His Brother's Wife (1936)

Hello Everyone! 

 
  Tonight's review is of one of my very favorite movies (have you heard me say that before?): His Brother's Wife. Starring my very favorite actress, Barbara Stanwyck (Stany <3) and one of my favorite actors, Robert Taylor. Now, when you get one of them in a movie it's good, but both of them and you can bet it's going to be one fantastic movie - which this one is. A lot of other reviews I've read hated this movie, I just don't understand it, this movie is amazing. I love it.
  Short version of the plot: Stany meets Robert Taylor. They fall in love. He goes to the jungle. She marries his brother. He comes back from the jungle. The he takes her to the jungle with him. She almost dies. He saves her. They get married. The end. For more detail, read on. I dare you!
  The long plot goes something like this: the opening scene is of sick people dying of spotted fever in the jungle. It only lasts a moment then we're in New York at a hospital trying to find the cause of the spotted fever. Chris Claybourne (Robert Taylor) is all set to go to the jungle to do more research, but the people with the money are sick of sending scientists to the jungles because the scientists keep dying of the sickness they're trying to cure. Chris convinces them that it's a good idea to send him, then he goes to a restaurant/gambling-house/bar where he meets Rita Wilson (Stany) while playing roulette (I'm pretty sure). Rita wins some money (Chris loses a ton) then the owner of the place, Fish-eyes, asks Rita to come to his office where he offers her a job. Basically her offers to pay her for getting rich people to come and waste their money. She says no, then she runs into Chris again. They start talking and he tells her that he's going to the jungle. Since he'll be risking his life Rita agrees to accompany him on his last 10 days in New York. The only condition is that they don't fall in love (no 'sentimental hangovers'). So they spend the next 10 days doing everything from sailing to baseball games - lots of fun. Also, during all of this they collect everyone's hats (really, everyone - quite a few hats over ten days). Then when the ten days are almost over Rita breaks down and admits that she's fallen in love with him. Apparently, he's also fallen in love with her, but he still has to go to the jungle (and she isn't happy about that). Then he decides not to go, they decide to get married instead. They go to his house so that he can introduce her to his brother and his dad, but on the way there they get taken to Fish-eyes's place where Fish-eyes (isn't that a perfectly awful name? I don't know why they couldn't have named him George or something) threatens to send Chris to jail because the check he wrote to cover the $5,000 he lost playing roulette wasn't any good. Anyway, after that Chris and Rita make it to his house, where his brother (Tom) not only criticizes their flash of a romance, but also insists that if Chris doesn't go to the jungle he won't help him raise the money to pay back Fish-eyes. So, Chris agrees to go to the jungle. Rita is not so excited about this idea, in fact she's not excited at all, she thinks it's just Tom's idea of a way to get rid of the stray cat Chris brought home. She runs out of the house angry and hurt - then she goes to visit Fish-eyes and tells him that she'll work for him on the condition that he won't use the bad check against Chris. She tells him that she'll work until she can pay it off. One day while she's working there Tom walks in and starts talking to Rita. The poor sucker doesn't even know what he's getting himself into by talking to her. Next we see Chris in the jungle. He's facing failure and the heat and he can't stand it. The doctor who he's working with tries to convince him that they're getting closer, but the Doc gives Chris permission to take a boat back to New York to get himself straightened out again despite that. When he gets back to New York his brother is about to get fired from his job at the hospital (he's a doctor like Chris is) because he can't keep his mind on his work. It seems that Tom has broken off his engagement to the girl he's been engaged to forever, because he married someone else (you have 3 seconds to guess whom he married). Yes, poor man, he married Rita; and as soon as they were married she ditched him. This is when Tom also tells Chris that Rita payed off his check to Fish-eyes because she was still in love with him. Then Chris goes to visit Rita at work and he asks her why she bothered to marry Tom. She explains that she was so upset she wanted to get even with him. She just wanted to hurt anything in striking range: aka Tom and Tom's fiancee. With that out of the way he tells her that he's got $711 and starting there he's going to pay her back every nickel and dime that she payed on his debt to Fish-eyes. Then he starts thinking...7 11...7 11...he decides it must be his lucky night. So, they go play dice, and it really turns out to be his lucky night. He wins back all of the money he owed Rita, plus a bit. Then Chris asks Rita to come to the jungle with him. While they're down there in the jungle Rita helps out a bit cooking and what-not, during all of this Rita is still waiting for Tom to give her a divorce so that Chris can marry her. Then one of the other scientists is dying of spotted fever and Chris is even more upset than he was before. Suddenly Chris is struck with the idea that maybe the spotted fever is being caused by ticks from animals (in this case goats) rather than ticks from the jungle. When they prove that right they figure that the cure must be in the goats blood because none of the goats were getting sick. They make some serum from the goat's blood and administer it to the sick scientist but he dies anyway. When the letter granting Rita her divorce does come she's happy because she thinks that she'll finally get to marry Chris, but Chris gives her the old heave-ho; thus breaking her heart again. After this a few government officials come around to tell the Doctor and Chris that they aren't allowed to try to cure any more citizens of whatever country they're in because they all keep dying, and they aren't allowed to leave the city they're in either. Rita comes back into the house and over hears this, then, once the officials have left, offers herself as a guinea pig for their new serum. Of course Chris isn't going to do that, he tells her to hit the road. Then, the Doc and Chris go into the middle of the jungle where they're going to inject Chris with the disease and then try out the serum on him. Rita goes to the government officials to tell them that Chris is leaving the city, but I guess they don't really care - they don't do anything about it. Then we see Chris and the Doc sitting in a hut in the jungle getting ready to inject Chris, but then the Doc loses his nerve and "accidentally" breaks the bottle of serum. Chris goes out to get more goat blood and Rita comes in and tells the Doc that she won't let Chris do this to himself. Oh, no, of course not; she does it to herself instead, the brilliant girl. Chris and the Doc are horrified at what she's done (again I ask you, how would YOU feel about that?). Then, since their serum is gone, Chris lays her on one of cots and he and the Doc get to making more. Once they've got the serum ready and Chris is about to give some to Rita he has second thoughts. He starts thinking about their first test with it (the other scientist) and how his heart stopped after they gave it to him, but the Doc convinces Chris to give it to her. She lives and Chris and her get married. The last scene - they're sitting on the deck of a boat on their way to New York, Chris is practicing his acceptance speech for the hospital which will be built in the jungle, and he's also wondering how hard it would be to get the captain's cap for their collection. The End. 
  I really love this movie. Really. Why? 1. Good leading man. 2. Good leading lady. 3. Good ending, very good ending. ;) By the way, I just remembered that I mentioned before that I didn't like leading men who were more than a year younger than their leading ladies - Barbara Stanwyck (born 1907) and Robert Taylor (born 1911) are my one exception. I love them together.
  Morally, 3 kisses (I think). Chris mentions evolution, but I think he was making a joke. No swearing or anything of that nature. 

 

"Nothing doing."

 

Babs and Bob. Pretty cute.

 

The words here (in case you can't read them) say: "Aren't you thrilled, Bob? Our picture's a sensation at the box office!" "That goes without saying, Barbara. It's a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer picture." Talk about conceited! ;)

 

Just so that you all know, I'm crazy about Stany's jodhpurs (her pants). They are just too awesome. 

 

They don't know each other. <-- That was so random, but it's just what I felt like commenting.

 

I like this picture a lot, actually.

 

I had a dream about them once. Me and Stany and Bob were hanging out on the set of "This is my Affair" (1937). 

That was a good dream. ;)

Best Movie Lines:


Rita: You're not a scientist they have whiskers down to here.
Chris: That's why they disguised me as a playboy, to fool the bugs.

Rita: Work, at 9:00.
Chris: What do they do to you if you don't show up?
Rita: What do you do with a gun? 
Chris: I make eggs like nobody's business.
Rita: With a gun?
Chris: No, with a stove, you idiot! 
Ah, love. <3 


Chris: It's been nice hasn't it, kid?
Rita: Oh, yes, there hasn't been a bit of rain.
Chris: Us, I meant, stupid! Not the weather. 
Like, I said...ah, love. <3 


Rita: Where is he? 
The Doc: Where is who?
Rita: The king of Siam, but I'll take Chris Claybourne! 

Rita: Good old fashioned Claybourne chivalry, huh? Tear 'em to pieces, but tip your hat to them on the way out. You're not taking me any place. Thanks for the boat-ride and the humiliation. 

Chris: Mrs. Claybourne really doesn't feel she deserves this beautiful silver tea set. All she asks is that a monument be placed side by side with that of Florence Nightingale.
Rita: With a simple inscription to the girl who knocked the spots off spotted fever.  

Rita: I love New York in May. 
Chris: Even when it's October? 

There we go. Good night to you all! 

Until Later On~

Barbara Stanwyck Photograph (1941)

Hello All! 

  One of my favorite Barbara Stanwyck pictures ever: <3 Stany.

 

  Behind the scenes of "The Lady Eve" (1941) one of the best movies ever. Possibly the best. I just love Stany in it...but I love her in everything so I guess that doesn't mean much. Hopefully I'll get a review of "The Lady Eve" done soon - won't that be fun! I may not be able to finish though, I laugh so hard just thinking about it I may not be able to compose myself enough to write anything that makes sense. <3

Until later on~

Night Nurse (1931)

Hello Everyone,

   
  On Saturday night, I was searching for a movie to watch; or, really, just trying to decide what to watch and I stumbled across a movie I have been looking for for a long time, Night Nurse. Since it's only 1931 Barbara Stanwyck looks really young (age 23) and her teeth are still crooked. Isn't that funny? Stany had to have her teeth straightened too. I loved Stany's hair in this movie and her hats! Oh, this may sound weird, but I love her hats! Or just 30's hats in general. <3 This movie also stars a young, mustache-less Clark Gable. I must say that I do not like him without the mustache - it's the same thing with George Brent they just need their mustaches. And Clark Gable was so evil in this movie (really evil).
  This is how the story goes: 

Young Lora Hart (Stany) is at a hospital applying to become a nurse, but she's not allowed to become a nurse unless she's graduated from high school, which she hasn't. She leaves the hospital and on her way out runs into Dr. Bell (literally runs into) who offers to help her get a nursing job. The head nurse explains some rules to Lora then introduces her to her new roommate, Maloney, who takes her to get a uniform. Then life goes on in the hospital and we see Lora working in various places around the hospital. Then one night Lora and Maloney come back to the hospital after-hours and find a skeleton in Lora's bed. Then Maloney hits the head nurse with a slipper because she thinks that it's one of the hospital's internes (isn't 'internes' a word anymore? My computer always marks it 'misspelled', but I know I've got it right!). Anyway, that gets Lora four weeks (and Maloney six weeks) of night-duty at the emergency ward. While Lora's there one night, a man (a bootlegger) walks in with a cut on his hand asking for some bandages and iodine. It turns out that that cut is really a bullet wound and Lora has to take care of it. According to the rules, Lora is supposed to make a police report of the wound, but he convinces her not to make the report. Then Lora and Maloney are about to take their last big test - they have to help with a surgery. Lora and Maloney graduate and become full-fledged nurses and Lora's 'Pal' (the bootlegger) sends her a HUGE thing of roses. Now that Maloney and Lora are graduated they take a case together - taking care of a couple of little kids (Maloney watches them in the morning, Lora is the 'Night Nurse'). When Lora arrives on the first night to take over from Maloney, Maloney tells her that she thinks there's something screwy going on; and the children tell Lora about Nick (Clark Gable) the mean chauffeur and a bunch of other sad stuff. Then Lora tells the children to go to sleep and she goes to talk to the housekeeper who explains that the children's sickness makes them have nightmares and that often they can't distinguish from a dream and reality. That same night, Lora has fallen asleep only  to be awoken by a scream. She goes to see what the matter is and finds Mrs. Ritchie (the kids' mother) passed out drunk. Then Nick comes around and tells Lora to take care of Mrs. Ritchie; but since she's not allowed to do anything without doctor's orders she refuses and he knocks her out and gives her a nice cut on her chin. The next day, Lora goes to Dr. Ranger, the head doctor on the case, and tells him 1. About being assaulted by Nick 2. About the fact that she thinks the children are being starved. He tells her that it's just first-big-job-excitement and that she need not worry. She isn't convinced, however, and resigns from the case. Then she goes to express her fears to Dr. Bell who tells her that he can't do anything about it; well, she's not happy to hear that and is determined to find someone who will help her. Dr. Bell calms her down and tells her that she should go and get her job back and just look out for the children - he says that will do them the most good. So, she goes back to Dr. Ranger and nicely apologizes for not so nicely blowing up on him and gets her job back. During the next couple of days Lora is at the store and she runs into her bootlegger pal who is worried about her chin and offers to tell "a couple of guys" that he "doesn't like this guy named Nick". He also asks her to take a drive with him, but she won't because she doesn't want to ride with anyone who might have a shot taken at him. ;) Even after he assures her he's quit the racket she still says no, then goes to work. When she gets to work Maloney tells her that Nanny (one of the little girls) is worse than ever before and that the doctor isn't in town so they can't call him. Lora goes to see Nanny, poor little kid. Then the housekeeper suggests that they give Nanny a milk bath - Lora says no then goes to find Mrs. Ritchie. She finally finds her stone drunk throwing one crazy party. Lora pleads with Mrs. Ritchie, but Mrs. Ritchie just doesn't care. While Lora is trying to decide what to do her pal comes around to make a "delivery" - the housekeeper is still begging Lora to try a milk bath and finally Lora agrees. She sends her pal to go get some milk, but since the store is closed he has to break in to get the milk. Then while Nanny is getting her bath, Lora's pal disappears and leaves behind his "delivery". The housekeeper gets drunk and then (while drunk) expresses to Lora her distrust of Dr. Ranger. She explains that she heard Nick and Dr. Ranger speaking together on the telephone, and that they had planned all along to kill the two children, then have Nick marry the ever-drunk and widowed Mrs. Ritchie so that they could get their hands on the children's trust fund. Around this time Nick walks in and Lora tells him that she knows his plan, and that he's not going to get away with it! Then Nick dumps out the milk bath down the sink and leaves. After this Lora doesn't know what to do. Then, when she least expects it, Dr. Bell shows up (that's where Lora's pal had gone - to get Dr. Bell). Dr. Bell looks at Nanny and suggests a blood transfusion and quick, but suddenly Nick shows up again and knocks both Dr. Bell and Lora out; thankfully Lora's pal shows up to kick Nick out. When Lora wakes up Dr. Bell has done the blood transfusion (using her blood because she and Nanny were the same blood type) and it's worked - so, Nanny is going to live. Then Lora decides to go to the police to sign a warrant even though it means she may never get another nursing job. She gets a ride from her pal (whose name we learn is Mortie, finally) who tells her that he got rid of Nick, more or less. One of the last scenes is in front of emergency room receiving door and the ambulance driver tells one of the doctors that a man in a chauffeurs uniform got shot and killed. The End. 

  I really liked this movie. I was very happy to find it after looking for a long time. Morally it wasn't the cleanest, but it's still nothing compared to what they call entertainment these days. Obviously there were scenes of drunkenness, especially sad since it portrayed the children's mother as a drunk. Then there were a few scenes in which Lora and Maloney were seen undressing. In defense of Stany and friend, I've seen people wear less in public now-a-days, sadly. I think that was it. Anyway, I really did like this movie - I really enjoy Stany's younger movies...and her older movies...yup. ;) 

 

Stanwyck.

 

Lora and Nanny.

 

Lora telling Nick what she thinks of him.

 

Lora and Maloney and Lora's pal.

 

Lora and her pal drinking a soda. 

Best Line (best I could think of, anyway): 

Lora: In a big way, Sister. ;)

Until later on~

Personal Property (1937)

Hello Everyone! 

 

  I'm going to start off and say that this movie was absolutely fantastic. If you could've only seen how hard I was laughing. I was in tears it was so funny. This movie also quadrupled my admiration of Robert Taylor, he was so fantastic I thought I was going to die. Then there's Jean Harlow...I have disliked Jean Harlow with a very disliking dislike since I saw her in Platinum Blonde (1931) which I'm pretty sure is THE WORST MOVIE EVER. This all may sound rather mean, not liking Jean Harlow even though I've only seen one of her movies? Well you haven't seen Platinum Blonde! I was very hesitant to watch this movie because Jean Harlow was in it, but I turned it on thinking, "Well, if I get interested I'll watch, but if I just can't sit through another minute of it I can always turn it off." The beginning of this movie caught my attention just like that; and I started thinking, "Oh my goodness. This movie is going to be amazing. Please let me be able to sit through it all despite Jean Harlow." Well, I did end up sitting through the whole thing: 1. It was too amazing to turn off. 2. I was laughing to hard to turn it off no matter who was in it. 3. Jean Harlow was actually pretty adorable...I need to see if she did any other good movies...

  Whew - now on to the plot! Here goes nothing (a lot of hilarious nothing): 

  The movie starts out and we are in the office of the rich Claude Dabney who is giving dictation to his secretary. Suddenly his father rushes in and tells him that his brother Raymond (Robert Taylor) has just gotten out of jail,  which apparently they weren't expecting (he got out early because of good behavior). Well, his brother and father aren't happy about that because they've been trying to hide the whole thing from Crystal Wetherby, Claude's fiancee, because they think she won't marry him if she knows they've got a jailbird in the family. Then Raymond comes home - the only person who's happy is his mother - his brother and father try to talk him into leaving England (where this movie is set) for either Canada or Australia. Raymond's answer - "Father, I really want to thank you for your kind offer, however, I think it shows a regrettable lack of concern for the colonies and therefore I must refuse." Later that evening Raymond goes to a (very fancy) restaurant where he meets Crystal Wetherby (but he doesn't realize that it's the girl his brother is engaged to) and she doesn't like him right off the bat. When he tries to talk to her she gets up and leaves to the opera, where she ends up sitting next to Raymond again. She gets up to leave again and he follows her to her house where he gets left outside with a debt-collector (who has come to collect on Crystal's many debts). By this time, Crystal has called the police, but when the police get to the house they realize that the debt-collector and his new sheriff's officer (Raymond) have a perfectly legal reason for being around her house. According to the law (and this is only going to be as far as I understood it) since Crystal owes so much money to so many people the sheriff's officer (Raymond) has to stay at her house until she pays back the money to make sure that she doesn't hit the road (or something like that). She's not happy in the slightest about any of this (who would be? I ask you, who would be?) Then, trying to get rid of Raymond, the widowed Crystal pretends that her husband is still alive; and that he's a very big, angry man. Well, she doesn't scare him out of the house (he's too dedicated to his work for that) but she does succeed in scaring him out of the guest room upstairs into the butler's room downstairs. The next morning the maid tells Raymond about Crystal's lie; then Claude (Raymond's brother) calls and tells Crystal that he's bringing his parents over for dinner that evening. Even though Crystal doesn't know that Claude and Raymond are brothers she realizes that it may not look good for her to have a random stranger living in her house. Although he can't leave (duty, you know) he suggests that he pretend to be her butler, but he doesn't know that it's his family who are the guests. Crystal thinks that's a grand idea, but she doesn't like "Raymond" for a butler's name so they change his name to "Ferguson". Then the guests arrive: Mrs. Burns, a dizzy socialite; Catherine Burns, who is crushing on Ferguson; Lord Castairs, absent minded rich man; Arthur Trevelyan, who can't be understood at all; and then there's Raymond's family who is shocked to see him there (especially Claude). Then Raymond starts playing pranks on Claude: he peppers Claude's cocktail, then he fills Claude's wine-glass right up to the top so that he spills it when he picks it up, and finally he spills a ton of dressing all over the front of Claude. At the end of the evening Claude insists that Raymond leave, but Crystal has a change of heart and insists that he stay. Later that evening Crystal is doing the dishes to give her maid a break and Raymond comes to help her; when Miss Burns calls to speak Ferguson Crystal gets jealous and tells Catherine that she MAY NOT speak to Ferguson. Then Crystal and Raymond decide to have a picnic (realize this is the middle of the night) - the sit at the top of the stairs and...well...picnic! The next day Claude comes around and offers Raymond 400 pounds to get out, but Raymond only leaves for 500. Crystal sees him leave and is saddened by it. Then next scene is at Claude and Crystal's wedding, however Crystal isn't so sure that she wants to marry Claude anymore. When Raymond pays Crystal's debt he becomes owner of everything in the house and he has all of the furniture and people removed; including his brother and father to whom he also told the truth about Crystal (the fact that she's as poor as a church mouse and was only marrying Claude for his money). Then, not knowing everyone has left, Crystal comes downstairs where she finds Raymond waiting for her. He says, "I'm sorry to tell say that Claude is not going to marry you" She smiles and says, "Why not?" He replies, "Does it make any difference?" Nope. They kiss. The End. 

  I wish that I could explain with words the hilarity of this movie. It's absolutely fantastic! Morally, very clean (no one even gets drunk, which seems to be the main dilemma around here). Oh, gee, it was just so funny. Robert Taylor was wonderful, Jean Harlow was wonderful, this movie was wonderful. <3

 

At the dinner party.

 

Oh dear...

 

I'm going to guess this is a behind-the-scenes something-or-other.

 

Publicity still.

 

The man in possession. Haha!! Yup. 

 

Okay, now just look at that face. Just look at it and tell me it's not...oh my...I can't stop laughing.

Best Movie Lines: 

Father: You went to a first-class school at my expense.

Raymond: And a first-class jail at my own - my education is complete.

Raymond: Haven't we met somewhere before?

Crystal: No, we HAVE NOT.

Raymond: Pretty foolish of us, huh?

Crystal: That's a matter of opinion.

Crystal [to the maid]: It came up the dumbwaiter.

Maid: We haven't got a dumbwaiter.

Crystal [speaking of Raymond]: Oh, yes, we have very [dumb].

Crystal: While we're asking so many questions, why did YOU go to jail? 

Raymond: Murder! 

Crystal: I wish it had been for suicide! 

Until Later On~

Small Town Girl (1936)

  Hello! 
  

 

  Last night I was trying to decide what movie to watch (a constant problem for me). I was about to watch Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), but then I noticed that it was almost two hours long so I decided against that. Then I thought maybe I would watch my Stanwyck in Ladies of Leisure (1930) which I love dearly. Finally I decided that I was in the mood for some Jimmy Stewart - I found Small Town Girl (1936). As it turns out, Small Town Girl is not a movie starring Jimmy Stewart, rather, he has a nice-sized character part. The real star was Robert Taylor, which is fine by me! You'll hear that story later. ;) The leading lady was Janet Gaynor, who (I'm not going to lie) is not my favorite. Nothing against her, just not my favorite. Oh, and boy, is she short?! Standing next to Jimmy Stewart (who must be somewhere around six-foot-something) she looked like a kid. I was reading and apparently she was only five-foot. To all of my short friends (and to me, not being tall in any meaning of the word): See? Doesn't matter how tall you are!
  This plot is easy to follow - I think - anyway, here it goes: 
It starts out - the football games have come to Carvel, Kay Brannan's (Janet Gaynor) home town. Kay is terribly bored with her little town, everything is so repetitive - poor girl, it's amazing she hasn't gone insane. We see this repetitiveness when Kay takes a walk with Elmer (James Stewart) and he says the same thing to everyone he sees - "You keeping your chin up?". We also see it when she's at home and all of her family says the same thing about her sister's baby "Looks more like her daddy everyday" then another member will reply "Really? Kay says she looks more like her mom". It almost made me want to go crazy too! Well, Kay (trying to relax) goes on a walk and almost gets hit by a car. The car is being driven by Robert Dakin (Robert Taylor) a rich young doctor - he asks her for directions to "Tait's Tavern" so she jumps in his car to take him there. At one point sometime around here she says "Oh my goodness" so for the rest of the evening he calls her "goodness" (because he never bothered to ask her real name). When they're relatively close to the place she asks him to let her out so that she can go home, but he asks her to go with him - being bored out of her mind, like she is, she agrees. They both get drunk and he decides that they should drive to Boston - so they do and on their way they get lost and find themselves very near to a justice-of-the-peace. So Bob, with his great ideas, suggests that they get married so that it doesn't look funny, their having been out all night alone. She doesn't want to, but then she starts thinking about how dreadfully repetitive her life is and agrees. On their way back to Carvel they drive into a ditch - the next morning when they both wake up he can not remember a thing about the last night. Well, when he does remember he doesn't know exactly what to do. He decides to take her to meet his parents so that they can figure this thing out. His parents like her almost instantly, but it turns out that Bob is already engaged to Priscilla, another rich girl. Now Bob is in a great mess (which his father is making him get out of by himself). Well, brilliant Bob comes up with what he thinks is a swell idea - he and Kay will pretend to be a happily married couple, honeymoon and all, for six months then when they aren't news anymore they'll get a divorce. Kay reluctantly agrees, but Priscilla isn't too sure about the idea. When Kay finally meets Priscilla (right before she and Bob leave on a yacht for their "honeymoon") she tries to apologize, but Priscilla just sort of lets it go being sure that nothing could come between her and Bob. So Bob and Kay leave on the yacht, the only other people there are: the yacht's captain, a cook, and another servant. It's really hilarious because Bob and Kay don't like each other so when no one is around they're fighting, but then when the other three come around they have to act like they love each other. It's just too too funny. Then, during their "honeymoon" they stop on this one island and find a deer caught on a fence and Bob (because he's a doctor) helps it. Then Kay (marveled by medical science) listens to Bob talk about surgery for two hours straight - something that Bob realizes Priscilla would never do. Well, that's just to much for Bob who still wants to be in love with Priscilla, so he has them travel back to Boston, where he dives into tons and tons of work, and Kay is left to have what fun she can being rich. Then Bob and Kay throw a party at their apartment and Priscilla (having come home from her tour of Europe) drops in and starts talking to Bob. She was really starting to creep me out around now. Anyway, Bob starts seeing Priscilla secretly. One night when Bob goes to see Priscilla (after having told Kay he was going to work at the hospital) Kay gets a call from the hospital that they need Bob to come and do an emergency operation on a case that was very near to Bob's heart. When Kay figures out where Bob is she goes to Priscilla's apartment to get him. Priscilla tries to stop him from going, but he does leave; and right she exits Kay says to Priscilla, "You can make him the world's greatest surgeon, or the world's biggest good-for-nothing, but whatever you do, really love him, will you?" Bob, tries to perform the surgery, but finds himself unable to do anything in the middle of the operation so he gives control of the situation to another doctor who was standing by. Afterwards, Kay and Bob go home. It almost looks like he's going to decide he loves her (by this time we already know she loves him), but then Priscilla calls (and I was NOT happy at this point, I was thinking 'Robert! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!') and he tells Priscilla he'll see her the next day. By now, it's too much for poor Kay, she goes to visit Bob's father to tell him that she's going home to Carvel. She explains that even though she loves Bob it won't work out. When she arrives in Carvel everything is EXACTLY like it was at the beginning. By this time, it's in the newspapers that she and Bob are divorcing and Elmer tells her that he's sorry for her; then proposes to her knowing full well that he can't give her all of the things that Bob could and that she still loves Bob. Then while Kay and Elmer are out walking they almost get hit by a car, the driver addresses Kay and says, "Hello Goodness. Will you get in, Goodness? I've lost my way to Reno and I don't ever want to find it again." You know who it was? Of course, Bob. So after a "Go ahead, I want you to be happy" smile from Elmer she jumps in and she and Bob drive off. The End. 
  This movie is a very good example of choices that you should not make ;) - really, though - it was very enjoyable. Morally, other than the fact that they get very drunk and that Bob is being so stupid about Priscilla, it was a very clean movie. No cussing or anything - these old movies are so very clean. Small Town Girl may not be my favorite, but there wasn't anything I really disliked about it. Oh, and that last line! Corny. CoRnY. CORNY. Sweet...but C-O-R-N-Y! I loved it, but, really, that was over-the-top. Anyway - there we go - hope you enjoyed! 

 

Robert and Janet reading a book together. 

Publicity shot, I gather.

 

Bob and Kay, pretending to be "a happily married couple". 

 

And our "happily married couple"...being...happy! ;)

 

See how short she is?

Best Movie Quote -

Robert Taylor [while drunk, hence the stupidity]: The telephone is a wonderful invention, but you should never use one in a bathtub.

Until Later On~ 
 

Barbara Stanwyck Photograph (1933)

Hello, 

  I told myself I wasn't going to write a blog today, but to the skies with that - I found this picture and said to myself I'm posting it. And, well, here's the picture: 

  This is from Ever in my Heart (1933), one of my favorite movies. I'm not sure why, but I've always thought that this picture of Stanwyck was absolutely gorgeous - dog and all. Just lovely.

Until Later On~

Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)

Hello Everyone,

  On Sunday, my dad and my brother and I were walking through the store at the gas station looking for something to drink. If you've ever seen the movie case of an old movie you know that they look much different than modern movie cases, well I glanced over at the movie display in the store and saw what looked to me like an old movie. Upon closer inspection I saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941), a movie I had wanted to see for a long time. It was for sale $9.99 so I bought it - and am I glad I did?! It was a wonderful movie, starring a wonderful actress: Carole Lombard. She has been one of my favorites since I watched her play Irene in My Man Godfrey (1936). She is an brilliant comedienne. I've seen her in dramas and disliked them intensely, but in comedy she's wonderful. Robert Montgomery was the leading man - it was my first of his movies: I may have to find another.
  I had some inspiration this weekend, instead of watching the movie and then watching it again while writing my blog because I've already forgotten the details of the movie I decided to take notes while I was watching. Hopefully it won't take me hours to write this blog. :) 
  Here's the plot: The movie starts and Mr. (David) and Mrs. (Ann) Smith are sitting in their bedroom. There are dishes everywhere, we find out from their servants that David and Ann have been sitting in their room for 3 days straight. The reason? Mr. and Mrs. Smith have an odd relationship - their marriage is built upon a solid foundation of rules. One of the rules is that after an argument neither of them are allowed to leave their room until the disagreement has been settled to the satisfaction of both parties. Well, they make up, and while they're sitting at the breakfast table we learn another rule they have: once a month Ann is allowed to ask David any question she wants and he must answer completely truthfully. Her question is: "If you had a chance to live your life over again would you still marry me?" Of course he says no, but another rule is that she's not allowed to be upset about anything he tells her; so he goes to the office for the day. Sometime during the day a man comes in to see him. The man asks him whether or not he was married in a certain county and Mr. Smith answers. The man explains that because of a misunderstanding about the state boundaries Mr. and Mrs. Smith's marriage isn't legal, and thus they aren't really married. The man gives Mr. Smith back the two dollars he paid for the marriage license so that he can go get married again. Then the man, on his way out the door, notices the picture of Ann that David had in his office and realizes that he knows Ann from when she was a kid. The same man, since he's known her for so long, drops in on Ann (and her mother who's dropped in for a visit) and tells her the news as well. Right before this, David called and asked Ann to go out to dinner with him at a restaurant where they went when they were younger, so she thinks that he's taking her to get married again. When they get to the restaurant that evening the restaurant is under new management and completely changed from what they remember, but they eat there anyway. During their dinner Ann's mother calls and tells her that she can spend the night at her house if David has any ideas about not getting married before they go home. Ann agrees. Then David and Ann go home - Ann is still waiting for him to tell her that they aren't married. Then when she thinks she's waited long enough she chucks a bottle at him and tells him that she knows they aren't married and that she never wants to see him again. So, he spends the night at his club. While he's there talking to his friend Chuck, Chuck tells him just to go the office like he normally would then go home and that Ann will be waiting for him. The next day he takes Chuck's advice, but when he gets home Ann isn't there - David waits in the lobby for her. When she finally comes home she's got a date. So, David stays at the club again that evening. The next day David follows Ann and finds out that she's got a job in a department store. He causes a huge scene in the store and she gets fired because the store isn't in the habit of hiring married women because of the employment needs of other single women. Ann isn't happy with him, so he stays at the club again. David doesn't want to stay at the club, he's pretty sad, but then his business partner Jeff comes along and says that he'll go and visit Ann and try to explain some things to her. He tells David to come over and about 9:00 to see her. He comes to her house to find that Jeff has explained portions of the law to her that give her a perfect right to do exactly what she's been doing, then Jeff asks her out to dinner. The two men leave, but David comes back and gets a door in the face and a bloody nose. So, David goes back to his club and Chuck tells him that he should just have some fun while Ann is being stupid so Chuck and David get dates. David decides that they should all go to "The Florida Club" (where Ann and Jeff are going to be eating). It turns out that David's date is the worst date anyone could ask for, she just keeps eating. It's pretty hilarious. I think that's my favorite scene. When Ann sees David there's a really pretty girl sitting next to him (not his date) and she gets angry and starts acting all sweet to Jeff, which drives David to the point where he's willing to give himself a bloody nose so he can just get out of there. Then Ann and Jeff go to a carnival and ride on one of those parachute-drop rides, but they get stuck somewhere in the middle on the way down. As they're hanging there in the air it starts to rain and Jeff catches a cold. Then Jeff and Ann go to Jeff's apartment so that he can change into some dry clothes. When Jeff is dry again Ann tries to get him to drink some brandy (I think) to help his cold (help his cold - hurt his liver). He explains to her that he doesn't drink because when he was young he went to a temperance revival and it had stuck with him. She convinces him that it's just like medicine, so he drinks a glass of it - in one drink. So she gives him another one - then (now that he's completely drunk) she leaves. The next day David follows Ann in a taxi to his office where she's visiting Jeff whose parents have just stopped in on their way to Lake Placid. Then David comes and makes another scene, by telling Jeff's parents that Ann has been doing his laundry and eating breakfast with him leaving out the part that they thought they were married. Well, Jeff's parents are appalled; Jeff and his parents climb into a closet (don't ask me why, I don't know) and Jeff explains to them (but he doesn't tell them that she and David were married, though, I don't think, either). Then Jeff's parents ask Jeff and Ann to come out to Lake Placid with them - so Jeff, Ann, and his parents go to Lake Placid. Ann and Jeff stay in Cabin McKinley which is really three separate suites - so it's Jeff in one, Ann in one, and guess who in the other? David. Yes, David has come to Lake Placid too, but Ann and Jeff don't find this out until they watch David collapse in the snow. Then Jeff and Ann carry David into his suite where they find that he collapsed because he's drunk (really drunk) and he starts mumbling on and on about the first two weeks in December, which Ann explains was when they had planned to come to stay there, David keeps mumbling and calling Jeff "Ann". Ann's very sad about all of this, I guess she feels like it's her fault that he's in the way he is; but then she's not sad anymore, she's mad, because she finds out that he's just been faking it. Then David tells Ann that she should marry Jeff even though he loves her; but she still loves him (which she doesn't confess to him) so she tries to make him hate her so that he'll forget about her and go find someone else. Then Ann, because she knows David can hear her, pretends that Jeff is in the her room with her and she's making a huge scene (all by herself). Then David comes in and finds out that she was making it all up, and grabs Ann, so she starts screaming at Jeff to come and help her. Jeff comes, but he's no hero, he won't defend her against David, so she gets angry at him too. Then Jeff's parents come in and see this supposedly calm girl going off at two men at once and tell Jeff that he can't marry her. So Jeff leaves with his mom and Dad and Ann decides to go stay at the lodge, but she can't put skis on so David helps her. She stands up, then he knocks her over, and she can't stand up again. Then, she's screaming at David to help her up, and he's just standing there. Then they kiss and the movie's over. Just like that, no making up, no saying sorry, just over. 
  It was a clean movie: Jeff got drunk, but otherwise - no cussing or anything like that. 
  I really enjoyed this movie. I wasn't sure that I would, or if it would be worth the ten dollars I payed for it, but it definitely was. It wasn't absolutely hysterical, but it was funny. I really liked it. <3 

 

Look at those crazy people. Just look at 'em.

 

At the restaurant.

 

 With David who collapsed in the snow.

 

<3

Good lines -


David: Well, what's the matter with me?
Ann: I don't want this conversation to run into hours, I'm very busy. 

Ann: Upset? Why? Because I saw David with Florence Nightingale? I don't care who holds a knife to him although I'd certainly like a chance my self. 


Jeff: There was a drunk in the audience who kept interrupting him, finally he asked the man to come on the platform and when he got there he told him to open one eye. And you know what he did? He took an eye-dropper full of whiskey and squirted it into that man's eye, well you never heard such hollering in all your life. Of course, his whole eye got inflamed and the lecturer pointed out the the lining of your stomach is the same composition as you eye ball....Then you know what happened? The alcoholic came back a few minutes later and asked the lecturer to open his eye and do you know what he did? He stuffed a whole handful of corn krinkles into that man's eye and turned to the audience and said 'that's what corn krinkles do to the lining in your stomach!' 


David [about Jeff]: You couldn't have anything to do with that pile of southern fried chicken! 


Until Later On~

Union Pacific (1939)

Hello Everyone! 

  Another Barbara Stanwyck movie for me (making 47) means another movie review for you! I'm really excited to write this one: 

  Thursday night I watched "Union Pacific", a light, romantic, adventurous, western drama. Yesterday morning I was talking to Nic (my brother) trying to explain it to him and said, "They almost killed Joel, then she married the other guy, then he died, then - oh it was so sad!". It was sad, but I loved it anyway. 

  I think this is going to be the first movie review where I really have anything wonderful to say about the leading man - the reason? The leading man was Joel McCrea! He is probably my favorite actor (my other favorite leading man is Henry Fonda - possibly Robert Taylor, but I haven't seen very many of his movies). I just love Joel McCrea. In the movie Stanwyck says of McCrea's character, "Glory, what a man!" and I say, "Hallelujah!". ;)  
  Then there's Barbara Stanwyck - my favorite (in case you didn't know). She was just gorgeous in this movie - maybe it's just me, but I thought she was stunning. Plus, she had an Irish accent. I read a couple of reviews that just couldn't stand the accent, but my affections are unaltered by any dialect. 
  Stany and Joel McCrea did six movies together in all (which is good for me since I love them both), they are: Gambling Lady (1934), Banjo on my Knee (1936), Internes Can't Take Money (1937), Union Pacific (1939), The Great Man's Lady (1942), and Trooper Hook (1957). I've seen four of the six - all wonderful, anything with them in it for the most part has to be good. Joel McCrea once said that Stany was the finest actress he had ever worked with, and I read somewhere that he was her favorite actor as well. <3 

  Now we move on to conquer the plot: 
The movie starts in Washington, right before the end of the Civil War, in congress trying to decide whether or not to build the transcontinental railroad. Apparently Abraham Lincoln thought it was a good idea so they decide to build it, then Lincoln dies. The scene changes and now we're in someone's office trying to get funding for the project. Everyone is skeptical, but finally a couple of people decide to give their money to the idea. One of the men is Mr. Barrows, a banker, whose only interest in the project is destroying it for his own gain (I'm not sure exactly how he planned that, but it's something about Union Pacific stock and selling short then buying stock in Central Pacific - the other railroad). Then, Mr. Barrows goes to visit Mr. Sid Campeau, a saloon owner; and asks him to go with the Union Pacific track -layers and "sell the track-layers all the trouble money can buy". In other words, keep them too busy to do any work; thus delaying the building of the railroad and making Mr. Barrows more money. The scene changes once again - it's three years later, and they're still building the railroad, despite the Indians and gamblers and what-not. Now, here comes Stany - her name is Mollie Monahan, she's the engineer's daughter (engineer like train driver, not bridge builder) and the post-mistress at end-of-track, cutest thing you ever saw. And right after her is Joel McCrea - he is Jeff Butler, the new "trouble shooter", in other words he's there to clear out the gamblers. You only see Jeff for a second, then we're back with Mollie - She's just run into a friend whom she didn't know was on the train - His name is Dick Allen, he is one of the gamblers who are trying to stop the railroad, but I'm pretty sure Mollie doesn't realize that. He gives her a fur coat and asks her to marry him, she says no (more or less - she keeps the coat). Then we see Jeff talking to some railroad officials (did I mention that all of this is taking place on a moving train?) and they're informing him of his duties and introducing him to his bodyguards. Then he and Mollie meet up; she's sitting on a brake wheel that you're supposed to turn when the whistle blows brushing her hair (and wearing that fur coat) but when the whistle blows she doesn't turn it so Jeff does - with her still sitting on it - and she smacks him. Ah, love. Then Jeff runs into Dick and it turns out that they're old army buddies (what are the chances?) Then the train arrives at end-of-track and they set up their make-shift town-on-wheels. Then one of Mollie's friends is killed at the saloon and Jeff almost gets killed (by the same guy that killed the other guy), but, no, Jeff's to quick for that, the murderer gets a taste of his own medicine. Go Jeff! Then, Jeff - being the smart man that he is and trying to get the track-layers to go lay some track - gets everyone to believe that there's gold at the end-of-track, thus getting them all to run out to work. Then, later, Dick comes around to visit Mollie and gives her a ring, but when Mollie sees Jeff standing off in the distance a little way she gives the ring back, and runs off after Jeff who has taken it into his mind to use her handcar to go out to end-of-track. And so, they're on their way to end-of-track on Mollie's handcar (Mollie to deliver the mail, Jeff to do his job) - then Mollie pretends to drop Jeff's letter from his girl in Boston (who turns out to be his mother) and Jeff stops the handcar to go pick it up - then they can't go anywhere because there's a bunch of buffalo in the way. When they get to end-of-track Mollie delivers the mail (because she's a good dependable girl) and Jeff (with Mollie) goes to the graders camp to get the men up there to start working again because one of the people up there has convinced them all that since they haven't been payed for a while it's not worth working, but you know Jeff, he can get anyone to work. Then the men who are funding the railroad and the people who are deciding where to build the track hold a meeting, and it is decided that Mr. Barrows should give $200,000 dollars to pay the workers who, like I mentioned, haven't been payed in a while. Obviously, not wanting to give up that much money, Mr. Barrows has Sid Campeau get Dick Allen to hold up the pay train. Jeff's bodyguards almost find out about the hold up and almost tell Jeff in time, but they're just a little bit late. Jeff follows one of the robbers (Dick) and almost catches him, but, no. Dick rides past Mollie's post-office-train-car and throws the mail-bag full of stolen money through the window and has just enough time to convince Mollie to hide it and assume a innocent pose. When Jeff comes along Dick tells him that he's been waiting there for a cup of tea. So it's Jeff and Dick and Mollie all waiting for tea. Jeff and Dick start talking about the hold-up: when Mollie hears that the stolen money was carried in a mail-bag she figures out that that bag she hid had the money in it. Then a couple more of Campeau's men show up and Jeff gets suspicious (and I mean more suspicious than he already was). Then Jeff starts looking around (for the cash) and everyone in the car looks like they're about to kill him (except Mollie, obviously). Mollie, worried about Jeff, tries to get him to leave. Then Dick pulls a gun on Jeff. Mollie, still trying to protect Jeff, tells Dick that she'll marry him. She lies and says that Dick has been with her all evening and that the money is not there. Poor Mollie, she loves Jeff so much, and is just trying not to let him get killed. Well, after Jeff gets out, Mollie convinces Dick to give back the money to the railroad claiming she wouldn't help him rob the railroad that she loved, and wouldn't marry him unless he gave it back. So, Dick and Mollie give back the money, lying about where they found it. Then Jeff and his bodyguards interrogate Mr. Campeau and get him to confess that Dick held up the train, a bunch of track-layers destroy the saloon, Mr. Campeau promises that he's going to get back at Jeff, and Mollie marries Dick. After the wedding Jeff comes to take Dick away - to the gallows I guess- but Mollie keeps Jeff back just long enough to let Dick escape and thus loses her job, which breaks her heart - poor Mollie. On the ride to the next town (where Mollie is to give up her position) Dick climbs into Mollie's train car from underneath (where apparently he's been all night). Then the train gets attacked by Indians. The Indians crash the train and everyone dies except for Mollie, Jeff, Dick, and one other guy who gets killed when he tries to make a run for it. Not knowing, but hoping that Mollie lived through the wreck Jeff goes and tries to find her. He's very happy to find both her and Dick living. They all hide out in Mollie's car (despite the man-sized holes in the roof), then Mollie sets up a make-shift telegraph machine and they try to message for help. No one answers their call after an hour; Mollie and the other two can hear the Indians coming closer to their car; they try to message again for help, but one of the indians hears them and gives away their hiding spot. Then Jeff gets shot in the arm and the three run out of ammunition except for three more bullets which they decide to use to kill themselves. Mollie kneels to pray (expecting to get a merciful bullet in the back) then she thinks she hears a train whistle. No...she's crazy. She kneels again. This time all three of them hear it! The army comes to save them, but Mollie gets shot. Jeff takes Mollie to the army doctor, in spite of Dick who has to leave so he doesn't get caught by the Union Pacific's officials. Later, Jeff meets with Dick and tells him that Molly will be okay. Jeff gives Dick a horse, food, water, a gun, and ammunition; then tells him to stay away from Union Pacific property  until the railroad is done so that he won't have to shoot him. Dick leaves - then Mollie, Jeff, and all of the track-layers are in the middle of a blizzard trying to find away through a frozen mountain. Jeff has a bright idea - go around the mountain, even thought that means laying the track on ten feet of snow. They try it, the first time they send a train over the track collapses and kills Mollie's father, the engineer - poor Mollie. The second try it works perfectly. Almost done now - Mr. Barrows, still trying to wreck the railroad building, decides to work from another angle and declares that there are miles and miles a track that are unsafe. Of course, it's really fine. Then Jeff comes to say goodbye to Mollie (this is the sad part), oh dear. I was crying. Then everyone (including Dick) meets at Promontory Point to meet the two railroads. Jeff disappears and Dick goes to find him, but Mr. Campeau thinking he's shooting at Jeff (you know, getting back at him) accidentally shoots Dick. Jeff finds Dick shot, and is sitting there with him when Mr. Campeau comes around again and tries to shoot him. Thank goodness his bodyguards were still around - Mr. Campeau dies and Jeff goes to Mollie. The movie ends as the two railroad engines touch (completing the railroad) and Jeff tells Mollie that Dick will be waiting for them "at the end-of-track". 
  Morally it was pretty clean. A lot of scenes in the saloon means a lot of drinking. Adventurous western means a couple of shooting scenes. Otherwise - good. 
  Okay, now my thoughts: I love this movie. I like it for more than just the fact that Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea were in it. The story was good, it was suspenseful. It was a better romance than the other two Stanwycks I've reviewed, but still not that best (because there are some amazing romantic movies). It had a good ending. And it made me cry, good movies make you cry - either because they're that funny or they're that passionate. I really just loved it! So there we go: that's all there is to it. :) 

 

Jeff, Mollie, Dick

 

Reading the letter from mother. 

 

On Mollie's handcar

 

After the train crash. 

 

Yeah...not so sure what they're doing.

 

Mollie...moving train...<3 

One of the best movies lines: 

Jeff: 'Til the right man comes along and gives you the spanking you deserve! 

Mollie: Ah, that's the man she dreams of! <3 

Until Later On~

  

The File on Thelma Jordon (1950)

 

Well, I was sitting around after church on a nice, warm, Sunday afternoon, just relaxing. Me and the boys had already gone to play shuffleboard, which I'm horrible at, so I decided to lay around a little bit more and watch another Barbara Stanwyck movie (that makes 46 that I've seen so far). The movie was The File on Thelma Jordon or just Thelma Jordon. Thelma Jordon, like most other film-noir, was a suspenseful drama revolving around a main theme of crime, in this case a murder. It was an interesting movie. I didn't hate it, but it is not going on my favorite movie list. 

 Here's the plot (hopefully more concise than my last): Barbara Stanwyck is Thelma Jordon. Wendell Corey is Cleve Marshall, assistant district attorney. The first scene of the movie Cleve Marshall is sitting in the district attorney's office dodging his father-in-law (and his anniversary) getting drunk. The DA leaves and tells Cleve to lock up when he's done. Thinking that Cleve is the DA, Thelma Jordon walks into the office to report an attempted burglary at her aunt's home where she lives. Why didn't she go to the police? Well, her eccentric aunt doesn't like uniforms. Realizing that he is drunk and not the man she wants anyway she turns and leaves, he follows her. When she gets outside to her car she has a parking ticket, Cleve offers to take care of the ticket if she'll go out for a drink with him. So there they go. After they're done, Thelma drops Cleve off at his office where his car is so that he can go home. The next day Thelma goes back to the DA's office to talk about the burglary and runs into Cleve again. Then Cleve's family goes on vacation to the beach and he starts spending time with Thelma. Then one night Thelma's aunt, while investigating a noise downstairs, is shot and killed. Thelma calls Cleve, he comes to the house, and she confesses that she wiped away the fingerprints on everything because she was afraid that it might have been her husband Tony (did I mention him? Thelma hasn't seen him in a while) who did it while he was trying to get the emeralds that she had told him about out of the safe. Cleve leaves, then the police come and when they find a newly rewritten will (most of the money going to Thelma) everyone suspects Thelma, except Cleve, of killing her aunt for the money. In order to protect herself, she asks Cleve to get himself into the position of prosecuting attorney so that he can throw the case. Well, he does and the jury declares her not guilty, even though they still can't find "Mr. X" Thelma's mysterious friend who was seen leaving the house after the murder, "Mr. X" is Cleve. Then after the trial Cleve goes to visit Thelma and the truth is revealed: Thelma was the one who killed her aunt (Surprised? No.) Thelma isn't married to Tony (he's there at the house now). She and him planned that Thelma would go and steal her aunt's emeralds and then run away to Europe, so the murder wasn't really part of the plan that's just what happened. Cleve thought he was in love with Thelma and she with him, but he was just the fall guy, and not even the fall guy they wanted; just the one that happened to be around ready to fall. So now, leaving Cleve full of shame and remorse, Thelma and Tony hit the road. I guess Thelma must have felt bad or started to actually care about Cleve because she purposely makes Tony crash their car. It goes through a barrier and over a hill - a literal ball of fire. I thought she died, but, no, she had to have one last chance to confess. She comes off the ambulance, the DA is waiting for her. She confesses everything (except for the identity of "Mr. X" because she loves him) and dies. Cleve comes to the hospital and then the DA realizes that he is "Mr. X". Knowing that he could go to jail for purposely throwing a case, Cleve has resigned from his position as Asst. DA. The movie ends as Cleve walks away down the street after asking the DA to tell his wife he'll see her later. THE END. 

 Now my thoughts: Thelma Jordon was suspenseful if not wonderful, enjoyable if not my spectacular, and interesting if not terribly confusing. I did enjoy it; even if it wasn't the best I will always have a hard time saying anything bad about a Barbara Stanwyck movie, or most old movies in general. These are the things I disliked - 1. Just to be picky, I don't like movies where the leading man is more than a year younger than the leading lady. Wendell Corey (born 1914) was seven years younger than Barbara Stanwyck (born 1907). 2. There are exceptions, but most of the time I don't like film-noir, Thelma Jordon was very film-noir. 3. Stanwyck died at the end. I don't know, I just never enjoyed watching her die. I don't enjoy watching anyone die, but definitely not her, just another one of those things. Morally, a big chunk of the movie is about Thelma and Cleve's affair. Otherwise it's clean.

 I can't really make up my mind about this movie, or, anyway, I can't put it into words. Basically, I enjoyed it immensely, but it's not my favorite. I don't have very good reasons for really liking or disliking it. It's just stuck in the middle somewhere.

 

At the trial. 

 

 

At her house after the murder. 

 

 

This isn't even a scene in the movie. These pictures are all lobby cards, that's why they're in color, while the movie was B&W. :) 

Until Later On ~