Warner Archive Wednesday ~ A Millionaire for Christy (1951)

A Millionaire for Christy (1951) stars Fred MacMurray as Peter Ulysses Lockwood, a popular radio advertising spokesperson. He's about to get married to June (Kay Buckley) in an arrangement more about convenience than about love. Little does Peter know that he's about to come into an inheritance of $2 million!

Nice sock garters Fred

Christy Sloane (Eleanor Parker) has been sent by her law firm to find Peter to hand deliver his notice about the $2 million. Christy is the opposite of Peter's bride June. She's a poor working girl who just had her new fur coat repossessed. Christy dreams of a luxurious life but can't seem to manage it in her current situation. Her coworker Patsy (the lovely Una Merkel) convinces Christy to try to snag the newly minted millionaire Peter so she can get somewhere in life.

Only Una Merkel could rock a frown, a secretary blouse and cat-eye glasses and make it look adorable.

Christy is tempted and tries to lure Peter in. What follows is an up-and-down and around-and-around roller coaster ride. Christy keeps trying to tell Peter he's rich and Peter keeps trying to get to his wedding. But there are lots of obstacles along the way. Including Dr. Roland Cook (Richard Carlson), Peter's good friend and his competition for June's affections.

This Hollywood comedy, directed by George Marshall, tries too hard to be funny and most of the time it fell flat. In fact, I was bored watching it and had to restart it several times before I could finish it. Fred MacMurray is both lovable and annoying as the confused and befuddled Peter. But Eleanor Parker was just plain annoying. I really didn't have any sympathy for her character. They try to get your empathy with the early scene with her getting her fur coat repossessed right off her back (at her place of employment no less) but after that I really couldn't care less about her. And I wanted to see more Una Merkel.

My favorite part of the film was when Peter and Christy get stranded in fog late at night and their car is stuck in a stretch of beach. A group of Mexican men help tow their car and give them a place to sleep for the night. Peter and Christy don't speak Spanish and the Mexicans don't speak English (although one of them tries and fails repeatedly). Peter and Christy end up getting drunk off of Tequila shots (body, salt, tequila, lime and all!) and let loose for one night. For the entire movie they are both uptight bundles of nerves and this is the only part in which you see them relax for a bit.

A Millionaire for Christy (1951) is available on DVD via Warner Archive (Warner Home Video).

Also, check out Laura's review of the film over at her blog Laura's Miscellaneous Musings.

Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. Movies selected are rented from Classicflix, watched on TCM or purchased from Warner Archive, Classicflix or TCM. This series is not sponsored by Warner Archive.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) on the big screen

On Thursday, I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Lawrence of Arabia (1962) for the very first time, and on the big screen to boot. What an experience!

The film was presented by Sony Pictures and NCM Fathom Events. It started off early with some interviews with industry professionals regarding the remastering of the film for it's 50th anniversary and it's special Blu-Ray release. Note to self: go to these screenings early or you'll miss all the advanced goodies. Carlos and I walked in and they had already started.

They showed some behind-the-scenes footage from old newsreels. Then they showed The Lure of the Dessert, a documentary by Martin Scorcese on Lawrence of Arabia. Scorcese made some interesting observations. Lawrence of Arabia is one of the few cinematic epics from the era which is not based on a Biblical character or story yet has the same level of production as those Biblical movies did. Scorcese was intrigued by T.E. Lawrence the main character because he's a hero you can't quite figure out and the mystery of his character is what draws audiences into the movie and back to it after they ave seen it. And Scorcese never seems to remember the ending because this movie is much more about the journey than it is about a beginning and an end. He also notes that there was a restoration and re-release that happened in the 1980s.

David Lean was the director of Lawrence of Arabia and it was noted, perhaps in Scorcese's documentary, that he never finished editing the film. Which could speak to it's length and breadth.

There was also a newsreel from when King Hussein visited the set and another one about Peter O'Toole. Did you know he spent 3 months learning how to ride a camel? And that a 1917 armored car actually used by the real T.E. Lawrence was used in the film?

The final bits included some short footage of the Lawrence of Arabia premiere. I'm thinking it was L.A. but it could have been NY. I didn't realize this was Peter O'Toole's first major role. Wow! That's quite a project to take on.

My favorite of the intro pieces definitely had to have been Omar Sharif's introduction. He starts off saying "I wish I was with you right now." Oh my goodness I just wanted to give him a big hug.

There is not much I can say about Lawrence of Arabia that hasn't been said so I thought I would just share my experience as a newcomer to the film. I had seen another David Lean film, Ryan's Daughter (1970), so the cinema style employed by David Lean was familiar to me. The score, the visuals, the costumes, the settings, the story, the magnificent cast (Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, Jose Ferrer, Claude Rains, etc.), Peter O'Toole's blazing blue eyes, what a feast to behold. I was very drawn to all the open space and the continuing themes of loneliness, identity, determination and heroism. I thought it was interesting that T.E. Lawrence is kind of an androgynous character who seems to have both feminine and masculine characteristics along with his personality and character flowing between being English and his sympathy and camaraderie with the Arabs. I really love how they set up his character in the beginning of the film. His motorcycle accident, his love of maps of Arabia and his willingness to burn his fingers on matches shows a sense of adventure and willingness to explore a vast dessert landscape that would scare away many.

I'm very glad I saw this for the first time on the big screen. It made a huge difference. The time frame did not work for me that well. It started at 7pm and after all the intro stuff the film started a bit later. I was fine until the intermission then after the intermission I started to get sleepy and restless and wanted Lawrence to finish his journey already! I think my experience would have been better if the film started earlier. I'm just not a night owl.

Did you see Lawrence of Arabia (1962) on the big screen? What are your thoughts on your experience?

Here are some fun infographics:

Catching Up with Quelle (3)

Classic Film Dress at the MFA - Recently I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and in the Contemporary Art wing I saw this:

The piece is called "Hollywood Stars Paper Dress" and it's from 1968. It's a paper dress which were popular in the late '60s. This one was made by Universal Studios to promote their biggest stars. Actors and Actresses featured on the dress include Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, Julie Andrews, Paul Newman, Henry Fonda, Kirk Douglas, and more. I really dislike Contemporary Art (I'm more traditional) but I loved this piece!

Classic movies seem to follow me everywhere!

It's so hard to pass up a good sale - I was at B&N with Carlos the other day and we were browsing in their Music & Movies section. We stumbled upon this great selection of DVDs for 50% off. With the discount, most of them were $7.50 or $10.

These were the ones I really wanted: 

From Top to Bottom: Random Harvest (1942), Top Hat (1935), The Long, Long Trailer (1953), The Sundowners (1960), Night Flight (1933), Lolita (1962), Mildred Pierce (1945), River of No Return (1954) and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948).

I asked people on Twitter what I should get and several people suggested their favorites. While I was narrowing down my selection to my 5 must-haves, I got a call from the car mechanic shop. My vehicle needed $1,300 worth of repair! Yikes! So I reluctantly put all of these back. Carlos took pity on me and bought me Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House as a gift. That's the one I wanted the most. 

James Bond Breakfast - To celebrate the 50th anniversary of James Bond, Carlos and I have been watching early Bond films. Last night we saw From Russia with Love (1963) and in it James Bond (Sean Connery) orders a breakfast of green figs with yogurt and black coffee. I absolutely love it when characters in classic movies either order food or explain what they are serving for dinner. It gives me great ideas. For breakfast this morning, I served up a bowl of Lactose Free Yogurt (Green Valley Organics brand), some chopped Green figs I got at Whole Foods and drizzled honey over the top and added a sprinkle of cinnamon. It was divine. It's a very Mediterranean breakfast considering the James Bond character is in Istanbul, Turkey in the movie.

Photo by Sammy Davis Jr.

Photo by Sammy Davis Jr.
by Burt Boyar
ISBN 9780061146053
Hardcover
It Books
February 2007

"Jerry [Lewis] gave me my first important camera, my first 35 millimeter during the Ciro's period, early '50s... I met Milton [Greene]. He got me involved with serious photography and using available light." - Sammy Davis Jr.

We always see collections of images of the stars, captured by professional photographers for us to marvel at and enjoy. But it's very rare that we see images from the stars' perspective. Photo by Sammy Davis Jr. is a collection of photographs that the entertainer took of his friends, fellow Rat Packers, family and colleagues during the '50s and '60s. Sammy Davis Jr. had a way with a camera. He captured some of the most amazing people in the entertainment industry in the most intimate settings.

Burt and Jane Boyar were close friends of Sammy's. Jane helped Sammy with his autobiographies and Burt compiled this photo book after both Sammy and Jane passed away. However, the problem with friends writing about friends is that inevitably there will be some bias. Of course the author is going to want to portray Sammy Davis, Jr. in the best light possible. My husband didn't believe the author's claims that he left his family with a lot of money especially after he read from several other books and sources that Sammy had been in very deep debt at the time of his passing. The author pulls out figures and even bank names and deposit amounts to prove his point. Who do we believe? A friend, a family member or a third-party? It's hard to say.

The text of the book is not that great. The font is made to be pleasing to the eye to look at but it's actually hard on the eyes to read. The author discusses Sammy's relationship with some of the key figures in the book in one or two pages for each. The text rambles on, Sammy's words are paraphrased, quoted, sometimes both all at once. It's actually a bit boring and I found myself abandoning several sections of writing. Get this book for the images. Not the words.

Because the photographs are spectacular. Sammy had an eye for photography. And he was surrounded by some of the most fabulous people in show business and he captured them in both happy and vulnerable moments. His photographs give us a visual point-of-view that only a star like himself would have had during that time.

Stars include: 

Jerry Lewis (on the cover)
Kim Novak (lots of intimate picture of her from when they dated)

Rock Hudson

Jack Klugman (Yay!)

Sidney Poitier

Robert Mitchum

Paul Newman

Elizabeth Taylor

Frank Sinatra

Steve McQueen

Peter O'Toole

Marilyn Monroe 

Kirk Douglas
Dean Martin
Lauren Bacall
Humphrey Bogart
Betty Grable
Shirley Maclaine
and many more

There are also pictures of Sammy's second wife May Britt, his daughter Tracey and his two adopted sons with May. There are photographs of Sammy's entertainer father, his mother, and a few of the girlfriends he's had a long the way. My favorite photographs are the self-portraits Sammy did with mirrors. Sammy Davis Jr. also liked talking photographs of people in everyday life but his celebrity made him too obvious to his subjects. So he often took photos from hotel balconies and windows or he went incognito into the streets to take pictures.

Sammy Davis Jr. was the epitome of a self-taught man. He never had any schooling and was raised in the entertainment business. Everything he learned he learned by himself or by the example of others. Including photography.

If you are a fan of Sammy Davis Jr. and of the stars of the 1950s and 1960s, get this book! It'll be a wonderful addition to your coffee table collection or to your home library.

Disclosure: I bought this book for my husband as a thank you present and he lent it to me for this review.

Image Source: Vanity Fair