Wonderland Burlesque's Let's All Go To The Movies: All In The Family Edition, Part I

Wonderland Burlesque's

Let's All Go To The Movies:

All In The Family Edition, Part I

In honor of the upcoming holiday, I thought it only fitting that we take a look at movies honoring and celebrating the matriarch of the family. 

Yes, Mother... there's no other gal quite like her. Whether she be a guiding light, a wet blanket, the life of the party, or the moral standard by which we should live, in the end, the lady has a lot of say about who we become.

On her child's behalf, she'll take on anything; be it societal ills, danger-filled chills, or making sure to pay all the monthly bills.

Hollywood recognized this power and proceeded to honor, skewer, and exploit the unassailable, yet fragile bond between mother and child. 

So, today, in honor of this go-to gal, let's go to the movies with Mother!

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The Eternal Mother

(Florence Reed is best remembered for her first talkie, appearing as Miss Havisham in the 1934 version of Great Expectations. Before that, she'd enjoyed huge success on the silent screen as well as the stage, which she much preferred.)

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Four Mothers

"They're back with their babies in their best hit yet!"

(This film is the final installment of a trio of popular films; a sequel to 1938's Four Daughters and 1939's Four Wives. Based on a story written by Fannie Hurst, the three Lane sisters starred in all three films. The cast also included Claude Rains and Eddie Albert.)

"Look who's cornered the 'stork' market!"

(Lola married five times. Her fourth husband, Ronald West was the former boyfriend of actress Thelma Todd. who died suspiciously in the closed garage of West's ex-wife actress Jewel Carmen. Ruled accidental, West remains a chief suspect in the case.)

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Forty Little Mothers

"...in the story of..."

(Vaudevillian Eddie Cantor was a popular comedian, song and dance man. He's also responsible for the founding of The March of Dimes.)

(Judith Anderson, considered one of the 20th century's greatest classical stage actors, won two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award and was also nominated for a Grammy Award and an Academy Award. She is best remembered for her portrayal of  Mrs. Danvers in Hitchcock's Rebecca.)

(Bonita Granville was a child actor, nominated for an Academy Award at the age of 14 for her portrayal of the malicious little girl in 1934's These Three. She was the star of Warner Bros. very popular Nancy Drew films and is best remembered as an actress for her work in The Glass Key, Now Voyager, and the hugely popular Hitler's Children. She retired from film in 1950 and went on to produce such popular television fare as Lassie and The Lone Ranger. She was also co-owner of The Disneyland Hotel and a lifelong friend of Ronald Reagan.)

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Unwed Mother

"20,000 anguished girls wrote its blistering story!"

(Just imagine all the stains and doodles in the margin of that screenplay!)

(The cast included Robert Vaughan from Man From U.N.C.L.E., character actress Billie Bird, and The Young And The Restless matriarch Jeanne Cooper.)

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Bachelor Mother

(Nothing says comedy like child abandonment! That's what this film is basically about. With a plot full of mistaken identities, Rogers, Niven and Coburn, under the direction of Garson Kanin, managed a sizeable hit.) 

(Niven was not first choice for this film. In fact four other actors were announced as the lead, including Cary Grant and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., before Niven got the nod.)

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Mother Is A Freshman

"It's the cheer leader of the year!!!"

(In order to pay for her daughter's college tuition, Young applies for a $3,000 a year scholarship. She wins it which means she must enroll in college, allowing her to keep an eye on her boy-crazy daughter.)

(This film was actually nominated for an Academy Award - for Best Costume Design!)

(Rudy Valle was an American singer, musician, actor, and radio host. He was one of the first modern pop stars referred to as a teen idol.)

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Mother Wore Tights

(This is a is a Technicolor musical which not only ended up being 20th Century Fox's most successful film of 1947, it also went on to win an Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring Of A Musical Picture.) 

(Betty Grable was a Top Ten box office draw for ten years. When it came time to renegotiate her contract, she went on strike and was subsequently absent from the screen for a year. Despite appearing in How To Marry A Millionaire, her career never recovered.) 

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Little Mother

"The rise of..."

"The woman of the year... the witch of all times!"

"Born in a cesspool, baptized in a sewer... at the age of 23 she ruled seven million people!"

(This 1973 soft-core drama/romance, directed by Radley Metzger, is based on the story of Argentina's Evita Peron.)

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The Mother And The Whore

"At it's most powerful, The Mother And The Whore can dance rings around Last Tango In Paris!"

"It's impact cannot easily be missed or forgotten by anyone!"

(This 1973 French film by Jean Eustache is based on his own relationships. It was his debut as a director and is considered his crowning cinematic achievement and a key work of post-Nouvelle Vague French cinema.)

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Please Don't Eat My Mother!

"The hilarious tale of a strange houseplant whose appetite grew from the neighborhood pets to more succulent dishes... and loved every piece."

"A laugh with every burp."

(This is yet another film from 1973. Described as an adult-themed parody, it is based on the Roger Corman classic, The Little Shop of Horrors.)

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Happy Mother's Day, Love George

"It will shock you right outta your socks! Bring someone to clutch."

(Still another film from 1973! Patricia Neal and Cloris Leachman in a horror film? This just got added to my 'must see' list. It was also marketed under the title, Run Stranger, Run. In the cast? None other than Bobby Darin and Ron Howard. The director? Nightstalker star Darren McGavin! I can't imagine.)

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Mother's Day

"I'm so proud of my boys... they never forget their mama."

(A 1980 rape and revenge satire from Troma films, initially banned in the UK.)

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And that's all for now...

Tune in next week.

Same time, same channel.

Intermission Time