Movie Monday: The Great Lie

Movie Monday: The Great Lie

This year, I’ve been highlighting movies during the anniversary of their release month, and I’d initially planned to talk about the 1946 film, Deception, starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains. However, I had the delightful opportunity to interview Curator Emeritus, Dick Alberini, of the Littleton (NH) Historical Museum for my YouTube channel, and the town has a special association with another of Bette’s films, The Great Lie. Hence, today’s post.

According to IMDB The Great Lie's plot is “After a newlywed’s husband apparently dies in a plane crash, she discovers that her rival for his affections is pregnant by him.” The movie is actually a bit more robust than that. Based on the novel January Heights by Polan Banks, a Sandra Kovak, concert pianist and Peter Van Allen, an aviator, marry on impulse while he’s more than a bit drunk, then find out the marriage is invalid because her divorce had not been finalized. He turns around and weds his “old flame” Maggie Patterson, then sets out to Brazil on a business trip. When his aircraft is reported missing, he is presumed dead. (Spoiler alert: nope)

Mary Astor plays Sandra, George Brent pays Peter, and Bette Davis is Maggie, the old flame. At some

point Sandra realizes she pregnant, and Maggie gets word of the situation. She proposes that she be allowed to raise the child in exchange for providing financial support for Sandra. Sandra agrees, has the child, then heads out on a world tour. Then to Maggie’s surprise, Peter arrives home, and she tells him about “their” son – The Great Lie. Eventually, Sandra returns and throws a wrench in the works by taunting Maggie. Things get ugly fast but eventually work out in the end. I’ll let you watch to see how.

Astor won an Oscar for her role with many critics and audience members claiming she stole the spotlight from Davis who was known for commandeering scenes and “skirmishes” with other actresses. In an interview later, Ms. Astor would say, “People have said I stole the picture from Bette…that’s sheer nonsense. She handed it to me on a silver platter.” One source posited, “Mary Astor knew as well as anyone that no one could steal a scene from Bette Davis unless she allowed it.”

The film has been written off by some as “sentimental fluff,” but I disagree. There is lots of tension, and as one site put it, “The Great Lie at first glance, {may} be your standard old-school melodrama. And yes, the premise leans toward the hokey. But look closer, and you’ll find a surprisingly thoughtful study of gender dynamics in 1940s America. It’s not just about love and rivalry; it’s about women navigating emotional and moral dilemmas within the boundaries society has placed around them.”

So, what is the connection between the film and Littleton, New Hampshire (of all places)? Turns out

Bette spent many happy years there. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, she was a New Englander through and through, so after she became a successful (and wealthy) actress, she purchased a getaway in the mountains of New Hampshire in the tiny hamlet of Sugar Hill. It was there she met her second husband, Arthur Farnsworth. She headed to the house she named Butternut whenever she needed a break from the chaos and stress from her Hollywood life. Tragically, Arthur died only a few years later because falling down the stairs at the house.

Littleton was where she was happiest, and when it came time for the premiere for The Great Lie, she insisted the gala be held in New Hampshire, not Hollywood. To top it off, proceeds from the ticket sales went to benefit the local hospital. The event coincided with her 33rd birthday, and residents could pay $1.50 to attend.

Bette continued to visit Butternut after Arthur’s death, but her trips became less frequent, and she eventually sold the property. Despite the more than seventy-five years since her last visit, she still holds a special place in Littleton’s heart.

________________

Danish Days, The Resistance Chronicles Book 5:

Can hearts filled with hate find love?

Near the end of the “second war to end all wars,” Norwegian American OSS agent Frida Westgard finds herself assigned to Denmark, of all places. Initially sent as a radio operator, she is then transferred to Copenhagen to collect intelligence. A job made more dangerous when she becomes entangled in local resistance activities led by the handsome man known only as Rejsende–traveler.

Stig Arenfeldt has hated the Germans for as long as he can remember, so when they invade and occupy his beloved Denmark, he jumps at the chance to join the resistance. Now, five years later, the war may finally be at an end, but he won’t quit until the last soldier is gone…or dead. Then he’s paired with the attractive American agent who preaches forgiveness. A concept that has no place in his life. Unfortunately, the more they’re together, the more her words infiltrate his soul, and he begins to dread the day she’ll walk out of his life.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/3LoGlw

Sources:
Conversation with Dick Alberini, Curator Emeritus, Littleton Historical Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Lie
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033677/
https://melanienovak.com/2021/02/17/the-great-lie-bette-cedes-the-spotlight/
https://diaryofamoviemaniac.wordpress.com/2015/06/08/the-great-lie-1941/
https://hookedonhouses.net/2016/01/14/bette-davis-beloved-butternut-farm-new-hampshire/
https://www.nhmagazine.com/weve-got-bette-daviss-plaque/
https://www.nhmagazine.com/bette-davis-eyes-sugar-hill-2/

Photo Credits:

Movie Poster: By IMDB, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php

Movie Monday: Hitchcock's Notorious

 

Movie Monday: Hitchcock's Notorious

This month’s anniversary movie is Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious. The noir film was shot in late 1945 and early 1946, then premiered in New York on August 15 of that year before releasing to the general public on September 6, 1946.

Considered by many critics and scholars to be Hitchcock’s greatest film, Notorious combines “an anguished romance shot through with deception and moral ambiguity.” Starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Berman, and Claude Rains, it is one of the many spy/thriller movies put out after the war. Bergman’s character is the daughter of a convicted German spy, and she is recruited by a government agent (Grant) to infiltrate a group of Germans who escaped to Brazil after the war. Shortly thereafter, she falls in love with Grant only to discover that her mission is to seduce a Nazi industrialist (Rains).

Interestingly, the original producer was David O. Selznik, who according to one source, sold the project to RKO for some “quick cash,” then lobbied to get Grant replaced with Joseph Cotten (whose contract Selznick just happened to own). However, Hitchcock and RKO production executive William Dozier invoked a clause in the sale contract and blocked Selznick’s attempts.

Hitchcock wanted Clifton Webb for the role that eventually went to Rains (Selznick’s choice). Most

would agree Rains is the better choice creating a classic Hitchcock villain: “sympathetic, nuanced, and in some ways admirable as the protagonist.” Attempts were made to obtain Ethel Barrymore and Mildred Natwick for the role of Mme. Sebastian (Rain’s character’s mother) were unsuccessful, and Leopoldine Konstantin, considered one of pre-war Germany’s greatest actresses, was selected.

 

As with all of Hitchcock’s work, Notorious was shot almost entirely on a sound stage which allowed him to control all aspects and not have to worry about weather or other outside influences. The only outdoor scene was at the riding club where Grant and Bergman meet with Rains on horseback, and the filming was done at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia, California. Another issue to deal with was the fact that Rains was three or four inches shorter than Bergman, and there are scenes in which they walked hand-in-hand. A system of ramps were created that boosted Rains’s height, and Hitchcock also suggested the use of elevator shoes, which the actor did.

Well received by audiences and critics alike, the film earned $24M on a budget of $1M. In 2006, Notorious was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Have you seen this classic?

___________________  

Swedish Sunrise (Coming September 15, 2026) 

Espionage. Diplomacy. Resistance. Is there any room for love?

Weeks after being accepted into America’s Office of Strategic Services, Birgit Westgard finds herself in Stockholm, Sweden - “Casablanca of the North.” The job is supposed to be easy: typing and filing. Then her handsome boss taps her to be his “plus-one” at social events where they collect intelligence, plant propaganda, and dance the nights away. How much longer can she remain impervious to his charm?

Silas Cronin is one of the lucky ones, and his plane crash lands in neutral Sweden. Bored with cooling his heels in an internment camp, he raises his hand when the government comes looking for someone who can type. Suddenly, he’s in Stockholm, mired in intrigue and subterfuge, and more than a little attracted to his new secretary who wants nothing to do with him. Is she right that wartime is no time for romance?

Pre-order link: https://books2read.com/u/3RRqyv

Sources:
https://www.criterion.com/films/682-notorious
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038787/
https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/c30e3963-b2c3-56d4-80f2-154f0e814dc5/notorious
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notorious_(1946_film)

Photo credits:

Poster -  "Copyright 1946 RKO Radio Pictures Inc." - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped from the original image., Public Domain.

Movie Stills: RKO Pictures

Movie Monday: Gilda

 Movie Monday: Gilda

Released March 14, 1946 in New York City and nationwide a month later, Gilda is considered one of Hollywood’s best film noirs. The movie met with mixed reviews from critics, but most agreed that Rita Hayworth (in the title role) and Glenn Ford gave noteworthy performances. Audiences flocked to see it, and the movie earned almost $6M worldwide on a $2M budget.

Gilda was directed by Hungarian immigrant Charles Vidor who arrived in the U.S. in 1922 after having served in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I. He initially worked as a basso for an opera company and eventually made his way to Hollywood where he secured an assistant’s job with director Alex Korda, another Hungarian immigrant. Vidor did well in the silent film era and came to the attention of executive at Universal Pictures after his success with the 1929 movie The Bridge.

The plot per imdb is “Just arrived in Argentina, small-time crooked gambler Johnny Farrell is saved from a gunman by sinister Ballin Mundson who later makes Johny his right-hand man. But their friendship based on a mutual lack of scruples is strained when Mundson returns from a trip with a wife, the supremely desirable Gilda, who Johnny once knew and learned to hate. The relationship of Johnny and Gilda, a battlefield of warring emotions, becomes even more bizarre after Mundson disappears.”

Gilda is actress Rita Hayworth’s first major dramatic role. By this time, she had already appeared in

dozens of films, but most were comedies or romantic comedies. The movie shot her Hollywood star even higher, but for Rita, there were drawbacks to being labeled a femme fatale. She was angered to learn her likeness was put on an atomic bomb being tests in the Marshall Islands alluding to her being a “bombshell.” Years later she commented that the men she dated “go to bed with Gilda but wake up with me.”

The film was also a big hit for Glenn Ford whose father had told him early on, “It’s alright for you to act, if you learn something else first. Be able to take a car apart and put it together. Be able to build a house, every bit of it. Then you’ll always have something.” The role was Ford’s first postwar film after having served in the Marines. He entered as a private and was promoted to sergeant before being medically discharged.

Even though Gilda was produced after the Hays code was implemented (“A set of industry guidelines for self-censorship of content applied to motions pictures.” Wikipedia), the movie pushed the envelope of acceptability with Hayworth’s attire (form-fitting black satin) and her “legendary one-glove striptease, “Put the Blame on Mame.””

Code “don’ts” include:

• Profanity
• Licentious or suggestive nudity – in fact or in silhouette
• Inferences to sexual perversion
• Illegal drug traffic
• Ridicule of clergy

Nominated for the grand prize at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival, Gilda didn’t receive any Academy Award nominations, however in 2013 was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Have you seen this classic?

____________________

Shetland Sunset:

Bonded by a cause but an ocean apart, will their love survive a world war?

After months in Norway helping his cousins with their fishing business, American Askel Westgard seems trapped when the Germans invade until he has a chance to get back at the Occupiers as part of the Shetlandsgjengen, or Shetland gang, a group of fishermen who transport weapons and equipment from Shetland to Norway under cover of darkness. Unfortunately, the beautiful Norwegian woman he’s just met refuses to join him in safety. Will he ever see her again?

Distraught when the Germans overrun her beloved Norway, Tonje Bondevik refuses to take the occupation sitting down. She joins the fledgling resistance movement, deriving great satisfaction distributing the underground newspaper and performing acts of sabotage…until the day the Nazis come looking for her, and she must flee for her life. Perhaps she should have listened to the handsome Norwegian American when he offered to take her to Shetland.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/4AWqJk

 
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilda_(film)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038559/
https://www.criterion.com/films/27909-gilda
https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/10460
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gilda
https://moviecrashcourse.com/2019/08/13/gilda-1946/

Photo Credits:

Movie Poster: By Robert Coburn - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Cropped from the original image., Public Domain.

Movie Still: By Columbia Pictures - DVD with the film & the trailer, Public Domain.

Movie Still: By Trailer distributed by Columbia Pictures - DVD with the film & the trailer, Public Domain.

Movie Monday: Confidential Agent

Movie Monday: Confidential Agent

Based on the Graham Greene novel of the same name, Confidential Agent was released in November, 1945 and stars Charles Boyer, Lauren Bacall, and Peter Lorre. According to Greene’s autobiography, Ways of Escape, he wrote the manuscript in six weeks after determining that to be successful, he needed to “write another entertainment” to provide for his family. He also stated that he used Benzedrine (brand name for amphetamines) twice a day to increase his writing pace.

Having just come back from Mexico, Graham wrote the plot around the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). You’d think Hollywood have had enough of war movies, but they jumped on the publication. The screenplay was written by Robert Buckner and stays true to the novel.

Boyer, who by this time had starred in dozens of movies, including silent films in the 1920s, played a

former concert pianist and composer who travels to England as a confidential agent of Spanish Republicans to purchase coal or deny it to the Fascist rebels. On the ocean crossing, he meets a “bored, rich girl” and daughter of the man which whom he’ll be negotiating, played by Lauren Bacall in only her third movie.

The characters miss their train and decide to travel together by car. Their journey is fraught with foibles and danger, and the pair eventually get separated before coming back together for their happily ever after.

Reviews of the movie are mixed, with one site commenting that “Boyer conveys more than a touch of Denard’s world-weariness, but the character is much less anxious and despairing than he is in the novel. Bacall’s performance was panned across the board, giving an “awful performance—playing a bored English aristocrat with a flat New York accent and a voice devoid of inflection. The actress would later say in an interview, “To case me as an aristocratic English girl was more than a stretch. It was dementia.” Lorres does his usual masterful job of playing a villain.

Despite the poor reviews and slow pace, I enjoyed the movie and think it’s worth watching. I learned a bit about the Spanish Civil War, and it was fun to see Lauren Bacall in the early days of her career. I never tire of watching Peter Lorre.

Have you seen this classic?

__________________________

A Lesson in Love

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after most of the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Then her friend Margery talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, raven-haired leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3YHgUb0

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confidential_Agent (movie)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037610/
https://www.cineaste.com/summer2011/from-the-archives-confidential-agent
https://www.tcm.com/watchtcm/titles/1870
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Confidential_Agent (novel)

Photo credits:

Movie poster: Warner Brothers

Movie Still: Warner Brothers

Movie Monday: Love Letters

Movie Monday: Love Letters

Released on October 26, 1945, Love Letters, is based on Christopher Massie’s novel, Pity My Simplicity. Ayn Rand wrote the screenplay, and the film was directed by William Dieterle, a German-born actor and director who fled to the U.S. in 1930. The movie is the second of four that featured Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten in the lead roles.

Jennifer Jones had a career that spanned nearly fifty years and included five Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama, for Love Letters. Joseph Cotten was a radio, stage, film, and television actor, doing exceptionally well on Broadway. He became one of Hollywood’s leading actors during the 1940s. According to Wikipedia, “film critics and media outlets have cited him as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.

In the film, Cotten plays Alan Quinton, a soldier stationed in Italy during WWII, who writes letters on

behalf of his friend Roger Morland. As times passes, he realizes Roger’s girlfriend, Victoria, has fallen in love with the letters and informs Roger who subsequently goes to training then to see Victoria while on leave. They marry, but shortly thereafter, Alan is injured, and Roger is killed. Alan is discharged but struggles to settle back to civilian life and his fiancée. He gets drunk at a party and shares the story of his letter writing, only to discover that Roger had been murdered and Victoria (in attendance at the party and who now has amnesia and a new last name of Singleton) was tried for the murder.

In a flashback, the incident is shown in which Roger and Victoria argue about the letters which Roger has forgotten were written on his behalf. He becomes violent and strikes Victoria. Beatrice, Victoria’s adoptive mother, grabs and knife and stabs Roger while Victor tries to save the letters he threw into the fireplace. Alan and Victoria continue to see each other and eventually fall in love. At the last minute, she recalls her true identity and realizes Alan is the one who wrote the letters.

The plot is somewhat convoluted, and as one source put it, “Ayn Rand’s script may stretch credibility,” but Jones and Cotten put on excellent performances. Strong direction and magnificent cinematography add depth. Have you seen this classic?

_____________

The American World War II Home Front in 29 Objects:

Unlike Europe the American mainland escaped physical devastation during World War II as it was not subjected to full-scale invasions. However, that didn’t mean the United States wasn’t impacted by the war. The ramifications of large economic, cultural, and societal changes forced Americans to reconsider entrenched beliefs and traditions.

Artifacts collected from across the nation tell the stories of the American people whose lives were shaped by this second “war to end all wars,” World War II.

Purchase link: https://books2read.com/u/47pLxR

Photo Credits:
Movie Poster: Fair use, Paramount Pictures
Movie Still: Paramount Pictures
Movie Still: Paramount Pictures

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Letters_(1945_film)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037885/
https://loveletterstooldhollywood.blogspot.com/2018/09/love-letters-1945-turmoil-tragedy-and.html
https://heartofnoir.com/film/love-letters-1945/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Love-Letters

Movie Monday: Mildred Pierce

Movie Monday: Mildred Pierce

Initially released in New York in September 1945, Mildred Pierce, was released nationwide the following month. The film is based on James M. Cain’s 1941 novel of the same name. Cain is often referred to as “progenitor of the hard-boiled school of American crime fiction. According to one source, the book is described as a “psychological work with little violence,” and the adaptation was designed as a thriller, so a murder was added to the plot. Apparently, Hollywood felt the country was ready for something other than the lightweight, rom-coms that were prevalent during the war.

Joan Crawford plays the title role, her first since leaving Warner Bros. for MGM. She ultimately won an Academy Award for her performance. Eve Arden and Ann Blythe also appear in supporting roles. The murder victim is Mildred’s second husband, Monte, played by Zachary Scott, an actor who frequently played villains, and the suspect is her first husband, Bert, played by former Olympian shot-put champion, Bruce Bennett whose career spanned over forty years.

The plot told mostly in flashback is a little convoluted, and I wonder if that’s because of the changes

made from the novel’s original storyline. After Bert is charged with the crime Mildred insists that he is “too kind to commit murder.” Bert splits with his business partner, resulting in Mildred needing to find some way to support her family. She settles on selling backed goods. As time passes, Bert accuses her of favoring their daughters over him, and they argue, eventually separating. The girls remain with Mildred: sixteen-year-old, “bratty social climber” Veda, and ten-year-old tomboy, Kay.

Most of the movie is Mildred trying to provide the material possession and social status Veda craves. Veda’s behavior toward her mother is reprehensible, and she pulls one “stunt” after another, getting deeper and deeper into trouble. Their relationship deteriorates, but Mildred continues to try to fix the consequences of Veda’s actions. I won’t spoil the ending.

As mentioned, there are differences between the book and movie:

• The novel spans nine years (1931-1940), whereas the movie takes place between 1939 and 1943.
• Mildred is referred to as “more of a tycoon” in the movie by one source.
• Mildred’s restaurants are more glamorous, and she owns a chain rather than three.
• There are no references to the Depression or Prohibition in the movie.

A huge box office success, Mildred Pierce was met with mixed reviews from critics. Joan Crawford’s performance was praised, but some aspects of the storyline were panned. In 1996, the movie was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and chosen for preservation in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry.

Have you seen this classic?

___________________

The American World War II Home Front in 29 Objects

Unlike Europe the American mainland escaped physical devastation during World War II as it was not subjected to full-scale invasions. However, that didn’t mean the United States wasn’t impacted by the war. The ramifications of large economic, cultural, and societal changes forced Americans to reconsider entrenched beliefs and traditions.

Artifacts collected from across the nation tell the stories of the American people whose lives were shaped by this second “war to end all wars,” World War II.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/u/47pLxR

Photo Credits:

Movie Poster: By "Copyright Warner Bros. Distributing Corporation" - Scan via Heritage Auctions. Public Domain.

Movie Still: By Trailer screenshot - Mildred Pierce trailer, Public Domain.

Novel Cover: By http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=4511267781, Fair use.

Movie Monday: Conflict

Movie Monday: Conflict

Filmed in 1943 but not released until 1945, Warner Brothers’ film noir Conflict starred Humphrey Bogart, Sydney Greenstreet, and Alexis Smith (an actress who made quite a few movies, but I’d not heard of). A cameo appearance is also made by the Maltese Falcon statue. The movie is based on The Pentacle by Alfred Neumann and Robert Siodmak. Despite the “heavy-hitting” cast, the movie didn’t do well.

Bogart and Greenstreet starred in several movies together, but Conflict is the only one in which Bogart played the villain. And played it he did even though he was somewhat blackmailed to take the role. Several sources quote the actor telling Jack Warner “I’m sorry, Jack. I just can’t do it. My stomach will not let me. I am an honest man, and I have to be honest with myself in this manner. If you want to get tough with me…I will feel that I have lots a friend.” However, he accepted after Warner threatened to block production of Passage to Marseille or cast a different actor in the lead role.

On the surface, the plot is a good one and fairly straightforward: Richard and Kathryn Mason appear to

be a happily married couple. Unfortunately, Richard has fallen in love with Kathryn’s younger sister, but he’s resigned to the fact that his wife won’t grant him a divorce. Kathryn derides him every chance she gets, and a series of events occur prompts him to murder her. After the police determine that he “did the deed,” they set him up with a bit of gaslighting to catch him. A pawn shop ticket is mailed to him, and the envelope appears to be addressed in Kathryn’s writing. When he goes to the shop, he finds her locket and what appears to be her signature in the register. He takes the police to the shop, but the locket is gone, and the register is different. Then on the street, he sees a woman who looks and dresses like Kathryn, so he follows her to her apartment, but it’s vacant and no one is inside.

Now convinced Kathryn is still alive, he returns to the crime scene to see if her body is still in the car where he left her. Bad news for Richard: the police are waiting for him.

Bogart and Greenstreet were both lauded for their performances, however, more than one critic commented that neither actor was “good enough to save the film.” Complaints of too many artificial devices and plot holes litter most of the reviews of the time. Since then, critics have been a bit more forgiving.

Personally, I thought the movie’s suspense, cinematography, and psychological aspects make it very watchable, especially for those who enjoy “noir” films.

_________________________

A Lesson in Love

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after most of the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Then her friend Margery talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, raven-haired leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

Pre-order link: https://amzn.to/3YHgUb0

Movie Monday: It's a Wonderful Life

Movie Monday: It’s a Wonderful Life

I would hazard a guess that even folks who don’t tend to watch “old movies,” films from the 1930s and 1940s, have seen Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. It generally airs at Christmastime, but I watch it all year and cry every time the bell rings, even after all these years. The movie is based on a short story “The Greatest Gift” by Philip Van Doren Stern who couldn’t find a publishers, so sent printed copies to his friends as a Christmas card in 1943.

Here are some fun facts you may not know:

When RKO had the rights to the movie, and before Capra came on board, studio executives saw It’s A Wonderful Life wanted superstar Cary Grant for the role of George Bailey. Henry Fonda was also considered, but Capra always wanted Jimmy Stewart. I’m with Capra!

Donna Reed plays Mary Hatch-Bailey, George’s wife. For the scene where George and Mary each throw a stone through the windows of an abandoned house, Capra had an ace marksman lined up to shoot out the window on cue. But Donna Reed who had played baseball in high school, nailed it the first time.

Beulah Bondi, who plays George’s mother, played Jimmy Stewart’s mother five times on screen. Jimmy used to call her, “Mom” right up until her death in 1981.

During the scene where Uncle Billy leaves the Bailey home and goes off camera, it sounds like he

stumbles into some trash cans. What actually happened was accidental: a crew member dropped a tray of props. Actor Thomas Mitchell, who played Billy ad libs by shouting, “I’m alright! I’m aaaaaalright!” Capra used this take in the final cut and gave the crew member who dropped the props a $10 bonus for improving the sound. And Jimmy Stewart, who’s still on-screen looking off-camera, smiles when Mitchell improvises the line.

The name of George’s daughter is Zuzu, and she’s played by Karolyn Grimes. Zuzu is named after a brand of biscuits that were popular in the US in the 40s, which is why George says, “Zuzu! My little ginger snap,” when he sees her.

Before It’s a Wonderful Life was made, snow on film was made with painted cornflakes. Because of the noise created by the flakes, dialogue had to be dubbed in later. Capra wanted to record the sound live so, instead, the RKO effects team came up with a new effect using soap, water, and foamite (the substance you find in fire extinguishers) and won a special Oscar for their innovation.

The high school dance sequence was filmed at Beverly Hills High School and it’s still there, and used by students, to this day. And the retractable floor was also used in a rom-com called Whatever It Takes in 2000, in a very similar scene.

The FBI flagged the film as "communist" in 1947 in a memo: “With regard to the picture 'It's a Wonderful Life,' [redacted] stated in substance that the film represented rather obvious attempts to discredit bankers by casting Lionel Barrymore as a 'scrooge-type' so that he would be the most hated man in the picture. This, according to these sources, is a common trick used by Communists.”

Have yourself a merry little Christmas!

___________________

A Lesson in Love (Strength of His Heart Anthology):

He thinks he’s too old. She thinks she’s too young. Can these teachers learn that love defies all boundaries?

Born and raised in London, Isobel Turvine knows nothing about farming, but after most of the students in her school evacuate during Operation Pied Piper, she’s left with little to do. Then her friend Margery talks her into joining the Women’s Land Army, and she finds herself working the land at a manor home in Yorkshire that’s been converted to a boys’ school. A teacher at heart, she is drawn to the lads, but the handsome yet stiff-necked headmaster wants her to stick to farming.

Left with an arm that barely works from the last “war to end all wars,” Gavin Emerson agrees to take on the job of headmaster when his school moves from London to Yorkshire, but he’s saddled with the quirky manor owner, bickering among his teachers, and a gaggle of Land Army girls who have turned the grounds into a farm. When the group’s blue-eyed, raven-haired leader nearly runs him down in a car, he admonishes her to stay in the fields, but they are thrown together at every turn. Can he trust her not to break his heart?

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