Warner Archive Wednesday ~ Susan Slept Here (1954)

Back when I was reveling in the luxury of having digital cable, I would sometimes catch a glimpse at a very strange scene on TCM. A dolled up Debbie Reynolds eating strawberries and mixed pickles. Together. Covered with cream. Why would anyone eat strawberries and pickles together? Was the character pregnant? Crazy? On a strange Hollywood diet? For years the image of Reynolds happily devouring strawberries and pickles together haunted me.

Strawberries and pickles?

 Yes, strawberries and pickles.

Strawberries and mixed pickles for breakfast or for an after-dinner snack.

 

It was only years later that I watched the movie with that infamous Strawberries and Pickles scene:
Susan Slept Here (1954)

Susan Slept Here (1954) is Dick Powell's last film. He plays Mark Christopher, a 35 year old ::snickers:: novelist and screenwriter who just won an Oscar at the Academy Awards. His Oscar statuette is the narrator of the film. No I'm not joking. He's the narrator of the film.

Mark is a pickle (perhaps with a strawberry on the side). He is currently experiencing a sort of writer's block. He's a bachelor and keeps a very rich fiancee, Isabella (Anne Francis) at a distance. His makeshift family includes his personal assistant Maude (Glenda Farrell), his gofer Virgil (Alvy Moore) and his maid Georgette (Maidie Norman). But he's missing one thing: a muse.

In comes Susan (Debbie Reynolds ). She's a 17 year old, underage delinquent who socked a soldier and is about to be jailed. The vice squad pities her as her mom is away and it's Christmas Eve. They pass her off to Mark (Dick Powell) to take care of just until Christmas and her sentencing is over. However, Mark finds his long-lost muse in Susan and he wants to keep her around a little longer. For inspiration of course. But it's problematic because she's 1) underage and 2) an unmarried female staying in a bachelor's home. Solution? Marry her! At least temporarily, so he can get his story and she can avoid jail time. They can always annul the marriage later.

::Spoiler alert::

So why strawberries and pickles? They are an odd pair. Just like Susan and Mark. They don't seem like they go together but for them it works. Susan is like the strawberry. A bit tart when you bite into it but it's all sweetness thereafter. Mark is like the pickle. Sour and wrinkled but enjoyable in a way very different from strawberries. And the combination of strawberries and pickles is one of the things that unite them. Because, as they discover in the end, they both really love strawberries and pickles, and each other.

::Spoiler alert end::

Did you know that the Catholic Legion of Decency banned the film because of it's title and subject matter? Watching it today one can't help notice how innocent it really is however at the time it did push some boundaries. And there is nothing I like better than a film that pushes some boundaries.

What does or does not happen in the bedroom is the crux of the story.

Fans of 1950s domestic style will fall in love with Mark's apartment.

 Just take a look at that Christmas tree!

No seriously. Take a look at that tree!

I really want this set. Breakfast server with lid, Grapefruit holders, toast trays, coffee carafe, ::sigh::

 This film is very trippy in the way that sometimes 1950s films are. Anne Francis' Isabella is given outlandish outfits and a lavish apartment that only someone very wealthy could afford.

 

Doesn't Isabella know that frowning will give her wrinkles?

Also, Susan has this very strange dream and we are delighted (or perhaps traumatized) by an odd dream sequence musical number.

Not quite Gold Diggers of 1933 but even an aging Dick Powell can pull it off.

Even my weirdest dreams aren't that weird.

I poke fun but this was a really enjoyable movie. One of the reasons is that it doesn't take itself to seriously. You'll also be hypnotized by all the color and the '50s design and wardrobe. 
If you are looking for a good rainy day movie to brighten your day and lift your spirits, I would recommend Susan Slept Here. If you need a snack to eat while you are watching it, I would stick with popcorn and NOT strawberries and pickles.

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

Warner Archive Wednesday ~ It All Came True (1940)

"Don't worry about me baby. I got myself covered both ways from the middle." Humphrey Bogart as Chips Maguire

It All Came True (1940) is a little film with a big cast. The movie takes place in the Gay '90s (or maybe not, I couldn't quite tell. It could be that they were being nostalgic). The story follows the story of convict Chips Maguire (Humphrey Bogart) as he hides in a boarding house in order to avoid being arrested by the cops who are hot on his trail. He gets help from his buddy Tommy Taylor (Jeffrey Lynn), a musician who found himself on the wrong side of the tracks and in a whole lot of trouble.

Tommy takes Chips back to the home of his mom Mrs. Nora Taylor (Jessie Busley). They haven't seen each other in many years so it's a very sweet reunion. At the boarding home you'll find Sarah Ryan (Ann Sheridan), a beautiful wise-cracking dame who is having a bit of trouble with money so she's staying with her mom (Una O'Connor). Also at the boarding house is a cast of eccentric characters including Miss Flint played by the ever delightful Zasu Pitts. No one at the boarding house knows that Chips Maguire is a felon on the lam except for Tommy. But soon they start figuring out what is going on and Chips finds himself on edge.

Chips don't want no stinkin' broth!

I always have a difficult time picking out which film from the 1940s I want to watch. It's a tricky decade with me and if I chose a film it has to be just right. It was a comfort for me to see many of my favorite characters actors including Zasu Pitts, Una O'Conner (Christmas in Connecticut) and John Litel (Nancy Drew films).

Humphrey Bogart had been typecast in the 1930s as a gangster/criminal that it is very natural to him again in this role.  It All Came True comes just before Bogart's films High Sierra and Casablanca in which he breaks out of the mold Hollywood made for him and into major stardom.


It All Came True is somewhat typical of a 1940s film. Old people must be kooky, dames must be wise-cracking, the villain must not get his way and the good guy always wins in the end. Oh and all dogs are incredibly smart and well-trained!

Then there is Ann Sheridan as Sarah Ryan. She's a wise-cracking dame with a good heart.

Ann Sheridan strikes me as the sort of woman who was comfortable in her own skin. She seemed to exude a natural sort of self-confidence. This is just my assumption based on no real knowledge of Ann Sheridan as a person. All I know is that her woman-of-the-world persona is something I find very appealing about her as an actress. Her character is really the go-between of all the characters. She has prior knowledge of Chips Maguire, a history with Tommy, a deep bond with her mother even though sometimes they clash and familial relationship with all the boarders at the home. She's really the central character in the story that keeps things moving along.

And of course, there HAS to be a love story!

It All Came True (1940) is a film for those who want a quirky film with a fun cast of characters. Pair it with Hide-Out (1934) for a great double feature.

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

Not Your Average Classic Film Blogger Link Roundup

Someone on Twitter said that Classic Film Bloggers all write about the same things with different views and that we are pretty much beating a dead horse. I have to disagree with that statement. I think the Classic Film blogging community is very varied and there are so many different films in many different genres (and decades!) that we all end up writing very different blogs. And while we all might talk about watching Casablanca (1942) on the big screen, we also talk about films perhaps others have overlooked share unique experiences and explore themes in many different ways.

After I saw those tweets, I asked classic film bloggers on Twitter to send me a link to what they thought was their most unique or unusual post. Which of their posts stands out from the rest. I got some great feedback!


Cliff from Immortal Ephemera shared his post "Interpreting and Understanding Edward G. Robinson on Collecting" - Did you know that Edward G. Robinson was a obsessive collector? He would sometimes do movies just so he could use the money to buy fine art and other valuables! Cliff does a great job describing Robinson's history of and approach to "collecting".

Rich from Wide Screen World shared his post "The Wizard of Oz (Pink Floyd Version)" - He talks about his experience watching The Wizard of Oz (1939) synced with Pink Floyd's album Dark Side of the Moon. Trippy!

Angela from Hollywood Revue shared her post "My Local Joan Crawford Connection" - Thanks to the book Possessed: The Life of Joan Crawford, Angela discovers that the star got her start as a chorus girl at a theater Angela had passed by many times (unfortunately it no longer exists). Pretty great discovery!

Kate from Silents & Talkies shares her post "Is that mustache really necessary?" - Fans of Silents & Talkies will fondly remember this hilarious gallery of classic film actors sporting some questionable mustaches.

Laura from Laura's Miscellaneous Musings shares her post "Reading the Movies, Part 1 (or Growing Up with the Movies)" - Laura's had a love of movies since she was very young and shares some of her early experiences (including meeting some stars and filmmakers!) as well as some of the film related books she's acquired over the years. I'm jealous she got to watch movies in the same theater with Mel Torme!

Terry from A Shroud of Thoughts shares his post "Mama Told Me Not to Come: The Sixties Party Scene on Film" - Parties can be seen in movies from any decade, but a Sixties party is something really special. Terry explains why in this very informative post.

Bobby from Bobby Rivers TV shares his post "Black Folks in Bedford Falls" -  Bobby discusses the Black characters and extras in It's a Wonderful Life (1946). He also points out that there are Black folks in Bedford Falls but absolutely none in Pottersville! Very interesting. Next time I watch this movie, I'll have Bobby's insightful post in mind.

Andreas from Pussy Goes Grr shared her post "Gentlemen Prefer Rocky" - Andreas compares the "Ain't There Anyone Here for Love?" sequence performed by Jane Russell in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) to the "I Can Make You a Man" sequence performed by Tim Curry in Rocky Horror Picture Show. Wow!

Brandie from True Classics shared her post "Personality Soup a la Movie Characters" - Brandie creates a Personality Soup recipe in which all the ingredients are bits of different characters from classic movies.

Letícia from Crítica Retrô shared her post "Halloween & coisas assustadoras do cinema clássico (na minha opinião)" which translates into English from Portuguese "Halloween and other scary stuff from classic cinema (in my opinion)". This is a great post and I love the Gregory Peck anecdote she shares at the beginning. For those of you not fluent in Portuguese, she has a handy dandy Translate widget.

What's my most unique post? I would have to say it's "If Jeff Bailey from Out of the Past (1947) were on Match.com" in which I create an online dating profile for Robert Mitchum's character. I followed it up with a "If Eddie Felson from The Hustler (1961) were on Match.com".

If you have a unique classic film related blog post to share, let me know!