Wonderland Burlesque's
Let's All Go To The Movies
She's A Lady!
Part XXII
Yes, sometimes? It takes a lady.
Or so these films would have us believe.
They promise lots of drama, the occasional comedy or musical, and a little bit of dirt!
Let's take a walk down Hollywood Blvd. and shine a light on these magnificent classic films.
This way, if you please. But remember...
Ladies first!
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Lady Scarface
(1941)
A Chicago gang led by scar-cheeked Slade (Judith Anderson) carries out an audacious brokerage robbery. Lieutenant Bill Mason (Dennis O'Keefe) takes the case, continuing his friendly-enemy relationship with crime reporter Ann Rogers (Frances E. Neal). One gang member is caught; eventually, others follow. But Mason hasn't a clue regarding Slade, principally because he's unaware she's a woman. The plot periodically pauses for comic and romantic interludes.
Produced and distributed by RKO Pictures, this American crime drama was directed by Frank Woodruff and stars Dennis O'Keefe, Judith Anderson, Frances E. Neal, Marion Martin, Eric Blore, and Mildred Coles.
The screenplay was based on the movie, Wanted! Jane Turner (1936), starring Lee Turner and Gloria Stuart.
A pre-eminent stage actress in her era, Judith Anderson won two Emmy Awards and a Tony Award and was also nominated for a Grammy Award and an Academy Award. She was cast in Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940), as the housekeeper Mrs. Danvers. The film was a huge critical and commercial success, and Anderson was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 13th Academy Awards. She is considered one of the 20th century's greatest classical stage actors. Anderson married twice and declared that "neither experience was a jolly holiday"
Lady Bodyguard
(1943)
A.C. Baker, advertising executive for an insurance company, approaches test pilot Terry Moore with a proposition that in return for using his picture and endorsement he will get a $1000 policy for a full year. High-risk Terry agrees. George MacAlister fires his secretary, Miss Tracy, just as she is typing up the policy and she, for spite, changes the amount from a thousand dollars to one million dollars. A.C. delivers the policy, without noticing the difference, to Terry at a party at the Frolics Club, a cheap joint wedged between a burlesque house and a flop house hotel. Three characters, an elderly hat-check girl known as Mother Hodges; Avery Jamieson, a broken-down actor; and bartender Harry Gargan are named beneficiaries. When the company discovers the error, A.C. is sent to get back the policy and, pending that, don't let Terry make any test flights.
This American comedy was directed by William Clemens and stars Eddie Albert, Anne Shirley, Raymond Walburn and Edward Brophy.
Eddie Albert would go on to become a big television star in the comedy Green Acres, opposite Eva Gabor. Prior to that, he had received two Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor for his roles in Roman Holiday (1953), and The Heartbreak Kid (1972).
You can watch this film in its entirety free on YouTube.
Anne Shirley
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Lady Luck
(1946)
Mary now runs a bookstore in L.A. with her grandfather, whose past gambling excesses have left her hating everything about the pastime. Unfortunately she falls for Larry, who makes his living in this very line of work. He vows to change but going to Las Vegas to get married may not be the best choice for them. Indeed, Mary's forefathers all had gambling in their blood and if she does ever get to try the tables anything could happen.
This American comedy was directed by Edwin L. Marin and stars Robert Young, Barbara Hale and Frank Morgan. It was produced and distributed by RKO Pictures. The picture tells the story of a professional gambler who falls in love with a woman who hates gambling and tries to reform him.
In the cast are two future TV stars: Robert Young starred in both Father Knows Best (1954) and Marcus Welby, M.D. (1969), and Barbara Hale co-starred on Perry Mason (1957).
RKO borrowed Frank Morgan from MGM and James Gleason from Twentieth Century-Fox for this film.
You can watch this film in its entirety free on YouTube.
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Lady L
(1965)
At the end of a long, adventurous life, Lady Lousie Lendale (Loren) tells the story of her rise from laundress to mistress of gambler and anarchist Armand Denis (Newman), before marrying the suave aristocrat Lord 'Dicky' Lendale (Niven) in this sexy comedy.
Based on the novel by Romain Gary, this comedy was directed by Peter Ustinov, and stars Sophia Loren, Paul Newman, David Niven and Cecil Parker,
This movie was originally intended as a comedy vehicle for Tony Curtis, Gina Lollobrigida, and Ralph Richardson, with George Cukor as its director. A personality conflict between Lollobrigida and Cukor contributed to that version being aborted.
This movie was originally intended as a comedy vehicle for Tony Curtis, Gina Lollobrigida, and Ralph Richardson, with George Cukor as its director. A personality conflict between Lollobrigida and Cukor contributed to that version being aborted.
In addition, Tony Curtis was contracted by MGM for the original version of Lady L in about 1963 and he was paid about $400,000 in advance, When he saw the script he considered it so bad that he wouldn't do it, so he bought a share in MGM stock and, as a minority shareholder, threatend to sue the studio for mismanagement of the studio unless they released him from his contract - which they did! MGM had spent about $2 million on pre-production for the film before cancelling the project.
A film version was later planned as an international co-production between France, Italy and the United Kingdom, switching the focus from romance to comedy.
More than thirty years after this movie's release, writer and director Peter Ustinov reflected that the romantic aspects of the story hadn't really worked, because Sophia Loren and Paul Newman strongly disliked each other. After it was deemed a box-office failure, he remarked that this movie had a most unusual problem; he'd been given too lavish a budget. He had aimed, he said, at "a cross between René Clair and Preston Sturges", but the movie became too grandiose to be as funny as he'd originally intended.
The ending of the film is very different from the ending of the novel.
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Lady Cocoa
(1975)
AKA: Pop Goes The Weasel
Foxy Lady Cocoa is out to take down her mobster boyfriend.
This low-budget American blaxploitation crime drama was directed by Matt Cimber and stars Lola Falana, Millie Perkins, Alex Dreier, Gene Washington and Joe Greene.
Shot in four weeks, director Matt Cimber cast himself as the second hitman in order to keep the budget down. To save money, Millie Perkins did her own stunt hanging off the side of the car when it goes into the pool. Cimber had to win money in a high-stakes craps game in order to pay everyone in the crew a bonus week's pay after the cast and crew found themselves stuck at the main hotel and casino location due to a snowstorm. Cimber was Jayne Mansfield's husband at the time of her tragic, untimely death.
Between 1965 and 1968, Lola Falana had an affair with her then-mentor Sammy Davis Jr. It became public knowledge after Davis confessed it to his then-wife May Britt, which led to their divorce in 1968. In 1970, Falana married Feliciano "Butch" Tavares Jr., one of the five brothers in the popular R&B and soul vocal band Tavares. They divorced in 1975, the year this film was released. In additions, Falana battled MS throughout her life. The disease would sideline her career a number of times.
Lola Falana
You can watch this film in its entirety free on YouTube.
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And that's all for now, folks!
Tune in next time...
Same place, same channel.
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(1965)
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