Wonderland Burlesque's Let's All Go To The Movies: She's A Lady! - Part XXXIX

Wonderland Burlesque's

Let's All Go To The Movies

She's A Lady!

Part XXXIX

Yes, sometimes? It takes a lady.

 And sometimes that lady comes with a long title! And not the royal kind!

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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Big Hand For The Little Lady

(1966)

A naive couple and a child arrive to the town on the way to San Antonio, Texas to buy a farm there. There is a poker game between the richest men in the region. The man cannot resist it and though he is a very bad poker player, enters the game betting all the money of his family. In the climax of the game he suffers a heart-attack. His wife then takes his place in the table. That's the only way of recovering their savings. But there is a little problem. Can anybody explain to her how to play poker?

This American Western comedy was produced and directed by Fielder Cook and stars Henry Fonda, Joanne Woodward and Jason Robards with Paul Ford, Charles Bickford, Burgess Meredith, Kevin McCarthy, and Robert Middleton.

This movie was initially written for television as Big Deal in Laredo. It aired on The DuPont Show of the Week in 1962, starring Walter Matthau.

Bafflingly, the film was released in the UK under the title Big Deal At Dodge City despite the fact that the town is clearly mentioned several times as Laredo (Texas) and Dodge City (Kansas) is never referred to in the movie.

The first of two films in a row for director Fielder Cook which were photographed by the legendary old-timer Lee Garmes, who finished his career in mainstream Hollywood films with those films. Garmes was very enthusiastic about Cook, calling him "the dream boy of all the directors I've worked with" - praise indeed, considering that Garmes also worked with Alfred Hitchcock, Howard Hawks, Josef Von Sternberg, Nicholas Ray, William Wyler and King Vidor, among others.

This film provides the final screen appearance of comedian Chester Conklin, who had appeared in about 300 movies from 1913.

Joanne Woodward was nominated for the Golden Laurel Award for Female Comedy Performance.

The New York Times' Robert Alden enjoyed the film, praising the "seasoned set of actors" in the cast: "They are a skillful bunch, and it is a pleasure seeing real film professionals having at each other. A foxier bunch of artful poker rascals would be hard to find," crediting Meredith with "perhaps the most memorable performance of the lot". He observed, "Lee Garmes, (is) one of the master camera hands of the West, and the roving camera eye of Mr. Garmes and company provides some of the film's best moments." Alden adds: "The mixing of comedy and tragedy is sometimes uncomfortable for an audience" seeing it for the first time. However, the "delightful surprise ending... makes the feast worthwhile".

Joanne Woodward

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Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion

(1970)

AKA: Le foto proibite di una signora per bene

A triangle of friendship, love, sex, and, perhaps, murder. Minou is newly married to Peter, a businessman in debt as he works to bring a new product to market. They met through sexually voracious Dominique, Minou's best friend, and Peter's former (and possibly still) lover. A stranger accosts Minou one night on the beach while Peter is away. He tells her that Peter has murdered a business associate and blackmails her into sleeping with him. He compounds the blackmail with photos taken of their tryst. To Minou's surprise, this same stranger is in a pornographic photo Dominique has imported from Denmark. Is this all a game, and if so, who's behind it?

This Spanish/Italian giallo film was directed by Luciano Ercoli.and stars Pier Paolo Capponi, Simon Andreu, Dagmar Lassander and Susan Scott.

This is a slightly unusual giallo. In fact, it is debatable whether it is actually a giallo at all, as there is no knife-wielding black-gloved assassin and there are no murders to speak of. Strictly speaking, this is a mystery movie with a giallo feel. The gialloesque elements come in the form of an eye-catching title, stylish camera-work, great interior decor, a Morricone score, a convoluted mystery, sleazy undertones and the usual quota of beautiful looking women and hideous looking men. In other words, its great fun.

This marks the first collaboration between director Luciano Ercoli and screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi, who would later work together on 1971's La morte cammina con i tacchi alti and 1972's La morte accarezza a mezzanotte. The film has been cited as defining Ercoli's style, featuring the recurring theme of "the nightmare of being threatened by one's own sexual partner".

The film, featuring a score written by Ennio Morricone. His bossa nova-influenced score has been compared to the works of Brazilian bossa nova artist Antônio Carlos Jobim. Several of Morricone's compositions for the film feature Edda Dell'Orso on vocals; Morricone and Dell'Orso frequently worked together on his film scores. Bruno Nicolai conducted the score.

The "explicit connection between female sexuality and violence" in Le foto proibite di una signora per bene has been cited as a precursor to "sexually-themed" giallo films such as La ragazza dal pigiama giallo and Tenebrae. AllMovie's Robert Firsching has also described the "vibrant Ennio Morricone score and slick photography by Alejandro Ulloa" as highlights of the film. 

Susan Scott and Dagmar Lassander

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The Lady In The Car With Glasses And A Gun

(1970)

AKA: La Dame dans l'auto avec des lunettes et un fusil

In one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions, a meek English secretary with an international advertising agency in Paris, drives to sun-kissed French Riviera to blow off steam, after seeing her boss and his wife off at the airport. The plan was to drop them off and drive her boss's car back to the house; however, as soon as the woman sets foot on the picturesque resort for the first time in her life, a series of chance encounters with perfect strangers, who claim that they recognize her, begin to mar her ideal weekend. And now? There's a strange noise coming from the trunk of the car. Is she going mad?

Based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Sébastien Japrisot., this French/American psychological thriller film directed by Anatole Litvak starring Samantha Eggar, Oliver Reed and John McEnery. It is 

Final film as director of Anatole Litvak.

The review of this film in Time magazine famously referred to Oliver Reed as "looking like a well-dressed rain barrel".

Samantha Eggar and Oliver Reed would team up again in The Brood (1979).

You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube!

Samantha Eggar

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The Perfume Of The Lady In Black
(1974)
AKA: Il profumo della signora in nero

Sylvia, an industrial scientist, is troubled by strange hallucinations related to the tragic suicide of her mother.

This giallo-horror film was directed by Francesco Barilli and stars Mimsy Farmer. 

Mimsy Farmer was the only choice to play the lead.

Shot over the course of eight weeks and heavily influenced by Rosemary's Baby (1968). Francesco Barilli spoke to several psychologists to research the premise for this film.

The movie can be attributed to the Italian genre Giallo, horror films, combining elements of the criminal thriller and erotica.

You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube!

Mimsy Farmer

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Group Portrait With A Lady

(1977)

AKA: Gruppenbild mit Dame

The story follows the recollections of Leni Gruyten, an ordinary German woman who lived in Germany during the 1930s and 40s. Through her interactions with friends, family, and other people she knows, a picture of everyday life for the common people of Germany enduring the Nazi era emerges.

Based on the novel of the same name by German Nobel-Prize winning novelist Heinrich Böll, this French drama film directed by Aleksandar Petrović and stars Romy Schneider with Brad Dourif and Milena Dravić.

This film was entered into the 1977 Cannes Film Festival.

 
Brad Dourif is known for portraying Gríma Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings film series and his Oscar nominated role as Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). However, he is probably best known for voicing Chucky in the Child's Play franchise (1988–present),

You can watch this film in its entirety for free on YouTube!

Romy Schneider

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And that all for now, folks!

Tune in next time...

Same place, same channel.

The Forbidden Photos Of A Lady Above Suspicion

Movie Trailer - 1970

The Lady In The Car With Glasses And A Gun

Movie Trailer - 1970

The Perfume Of The Lady In Black

Movie Trailer - 1970