Warner Archive Wednesday ~ Going Hollywood (1933)

 

Going Hollywood (1933) is just the sort of bizarre musical that needs to be seen to be believed. The plot is definitely not the reason to watch it. You need to see this film for the amazing musical numbers. Early 20th century music is under-appreciated in my opinion. Get acquainted with some of the classics from song writers Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed by listening to the Bing Crosby deliver them with his golden voice. Perhaps you might be weirded out by the scarecrows, the moving daisies or the turban-sleeved dancers in front of a vertical orchestra pit in some of the numbers. But that's okay. This film is the best seen when you are not in the clearest state of mind. For example, after you've had a couple strong cocktails, or in my case, when you are a little sleep drunk. It's trippy, it's bizarre, it's an odd little film that will confuse you, repulse you and titillate you at the same time.

So you want to know the plot? Fine, here it is. Marion Davies, that's William Randolph Hearst's girl, plays Sylvia. She's a French teacher at the most uppity stuck-up school of spinsters that you ever did see. The teachers at this school don't believe in life, love or music. The head teacher won't even allow radio to be played. Pshaw! Sylvia is not having any of that. She wants to dance and love and listen to dulcet tunes. She turns on her radio in an act of rebellion and listens to an amazing song by the popular crooner Bill Williams (Bing Crosby). Convinced she's in love with him after hearing one song, she quits her job and goes to find him.

Bill is on his way to Hollywood to film a picture with the French actress Lili (Fifi D'Orsay). In true stalker fashion, Sylvia follows him on his journey. She's everywhere. His hotel room, his train car, his movie set, etc. She even shows up in black face to confuse him! What is wrong with this woman? She's coming on way too strong and is scaring him off.

Sylvia doesn't get Bill's romantic attentions until a series of events happens in her favor. But things get complicated because of the other woman in Bill's life, Lili, and his new drinking problem. Does she win him over with her ::cough:: charm or will she lose him forever? There's the realistic ending and then there's the Hollywood ending. How do you think this one ended?

There are some notable performances in this film that I'd to point out. Sterling Holloway, also known as the original voice of Winnie-the-Pooh, has an uncredited part as a radio remote technician who works with Bill Williams. He has the funniest scene in the movie. Sterling's technician character follows Bill around to record a song for the radio as he's getting dressed.

Ned Sparks, forever known for playing loveable grumps, plays Conroy, the film director trying to find some order amidst a lot of chaos. Fifi D'Orsay is hilarious as the temperamental French movie actress who has her eyes on Bill. Bing Crosby's Bill sings Nacio Herb Brown's song Temptation to her in one scene and she gives these looks to the camera that are very reminiscent of the ones the robot Maria does in Metropolis (1927). I wonder if it's a reference? Patsy Kelly has a comedic role as the friendly tomboy sidekick of Sylvia. Stuart Erwin plays the financial backer to the film in the story and the guy who should get the girl but doesn't. I looked him up on IMDb and was sad to read that he missed out on the lead male role in the Blondie series.The Three Radio Rogues have a scene in the film and receive billing. I knew nothing about them but apparently they were a famous radio personalities who were known for doing excellent imitations. They do some in the film.

I thought it was interesting how much of a role Radio plays in the Going Hollywood. Radio is the catalyst for the chain of events that make up the film. Bill is a radio star, listening to the radio is banned at the school and is an act of rebellion on Sylvia's part, radio is what inspires Sylvia to follow Bill to Hollywood, etc. This film is a backstage musical about Hollywood but in many ways it's really a love letter to radio.


Did I intrigue you enough with my rambling review that you want to watch Going Hollywood (1933) now? Did I mention that there is a cat fight between Marion Davies and Fifi D'Orsay?! Or how about this amazing musical number in a train station?

 

Going Hollywood (1933) is available on DVD MOD from Warner Archive.

Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. I received Going Hollywood (1933) from Warner Archive for review.

2013 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge: Second Roundup

We are past the second month mark so I'm sharing some new entries for the 2013 Summer Reading Classic Film Book Challenge.

Everyone can chose to read up to 6 books but if you read a total 6 and review them by September 15th, you are eligible to win a prize. The prize in question is your choice of any single disc movie from the Warner Archive and up to $30 worth of books from Barnes and Noble or your favorite Independent Bookstore (or a gift certificate). The prize can be modified if the winner is from outside the U.S.!

How is everyone doing? I have 3 books read, 2 books reviewed, I'm almost done with my 4th book and I'm half way through my 5th. I'm starting to feel the time crunch but I'm confident I can finish the 6 before the deadline of September 15th.

If you are behind, don't be discouraged. Make a plan. Figure out how much reading you have to do, how long you have and try to make daily goals. You can do it! Also, be realistic. If reading 6 books isn't going to happen, lower your number.

On to the reviews!

Lê of Crítica Retrô
Lembranças de Hollywood, de Dulce Damasceno de Brito (There is a Translate button for those of you who are not fluent in Portuguese!)

Margaret of The Great Katharine Hepburn
Beyond Casablanca: 100 Classic Movies Worth Watching by Jennifer C. Garlen
Movies and the Battle of the Sexes by ZetMec
The Private World of Katharine Hepburn by John Bryson

Raquel of Out of the Past
My Lunches with Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles

Rich of Wide Screen World
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by Dick Moore

Sara on Goodreads
My Lunches with Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles
The Making of The African Queen, or: How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and almost lost my mind by Katharine Hepburn


Travis of Cinemalacrum
 British Cinema and the Cold War: The State, Propaganda and Consensus
Killer Kaiju Monsters

(Editor's Note: If you have posted since July 15th and your review is not included above, let me know in the comment section below and I'll add it.) 

Warner Archive Wednesday ~ The Tall Target (1951)

The Tall Target (1951) is a historical detective story based on the disputed Baltimore Plot; a conspiracy to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln on his scheduled train stop in Baltimore, Maryland. The year is 1861 and President Lincoln was on a whistle stop tour that would take him to Washington D.C. America was already deeply divided over slavery and traveling through Maryland would prove to be a rather dangerous venture. The Tall Target explores the Baltimore Plot and how it might have been foiled.

The film stars Dick Powell as New York Detective John Kennedy. Let's stop and talk about that name for a second. The character John Kennedy is based on real life New York Police Superintendent John Alexander Kennedy who allegedly discovered the Baltimore Plot. However, today's audiences are going to think of John F. Kennedy, the President who was assassinated a little over a decade after this film was released, much like Lincoln had been almost a hundred years earlier. At first when I heard the name, I immediately thought of that common theory that Lincoln and Kennedy were linked by various odd coincidences. It's often thought that Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln and Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy. The former is true but the latter is not. I stopped the movie and did a little research before continuing. It was bugging me because I thought maybe the John Kennedy in the film would go on to become the Kennedy of Lincoln's administration and I needed clarification. Maybe the myth of Lincoln having a Kennedy as a secretary came from the real life John Alexander Kennedy who was supposedly instrumental in foiling the Baltimore Plot?

Name confusion aside, Dick Powell's John Kennedy is a New York Detective who senses that trouble awaits for Lincoln on his scheduled stop in Baltimore. It's unclear how he gets this information but because it's out of his jurisdiction and because it isn't war time quite yet, he has to forgo his detective badge and head out to prevent the assassination on his own. Adolphe Menjou plays Colonel Caleb Jeffers. The Colonel is well aware of Kennedy's investigation and they travel on the same train to Baltimore. On the train is southerner Lance Beaufort (Marshall Thompson). He's a military man traveling with his sister Ginny (Paula Raymond) and her slave maid Rachel (Ruby Dee).

Kennedy's troubles begin almost instantly when there is confusion about his ticket, someone steals his coat and his identity and the people on the train seem to have different motives. Kennedy discovers Lance Beaufort is in on the Baltimore Plot but Kennedy is now being sought after by the police. He can't prove his identity because he is missing his badge, his ticket and all his identification. I particularly enjoyed Powell's performance as well as that of Ruby Dee. Dee's character Rachel is instrumental in helping Powell with his mission to prevent Lincoln's assassination.

We all know how this ends. Lincoln doesn't get assassinated on his inaugural tour and he also ends up skipping the Baltimore stop. However, the fun about this movie is finding out how the plot gets foiled!

This film is satisfying because it gives us the story of an Abraham Lincoln assassination that didn't happen. Even almost 150 years later, as a nation we are still troubled by President Abraham Lincoln's assassination and it still fascinates us. We are still invested in Lincoln and the story of his life and his death. What if the plot was discovered early and the perpetrator was caught in time before the crime ever happened? We want a hero to step in and save our President! And in this film it happens without altering history.

The Tall Target has a lot going for it: a great title, an interesting story, the pacing keeps things exciting, all the action happens on a train and I particularly enjoyed the performances of Powell, Menjou and Dee. I recommend reading about the Baltimore Plot before you watch the film. Knowing a bit of the context going in helps a lot.

Summary: A suspenseful and interesting historical detective story, The Tall Target (1951) explores the disputed Baltimore Plot to assassinate President Elect Abraham Lincoln in 1861.


The Tall Target (1951)  is available on DVD MOD from Warner Archive.



Warner Archive Wednesday - On (random) Wednesdays, I review one title from the Warner Archive Collection. I rented The Tall Target (1951) from ClassicFlix.