally wrong for this film.

Wealthy American diplomat Philip (Cary Grant) and famous actress Anne (Ingrid Bergman) meet just as Anne has decided that all the best men in the world are taken. Although Philip is indeed married, Anne can't resist their instant attraction and electricity, and they begin a passionate affair. But an unexpected secret Philip hides from his new love threatens to spoil everything. Stanley Donen directed this sparkling romantic comedy. [from Netflix]

The cast has:

• Cary Grant as Phillip Adams
• Ingrid Bergman as Anna Kalman

It is directed by Stanley Donen.

Okay, so let me tell you, I love Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant together. They made only two movies, the other, "Notorious" happens to be one of my favorites. I don't know why, I just really love the pairing of those two, I wish they had made more films together.

To begin, I'll start with the plot. When I was reading the trivia for this movie on IMdb, it said this film did well at the box office because the romance of "slightly older and wiser lovers" seemed "more relevant" to 1958 audiences. Though I guess they are slightly older lovers (though I thought they both still looked really beautiful), I must disagree with the "wiser lovers" part. They act kind of lovesick but while that really perturbed my father, I didn't mind it all that much. I'll elaborate on that in a moment, however.

The plot was nothing exactly special because it's quite predictable and was easily recycled throughout the last 50's and into the 60's (think of the Doris Day/Rock Hudson rom coms). 

  

With this being said, that doesn't mean the film can't have it's moments. Check out the scene above, for example. Or this scene - I posted this at the end of a blog last week or something, but please don't mind my adding it again as it was one of my favorite moments (albeit 30 seconds in length):

I think if it had been another pairing in the lead role I perhaps would have become tired with the movie. Cary and Ingrid sparkle in their chemistry against one another. The roles they are given are not that complex and common characters of what you would expect from this sort of a romantic comedy. The supporting cast was not exactly chock full of familiar faces - familiar faces are always nice in those character roles, but they do the job neccersary: supporting Ingrid and Cary's leading characters.

The thing is, and Ingrid wasn't very much given the opportunities to do it, but she can do comedy excellently. This film is a good example as well as "Cactus Flower", in which she shone, and she had her other funny moments in movies. It would have been nice to have seen her in more comedies because she just does really with them.

Cary Grant is wonderful, of course, even if it is a character we have seen him often play: charming, debonair. To be fair I find Cary Grant wonderful in everything.

The thing that annoyed my father most about this movie was the way the two main characters acted like "lovesick teenagers". For example, there are moments in the films where Anna and Phillip just stare at each other for very long periods of times or take a totally silent walk.

Example: a silent meal

He felt that the characters were simply too old to be behaving that way.

I guess I must agree, but it's Ingrid and Cary, so who cares?

The underlying factor is I wasn't jumping over the moon for this film, but if you like Ingrid and Cary (and, like me, if you like them together) you'll probably enjoy this film well enough. It has cute moments, moments for Ingrid to shine and be hilarious (and Cary, too) - moments like these:

I still like "Notorious" better. But this was fun. If you like them, give it a try. You don't really need to see this movie, but it's cute and if you want to I wouldn't stop you. I'll give it a four out of five stars. I would have given it a three but the extra star is for the pairing of Cary and Ingrid.

***

By the way, I got a pretty good reaction to my Link Love yesterday. I enjoyed doing it so I think perhaps I'll do it more often than I originally thought I would! :)

Till later!