Wonderland Burlesque's Let's All Go To The Movies: All The World Is A Stage - Part 8 of 12

Wonderland Burlesque's

Let's All Go To The Movies:

All The World Is A Stage

Part 8 of 12

This is the eighth of a twelve-part series of posts dealing with show business, be it the stage or soundstage.

Yes, show people, their tawdry little lives - in the theatre or movie studio - in all their glory, projected up there on the big screen, bigger than life; and they wouldn't have it any other way. For you see, they live for the stuff; the imitation glamor, the insufferable players, the exhausting rehearsals, and the oh-so important reviews - but above all else - they do it for the applause.

So hit the lights, for today, all the world is, indeed, a stage!

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Something To Sing About

(1937)

AKA: Battling Hoofer

Popular New York band leader Terry Rooney (Cagney) is offered a lucrative film contract out in Hollywood. Rooney and his soon-to-be wife pack up and head for California. Upon arriving, they meet Mr. Regan, the head of the studio, who believes that Rooney's true lack of desire for stardom is arrogance on the band leader's part. When his first film is huge success and a hit for the studio, Regan tries to hide the truth from Rooney. Feeling a need to get away from Hollywood, Rooney takes his wife on a South Seas honeymoon cruise, only to return to the real truth of his fame.

This musical was directed by Victor Schertzinge and stars James Cagney, Evelyn Daw, and James Frawley. 

Known as 'the picture that broke Grand National'. Grand National Pictures, which produced and distributed it, was a 'B' studio known mostly for low-budget westerns and action pictures. It signed James Cagney during one of his frequent disputes with Warner Bros. and saw this picture as its chance to compete with the major studios by doing a lavish musical with a major star. It poured more than $900,000 into this film--not much by MGM or 20th Century-Fox standards but a tremendous sum for a small studio like Grand National. Unfortunately, the film was a major flop and the studio lost just about all the money put into it. Grand National, established in 1936, folded in 1939, having never recovered from the financial beating it took on this picture.

Cagney reportedly rehearsed his dance numbers occasionally with Fred Astaire.

Rita Hayworth appears briefly as one of the studio girls who greet Cagney at the station.

James Cagney and Evelyn Daws

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Curtain Call

(1940)

Two theatrical producers plan to get even with a demanding actress by tricking her into starring in the worst play they can find. The producer and director conspire to give the actress a dreadful role to play from the script of The End of Everything. The plot to mislead the actress, however, backfires when she loves the role and gives a stellar performance, which turns the play into a hit.

This comedy was directed by Frank Woodruff and stars Barbara Read, Helen Vinson, Alan Mowbray and Donald MacBride. The film was followed by a sequel, Footlight Fever, released in 1941.

The film is quite short - a mere 63 minutes!

Helen Vinson

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Just Off Broadway

(1942)

Private detective Michael Shayne (Lloyd Nolan) is serving on the jury trying Lillian Hubbard (Janis Carter) for the murder of Harley Forsythe. A witness with information that could clear Lillian is killed by a knife hurled from inside the courtroom. Shyane hides the knife in the ensuing confusion. He slips out of the jury room that night and, with the aid of reporter Judy Taylor (Marjorie Weaver), traces the knife to a professional blade-slinger, Count Edmond Telmachio (Alexander Lockwood). Shayne finds the Count murdered in a warehouse and a brooch discovered on his body now points the finger of suspicion at nightclub singer Rita Darling (Joan Valerie) and the owner of the club where she works, George Dolphin(Don Costello). Rita was the fiancée of Forsythe and Dolphin is in love with her. The trial begins the next day, with Shayne back in the jury box, after giving the information he picked up to defense counsel John Logan (Richard Derr). The trial takes a surprise twist when Shayne is permitted to cross examine everyone, including the defense lawyer, who has been in love with Miss Hubbard for years.

This detective drama was directed by Herbert I. Leeds and stars Lloyd Nolan and Marjorie Weaver. 

This is the sixth of a series of seven that Lloyd Nolan played Michael Shayne for Twentieth Century Fox films.

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But Not For Me

(1959)

Without a new play or money, a 55 year-old Broadway theater producer announces his retirement after 30 years in the business. But when let go, his 22 year-old secretary tells him she loves him. He decides to make that a scene in a new play and hires her to write and star in it!

Based on the 1934 play Accent on Youth written by Samson Raphaelson, this American comedy was directed by Walter Lang and stars Clark Gable, Carroll Baker and Lilli Palmer. 

The film's original title was Accent on Youth, but this was thought inappropriate for the 57-year-old star Clark Gable. Gable  even held a press conference that he was too old for romantic comedies and that he would look for different kinds of films to do in the future. But... his next film was, you guessed it, a romantic comedy opposite a much younger Sophia Loren.

Reportedly, the film proved to be a complete failure at the box office. This was largely blamed on the casting of Carroll Baker, since she was not yet established as a major star. However, Variety reported box office earnings of $2.5M, making it a solid hit.

Clark Gable and Lilli Palmer won Golden Globe nominations for this film.

Ella Fitzgerald sings the title song over the opening credits.

Lilli Palmer

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Lily In Love

(1984)

AKA: Playing For Keeps

Broadway star Fitzroy Wynn (Christopher Plummer) is thrilled when his wife Lily (Dame Maggie Smith) writes a new script with a brilliant lead role. While egocentric Fitz thinks himself perfect for the role, Lily dashes his hopes when she admits she wants to find someone different for the part. Fitz refuses to give up his pursuit. Enlisting the reluctant help of his agent, Fitz poses as Roberto Terranova, a young Italian actor and the exact model of what Lily wants for the role. But trouble arises when Lily appears to be falling for the charming Italian, and Fitz is left to wonder just how serious she was about finding someone different.

This Hungarian–American comedy was directed by Károly Makk and stars Christopher Plummer, Maggie Smith and Elke Sommer.

New York Times critic Vincent Canby wrote this movie a positive review, but pointed out that it was an uncredited adaptation of Ferenc Molnár's play The Guardsman,  which Maggie Smith had headlined a revival of it as recently as 1977: "Even if the copyright has run out, it seems that the decent, and historically correct, thing to do would be to acknowledge the film's sources."

According Maggie Smith's biographer, she referred to the film as "the ghoulash" and admitted to not understanding the Hungarian director's direction. She also called her co-star "Christopher Bummer."

Maggie Smith

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And that's all for now.

Tune in next time...

Same place, same channel.

But Not For Me - Ella Fitzgerald