The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961)

Karen Stone (Vivien Leigh) is not going through an easy time in her life. Her illustrious stage career seems to be drawing to a close now that she’s nearing the age of 50 and her husband recently passed away, so she’s feeling quite lost in life. She decides to bow out of the spotlight and spend some time in Rome. While there, she meets Countess Magda Terribili-Gonzales (Lotte Lenya), who makes a living by pimping out her band of young gigolos to rich women. Naturally, Karen is precisely the type of woman she wants to target so she introduces Karen to Paolo (Warren Beatty).

Although Karen has her reservations at first, she slowly starts to become infatuated with Paolo and the feeling is mutual. Karen is happy with Paolo, but she’s afraid of what her friends would think. However, unlike the other types of women the Countess usually deals with, Karen prefers to lavish Paolo with expensive gifts like new clothes and fancy dinners instead of giving them cold hard cash. The Countess has an arrangement with all of her gigolos that she gets half of everything they get so the Countess isn’t getting anything out of those dinners in nice restaurants.

Realizing Paolo’s feelings for Karen, and of Karen’s fragile mental state, the Countess tries to direct him toward a much younger American actress, Barbara Bingham (Jill St. John), who is more likely to be profitable for her. She knows that Paolo having an affair with Barbara would absolutely destroy Karen.

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone had the potential to be a really interesting film, but unfortunately, it missed the mark. Both Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty have made much better films. The movie is only about an hour and forty-five minutes long, but it felt like it was longer than that. I kept looking at the clock to find out how much longer I had to listen to Warren Beatty’s terrible Italian accent for. That accent and wearing copious amounts of self-tanner are pretty much Warren Beatty’s two big acting choices for this role. Vivien does a good job with her role and if I were to come up with my own reworking of the film to make it more interesting, I’d probably keep her in it. But oh, dear, I don’t think I could have listened to Beatty’s accent for any longer. I’m usually into movies that feature some beautiful Italian scenery, but that wasn’t even enough to keep me even remotely interested.

What’s on TCM: November 2013

Happy November, everyone!  As always, there are plenty of wonderful movies to look forward to on TCM, but it’s going to be a little bit of a quiet month.  But considering that the past few months on TCM have been extremely busy between Summer Under the Stars, the Story of Film series, and all the classic horror movies for Halloween, I know I need a lull in the action so I can have time to catch up on some of the things I’ve recorded.

The Story of Film series isn’t quite over yet, it will finish up this month.  But instead of it being on Monday and Tuesday nights, it will only be on Monday nights this month.

The Story of Film series is heading into the modern era and that may be of less interest to some of you, but fear not!  There are still some gems from the earlier days of film to look forward to.  On November 17 and 24, TCM will be showing Lost and Found: American Treasures from the New Zealand Film Archive during Silent Sunday Nights.  The movies featured on these nights are films that were thought to be lost until they were found in a film archive in New Zealand a few years ago.  Some of the films that will be featured include 1927’s Upstream, directed by John Ford, and 1924’s The White Shadow, which is the earliest existing film to credit Alfred Hitchcock (he was its assistant director, writer, art director, and editor.)

November’s Friday Night Spotlight is going to be very fun with a showcase of classic screwball comedies.  Plus we get Burt Lancaster as Star of the Month; his work will be featured every Wednesday night.

Now, let’s get to the rest of the schedule…

Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait

When Vivien Leigh portrayed Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind, she instantly earned a permanent place in the pop culture lexicon.  Although the public will always best remember her as Scarlett, Vivien did not let Scarlett define her life.  She had little interest in becoming a conventional Hollywood star and was selective about her subsequent films.  After the success of Gone With the Wind, she returned to the stage in England, determined to prove that she had more to offer.  She certainly succeeded at that and alongside husband Laurence Olivier, they became the king and queen of British theater.  They were one of the ultimate celebrity couples and when they took their show on the road, audiences flocked to see them.  But, like everybody else, Vivien’s life had its ups and downs.  Her marriage to Olivier eventually came to an end and she struggled with bipolar disorder.  But two things that could never be taken away from her were her drive and her talent.

As far as classic film biographies go, the ones I always most enjoy reading are ones that are real labors of love.  Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait is most definitely a labor of love.  Author Kendra Bean has spent the last five years in England researching this book and has been able to access sources that no other biographer has used before, most notably the archives of Laurence Olivier.  Since Olivier did not speak with the authors of other Vivien Leigh biographies, having access to his personal documents and correspondence allowed Bean to offer a more personal look at their relationship and at Vivien’s struggle with bipolar disorder than past biographies were able to.  Bean was also able to interview people who knew and worked with Vivien, including Claire Bloom (who also provides the book’s foreword) and Olivia de Havilland.

I simply can’t fathom how any fan of Vivien Leigh wouldn’t enjoy Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait.  Although not a comprehensive biography, it has enough information that someone like myself, who has long appreciated Vivien as an actress but never knew much about her personal life, can learn quite a bit from it.  After reading it, I had a newfound admiration for Vivien’s drive and professionalism.  Any Vivien fan is sure to love the hundreds of magnificent photographs featured in the book, including many rare and previously unpublished photos.  It is a true feast for the eyes.

Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait was published just in time for the hundredth anniversary of Vivien’s birth and is a wonderful, very fitting tribute to such a fine actress.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy from the publisher.

Storm in a Teacup (1937)

Vickie Gow (Vivien Leigh) is the daughter of Provost Willie Gow (Cecil Parker).  Willie is in the midst of campaigning to be nominated for a seat on the Town Council.  When journalist Frank Burdon (Rex Harrison) goes to a meeting to interview Willie, he sits near Vickie and accidentally makes a bad impression on her when he makes some disparaging remarks about her father.  During Frank’s interview with Willie, he witnesses Frank being very cold to Honoria Hegarty (Sara Allgood), a poor woman whose dog the city has taken away because she can’t afford to license it.  Even Vickie thinks Willie’s behavior was uncalled for.

Rather than publish the interview as planned, Frank decides to make his story all about how horribly Willie has treated Honoria.  After the newspaper hits the stands, the town overwhelmingly sides with Honoria and Willie becomes a joke.  When Willie tries to deliver a speech, a riot nearly breaks out and the crowd barks at him until he leaves the stage.  Naturally, Willie isn’t very fond of Frank, which makes things difficult for Frank and Vickie since they have fallen in love with each other.  Willie wants Frank to sign a retraction for his article, but Frank refuses and the whole thing escalates into an all-out war between them.

During an important dinner at Willie’s house, Frank lets a huge bunch of dogs loose into the house, costing Willie his nomination. Willie has Frank arrested, they end up going to court, and it’s expected that Vickie will be called to testify.  Just as her time comes, Vickie announces that she can’t testify because she is married to Frank.  This isn’t true, but Willie has to go along with it or Vickie will be tried for perjury.  Willie puts a stop the whole trial and is able to get back to work in politics while Vickie and Frank actually do get married.

I’m glad I decided to check out Storm in a Teacup.  It’s a very British film, so if you enjoy British humor, it’s a pretty entertaining movie.  It was interesting to see Vivien Leigh and Rex Harrison together, both of them were fairly early in their film careers at the time.  They do a fine job in it and Cecil Parker made a very good adversary for Rex Harrison.  Simply put, it’s a pleasant little movie.  Smart, witty, and worth watching if only to see two stars on their way up in the world.

What’s on TCM: November 2012

Happy November!  Even though this isn’t one of my favorite months on TCM, it’s still a pretty busy month.  First of all, Constance Bennett is the Star of the Month, which I’m pretty happy to see.  Her movies will be shown every Tuesday night in November.

If you’re a fan of seeing how films compare to the novels they were based on, you are going to love this month.  Every Monday and Wednesday night will be full of movies based on books and the adaptations will continue until prime time on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I love the idea of this series, but I would have liked to have seen it done on Mondays and Thursdays instead, just because it’s kind of an avalanche of book adaptations during the first part of the week.

My Week With Marilyn (2011)

Anyone will tell you that the hardest part of the movie industry is getting your foot in the door.  Things are no different for 23 year old Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne).  He desperately wants to work in the film industry and eagerly waits around the offices of Laurence Olivier’s (Kenneth Branagh) production company, ready to take any job at all that comes along.  Eventually, he ends up getting a job as the third assistant director on Olivier’s new film, The Prince and the Showgirl.  The production of The Prince and the Showgirl was anything but smooth sailing, with Olivier and Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) constantly at odds with each other.  When Marilyn’s new husband Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott) leaves England to visit his children in America, Marilyn becomes desperately lonely but begins to find a true friend in Colin.  The two of them become very close, and although their friendship is brief, it leaves a lasting impression on Colin.

Although the movie was good, I don’t expect it to get a Best Picture Oscar nomination come award season.  Maybe at the Golden Globes, but not at the Oscars.  However, I do see it doing well in the acting categories.  Michelle Williams totally nailed it as Marilyn.  When I first heard about her being cast in this film, even though she isn’t a dead ringer for Marilyn, I was happy since I knew she would give a very thoughtful performance and I was not disappointed.  She really did her homework and it paid off big time.  Michelle has talked a great deal lately about how she got into character and I’ve been enjoying hearing what she had to say about that process.  Not only did she read biographies and watch her films, but she also studied the things that Marilyn studied as well.  She read the same books on body language and how to present yourself that Marilyn studied and used to shape her image.  Michelle has also discussed how it was a challenge for her to find Marilyn’s natural voice.  You can listen to plenty of recordings of Marilyn’s voice, but just because she spoke that way in films doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the same way she would speak to a friend while having lunch.  And there aren’t any recordings of Marilyn just having a casual conversation with a friend, so Michelle had to imagine what that voice sounded like and I think she did a good job of figuring that out.

The rest of the cast is also very strong, particularly Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier and Judi Dench as Dame Sybil Thorndike.  Between Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh, it’s easy to forget that they’re not playing the main roles, Eddie Redmayne is.  He was good, too, but is totally eclipsed by Branagh and Williams.  The only casting choice I didn’t care for was Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh.  Julia looked older than Vivien Leigh did at that time.  When it comes to portraying real people in films, I think you can get away with not casting a dead ringer if they compensate by giving an amazing performance.  But if it’s a small part, then you’re better off going for a lookalike since there isn’t much time to make up for it performance-wise.  Since the part of Vivien Leigh isn’t terribly big, I think they could have tried a little harder with that casting.

The important thing to remember about My Week With Marilyn is that it is not a Marilyn Monroe biopic.  If you go into this expecting that, you will be disappointed.  However, if you saw 2008’s Me and Orson Welles and liked that, you’ll probably enjoy My Week With Marilyn as well.

Disclosure:  I saw this at a free advance screening, the passes were given away by a local television station.

Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)

When Julius Caesar (Claude Rains) comes to visit Alexandria, one of the first things he does is see the Sphinx.  While basking in the Sphinx’s glory, he meets a strange, silly young girl who urges him to hide before the Romans find and eat him.  After talking to this girl for a few minutes, he finds out that she is Princess Cleopatra (Vivien Leigh).  At first, she doesn’t realize who he is, or even that he’s Roman.  When she does, she’s initially afraid, but he quickly wins her over.  Caesar takes Cleopatra under his wing and the two of them develop a close friendship.  He helps her find her confidence, teaches her how to act like royalty, and helps her to get power away from her brother.

I was very pleasantly surprised by Caesar and Cleopatra.  Historical dramas, for the most part,  aren’t really my thing.  Generally, I think they’re stiff and humorless and usually go on for way too long.  So I was very pleased to find that Caesar and Cleopatra was actually pretty lighthearted.  I thought Netflix had made a mistake when they described it as “witty,” but there was no mistake.   Vivien Leigh’s Cleopatra has a lot Scarlett O’Hara’s steely will and determination, but has a much more playful side.  I really wasn’t expecting to see Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains being so funny and playful.  But what a wonderful surprise it was because Vivien was an absolute delight to watch in her comical scenes.  Actually, I think I liked her better in her funny scenes than in her more Scarlett O’Hara-esque scenes.

Caesar and Cleopatra was a box office failure when it was first released, and it’s still a movie I don’t hear discussed very often.  Maybe it gets overshadowed by Elizabeth Taylor and Claudette Colbert’s turns as Cleopatra, but Caesar and Cleopatra deserves to be re-evaluated a little bit.  It’s not one of the all-time greats, but it’s still very enjoyable fun and not dragged out at all.  Totally unlike any other historical drama I’ve ever seen.  I’m really glad I decided to take a chance on this one.

For more blogathon contributions (and for all other things Viv and Larry related), please visit vivandlarry.com!

Live Post: The Debbie Reynolds Auction

Even though I’m broke and can’t afford to actually bid on anything in today’s auction, there’s so much amazing stuff up for sale today that I can’t resist trying to follow the auction as best I can.  So I figured I’d try my hand at live blogging and cover the auction the best I can as it happens.  I’m not going to cover every single item up for sale, but I’ll try to keep you updated about some of the more noteworthy items.  So stay tuned, sit back, relax, and live vicariously through other people who can afford to spend insane amounts of money on movie memorabilia.  And I’m just putting it out there right now: I would not be even remotely surprised if Hugh Hefner buys Marilyn Monroe’s white dress from The Seven Year Itch.  A million dollar absentee bid has already been placed on it, so it will definitely be sold for at least that much today.

If you want to follow along with the auction live, just go here, click on “Live Bidding”, then click the option to just watch the auction. There is a live video stream, but no audio.

Updates:

Note – The selling prices I list here don’t include the buyer’s premium.  If you see articles about Judy Garland’s Wizard of Oz test costume selling for more than a million, that source factored in the buyer’s premium.

3:12 PM – The first lot, a 1915 35mm Bell and Howell camera just sold for $32,500!

3:16 PM – Rudolph Valentino’s matador suit from Blood and Sand just went for $210,000.

3:19 PM – Mary Pickford’s headpiece from Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall went for $3,250.

3: 21 PM- Francis X. Bushman’s charioteer helmet from 1925’s Ben Hur sold for $30,000!

3:26 PM – Harold Lloyd’s suit and hat went for $4,000!

3:34 PM – Mary Pickford’s gown from The Taming of the Shrew sold for $17,000.

3:36 PM – Lots 17 and 18, both Douglas Fairbanks costumes from The Taming of the Shrew sold for $20,000 and lot 18 didn’t sell.

3:38 PM – One of Charlie Chaplin’s infamous hats went for $110,000!

3:40 PM – A Model T used by Laurel and Hardy sold for $32,500 and a pair of their suits went for $16,000.

3:42 PM – Carole Lombard’s gown from No Man of Her Own sold for $11,000.

3:47 PM – Claudette Colbert’s Cleopatra gown went for $40,000.

3:52 PM – Greta Garbo’s gown from Anna Karenina also sold for $40,000!

3:53 PM – Harpo Marx’s hat and wig went for $45,000!

4:10 PM – Lots 42, 43, and 44 are the paintings commissioned by Marion Davies and respectively went for $10,000, $11,000, and $17,000.  These really got the bidders going.

4:17  PM – W.C. Fields’ joke box sold for $35,000.

4:39 PM – Norma Shearer’s purple gown from Romeo and Juliet went for $20,000.

5:04 PM – Now we’re into stuff from The Good Earth and people went nuts for some of the furniture!  The pair of chairs went for $20,000, the opium bed for $20,000, two Paul Muni robes for $4,000 each, Luise Rainer’s shirt for $2,000, the lot of stands and other furniture for $3,500, and Luise Rainer’s jacket for $3,000.

5:13  PM – A gown worn by Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette and Lucille Ball in Du Barry was a Lady sold for $11,000.

5:44 PM – Oh, now we’re into a busy bunch of lots!  First up was Marlene Dietrich’s outfit from “The Boys in the Backroom” number in Destry Rides Again, which went for $8,000, one of Judy Garland’s test costumes from The Wizard of Oz went for $910,000, a test pair of the ruby slippers sold for $510,000, an extra’s jacket from the Emerald City scenes of the Wizard of Oz sold for $22,500, Clark Gable’s dressing robe from the production of Gone With the Wind went for $10,000, and Basil Rathbone’s famous Sherlock Holmes caped overcoat sold for $50,000!

5:54 PM – Vivien Leigh’s suit from Waterloo Bridge sold for $16,000.

6:09 PM – Gary Cooper’s military uniform from Sergeant York went for $55,000.

6:16 PM – A couple of costumes worn by James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy, the satin jockey shirt went for $27,500 and the clown outfit sold for $15,000.

6:19 PM – Not so fast, Louis!  A suit worn by Claude Rains in Casablanca sold for $55,000!

6:53 PM – Took a dinner break and missed another busy bunch of lots!  Elizabeth Taylor’s riding outfit from National Velvet went for $60,000, Judy Garland’s “Under the Bamboo Tree” dress from Meet Me in St. Louis sold for $16,000, Judy’s dress from the snowman building scene in Meet Me in St. Louis went for $10,000, Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra’s sailor suits from Anchors Aweigh went for $27,500 and $15,000 respectively.

7:00 PM – $22,500 for Joan Crawford’s waitress uniform from Mildred Pierce and $5,000 for Ann Blyth’s Mildred Pierce suit.

7:05 PM – Edmund Gwenn’s Santa suit from Miracle on 34th Street just sold for $22,500.

8:12 PM – The gold lame dress worn by Ginger Rogers in The Barkleys of Broadway went for $8,000.

8:51 PM – The chiffon robe worn by Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire sold for $18,000.  Then it went into a bunch of items from An American in Paris with Leslie Caron’s peacock dress from the fantasy ballet number for $15,000, Nina Foch’s white halter gown from a party scene for $3,000, and a showgirl costume from the Stairway to Paradise number for $1,100.

9:05 PM – We have reached the Singin’ in the Rain part of the auction.  First were the green and white checked suits worn by Donald O’Connor and Gene Kelly, $8,000 and $14,000 respectively.  Jean Hagen’s Marie Antoinette-esque dress sold for $5,500 and Gene Kelly’s period costume went for $9,000.  Debbie’s green and white leaf print dress went for $15,000, Gene Kelly’s jacket from the Broadway Melody Ballet number went for $6,500, Jean Hagen’s black and white fur coat went for $6,000, Donald O’Connor’s “Good Morning” suit didn’t sell, Cyd Charisse’s white Broadway Melody Ballet outfit for $7,000, and Debbie’s “Good Morning” dress went for $27,500.  A pink dress worn by Gwen Carter sold for $3,750, and a bunch of costumes from the “Beautiful Girl” montage brought $5,500.

9:22 PM – Now we’re getting into some of the Marilyn Monroe and Marilyn-related items.  First up is Marilyn’s red “Two Little Girls from Little Rock” dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which brought $1.2 million!  Then came the feathered hat worn by Jane Russell when she impersonates Loreli Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, that sold for $4,250.  Lauren Bacall’s wedding dress from How to Marry a Millionaire went for $8,000 and the car used by Marilyn and Cary Grant in Monkey Business sold for $210,000.

9:48 PM – A lot of two safari outfits worn by Grace Kelly in Mogambo sold for $47,500.  A Winchester rifle used by Clark Gable in Mogambo brought in $15,000.

10:00 PM – A couple more from Marilyn Monroe.  The gold dress from River of No Return went for $510,000 and her costume from the “Heat Wave” number in There’s No Business Like Show Business brought in $500,000!

10:52 PM – After a little break, we’re back with the dress everyone’s been waiting for — the infamous Marilyn Monroe white subway dress from The Seven Year Itch.  I fully expected bidding to be out of control for this one and I wasn’t disappointed.  It brought in an astonishing $4.6 million!

11:03 PM – Now we’ve got a couple from To Catch a Thief.  A coat worn by Cary Grant brought in $15,000 and an outfit worn by Grace Kelly earned a jaw dropping $450,000!

11:41 PM – A couple of dresses worn by Deborah Kerr in An Affair to Remember brought in $6,000 and $11,000.

12:17 AM – One of Lana Turner’s dresses from Peyton Place sold for $4,250.

12:22 AM – Lot number 407 is rather unique because it includes things worn by both Kim Novak and Rita Hayworth in Pal Joey.  It went for $6,500.

12:29 AM – Leslie Caron’s iconic plaid schoolgirl outfit from Gigi went for $65,000.

12:40 AM – Charlton Heston’s tunic and cape from Ben Hur could have been yours for the low, low price of $320,000!

1:32 AM – Marlon Brando’s naval outfit from Mutiny on the Bounty just brought in $90,000!

2:12 AM – Elizabeth Taylor’s famous headdress from Cleopatra went for $100,000 and Richard Burton’s tunic, cape, and sword brought in $85,000.

Oh, who cares what time it is anymore?  Yes, I’m still going!  Aren’t these people tired and broke yet?!  Janet Leigh’s yellow fringed dress from Bye Bye Birdie fetched $3,750 and Bette Davis’ blood stained dress from Hush, Hush…Sweet Charlotte sold for $11,000.

Another big item to watch tonight was Audrey Hepburn’s Ascot dress from My Fair Lady.  I fully expected it to exceed the $200,000-$300,000 and it sure did.  It went up to $3.7 million!

I would say that the hills are alive with the sound of music, but at this time of night, I’m pretty sure that’s a noise ordinance violation.  Julie Andrews’ guitar went for $140,000, her jumper from the “Do Re Mi” number for $550,000, her turquoise and green dress for $45,000, the peasant dress went for $42,500, and a pair of the Trapp children’s outfits sold for $35,000.

And at long last we have reached the Barbara Streisand part of the auction.  First from Funny Girl is her costume from “I’d Rather Be Blue” for $65,000, a lot of the other roller skating costumes for $2,500, the black velvet dress from “My Man” for $16,000, a bunch of stuff worn by the Ziegfeld girls in the “His Love Makes Me Beautiful” number for $7,500, Anne Francis’ silk dress for $1,800, and Kay Medford’s beaded shawl for $1,400.

A jacket worn by Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid brought $8,500 and a dress worn by Katharine Ross went for $16,000.

And back to Streisand.  The purple Hello, Dolly dress went for $55,000 and the gold dress for $100,000.  Surprised the gold dress went for that little, that’s how much it cost to make that dress back in the day.

You’ll be fascinated to know that a shirt worn in the cinematic masterpiece known as Grease 2 sold for $475.

We have finally made it to the final segment of posters/portraits!  The title cards for Blind Husbands fetched $2,000, the lot of three Gloria Swanson title/lobby cards sold for $1,200, the portrait of Gloria Swanson went for $8,500, the lot of two Mabel Normand lobby cards for $800, the pair of silent title/lobby cards for $1,600, the lobby card for Lon Chaney’s The Penalty for $1,700, and the lobby card for Chaplin’s The Idle Class for $1,600.  The portrait of Jean Harlow went for $11,000!

Now it’s high time I called it a night!  Good night everybody!

What’s on TCM: September 2010

I Hope everyone had fun with Summer Under the Stars 2010!  I know I sure did.  I saw a lot of great stuff for the first time and I’ve still got lots to catch up on.  September feels a little slow in comparison, but there’s still some great stuff coming soon.  Vivien Leigh is the star of the month, so you know there will be lots of great movies featuring her this month.  In addition to Vivien, fans of Kim Novak and Mickey Rooney will have a lot to look forward to.  Thursday nights are dedicated to looking at films with the theme of revenge.  Anyone with an interest in Mexico or Mexican films will be interested in TCM’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Mexican revolution.  All of this month’s TCM Import selections for this month come from Mexico, plus a night of movies about Pancho Villa, in addition to a few other selections.  Now, onto the highlights: