The Matinee Idol Collection is one of my favorite DVD sets of the past few years -- it shows off the best of Fox's "bread and butter" films, the kind of movie that showcased the studio’s top male star and made lots of money. While none of these are masterpieces, they are all thoroughly enjoyable and pure gold for Tyrone Power fans. The collection also demonstrates Ty's wide range as an actor. There really was nothing he couldn't do -- comedy, drama, westerns, swashbucklers -- everything. This collection especially highlights his flair for comedy and his expert timing. My favorite scene was in Day-time Wife (the movie Zanuck forced Ty to make as punishment for marrying Annabella) although I have to admit its ending is a bit weak. (And after the drama of The Rains Came this fluffy comedy must have been a let-down!). The scene I like so much is the one where Linda Darnell shows up unexpectedly at the nightclub with Warren William -- Ty's doubletakes and panicked expressions are a hoot.

I much prefer Love is News to That Wonderful Urge -- the latter just seems to have had the air taken out of it, plus Loretta Young is much better in this kind of fluff than Gene Tierney, who, lovely though she is, is no comedienne. Tierney is much more suited for roles like Isabel Bradley in The Razor's Edge, where she digs in deep with her well-manicured nails and along with Clifton Webb, steals the movie. ;)

>I'll Never Forget You was disturbing to me. I thought the pairing of Ty and Ann Blythe was good, but I came away from it feeling uneasy and not sure why.

Making Ty's character a nuclear scientist instantly injects atomic age/Cold War anxiety into the film. Add to that the notion that this possibly delusional man is handling radioactive materials… and the knowledge that this love story can't possibly end happily. (Even if they did bring Ann Blythe back as a lookalike character.) I confess I don't particularly go for Blythe. She's very pretty and proper and ladylike, but without the cool sexual heat (if that makes sense) of other proper and ladylike actresses such as Deborah Kerr and Grace Kelly.

>This Above All was the strongest of the set and it's one I plan to watch again ASAP of this whole collection. The meeting of Ty and Joan Fontaine (as the character Prue) in the dark was beautifully shot.

The lighting in the scene where Pru and Clive meet is exactly as described in Eric Knight's novel from which this movie is adapted, and in the novel Clive and Pru think back several times to that first meeting in the dark when their initial attraction arises out of what they hear in each other's voices, not what they see. In fact, almost everything in the movie (not quite everything but almost) is taken from the book, although great chunks have been cut out and all the subplots entirely eliminated. However, due to the Production Code (and no doubt Darryl Zanuck's view of things), the story is greatly softened and sentimentalized. In the book (SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE BOOK!!!)
* Clive and Pru's affair is very physical; they make love in that haystack on the second date and spend their entire holiday together in one room in the almost empty seaside tourist hotel
* Clive's childhood is one of wretched stigma (illegitimacy), deprivation, poverty and suffering in a miserable industrial town; his youth is a constant, grinding search for work and the only work available is back-breaking. Thus, his political views on war, English society and his reasons for desertion are shaped as much by his entire life experience as a poor child of England as they are by what happened to him in France (and what he experienced there is far far worse than what we learn in the movie)
* Pru gets pregnant and when Clive realizes it, that's when he calls her and asks her to marry him because at that point he realizes he truly loves her
* He's injured twice in the head (not the hand) and the brain operation reveals a terminal condition of neurological tuberculosis (he has headaches throughout the book)
* Clive and Pru are not married in the hospital; instead, after his initial day of lucidity after the surgery he sinks into a torpor, then a coma and dies as the bombs fall all around. Pru knows she will be raising a fatherless child like his own father (as she puts it to herself) – but she is happy because she believes that after the war people will fight for the new kind of England Clive had longed for and never found for himself.

Not exactly the movie. Which doesn't really take away from how perfectly cast everyone is and sensitive the performances are. (Though Ty's American accent does stand out from all the English ones.) And yet so much really is taken right out of the book -- that first meeting, the rain and the hotel they're run out of and the haystack on the second date, the changing of clothes on the train, Clive talking aloud in his sleep, Aunt Iris at the hotel, Monty dropping in on Pru and Clive, Clive tramping the roads and evading the authorities, the WAFF phone operator refusing to call Pru to the phone, the rescue of the woman and child during the bombing raid and the wall falling, the vigil in the hospital, and more.

I suppose they just didn't want to release a movie with such a downbeat ending during the war, although the novel itself was written in wartime and published in 1941. Clive may be England's sacrifice, but Pru and her child are its future. Sadly, Eric Knight was killed in service (a plane crash) in 1943.

>Another strong film was Johnny Apollo which deviates from his more charming roles to a rougher character.

While I liked Johnny Apollo very much, I felt it suffered from the same syndrome afflicting Jesse James, which is, the movies don't really show you Johnny's and Jesse's crimes (the newspaper headlines tell us what they’re up to) and focus much more on personal issues, so as to keep our sympathy with our (anti) heroes. Now if these had been Warner Bros. movies there would have been guns blazing, and lots of car chases and hard boiled dialogue, you dirty rat, you. But that's the difference between WB and 20th Century Fox. Wasn't Dorothy Lamour fabulous in Johnny Apollo? Just loved her!

>I also recommend reading the Ty excerpt from "The Star Machine"--which is very insightful while watching this collection.

Jeanine Basinger is an excellent writer. (Her book on silent stars is also a must-read.) Mai Zetterling's chapter on Ty in her book All Those Tomorrows is also required reading for her personal portrait of him.

Wow, great info. on 'This Above All', Peachtreegal! Had NO idea the book was so downbeat! yeah, the Hollywood of the 1940s' wouldn't have touched that material with a ten foot pole, so I can see why it was so whitewashed (it's interesting how they made a point of the 2 characters getting separate rooms, etc.!). Still, you'd think more details into his childhood----or at least a few of them could have been included--as it would have made TPs's character even more effective (just a few lines would have sufficed).

BTW, do you believe he dies at the end? Some reviews I've read believe he does. Melody and I were going back and forth on this and even though they leave it to the audience, they leave it on an upbeat tone as to make us think that he does survive (?)

>>>>>>>And after the drama of The Rains Came this fluffy comedy must have been a let-down!). The scene I like so much is the one where Linda Darnell shows up unexpectedly at the nightclub with Warren William -- Ty's doubletakes and panicked expressions are a hoot.

TOO TRUE. AND IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE LINDA DARNELL WAS A TEENAGER AT THIS POINT. SHE LOOKED OLDER, YES, BUT SHE HAD THE ACTING CHOPS TO MAKE HER PLAY AN OLDER WOMAN BELIEVABLE AS WELL. HOWEVER, THIS HAS TO BE HIS WORSE FILM OF THE 30'S, I THINK.

>>>>>I much prefer Love is News to That Wonderful Urge -- the latter just seems to have had the air taken out of it, plus Loretta Young is much better in this kind of fluff than Gene Tierney, who, lovely though she is, is no comedienne. Tierney is much more suited for roles like Isabel Bradley in The Razor's Edge, where she digs in deep with her well-manicured nails and along with Clifton Webb, steals the movie.

STRONGLY AGREE!! SHE HAD MORE OF A LIGHTER, EFFERVERSENT TOUCH. I ADORE GENE TIERNEY BUT THOUGHT SHE HAD A PARTICULARLY BAD ACTING MOMENT, IN 'THE RAZOR'S EDGE' WHEN SHE HAD THE ARGUMENT WITH THE SOMERSAUGHT MAUGHM CHARACTER AND SHE THROWS THE DIRTY ASHTRAY AT HIM. THOUGHT THAT WAS AN EMBARASSING SCENE FOR HER. OTHERWISE, SHE HANDLED THE SCHEMING ISABEL VERY WELL.

CLIFTON WEBB STOLE IT ALL THE WAY, AGREED !!



>>>>>I'll Never Forget You was disturbing to me. I thought the pairing of Ty and Ann Blythe was good, but I came away from it feeling uneasy and not sure why. ........Making Ty's character a nuclear scientist instantly injects atomic age/Cold War anxiety into the film. Add to that the notion that this possibly delusional man is handling radioactive materials… and the knowledge that this love story can't possibly end happily. (Even if they did bring Ann Blythe back as a lookalike character.) I confess I don't particularly go for Blythe. She's very pretty and proper and ladylike, but without the cool sexual heat (if that makes sense) of other proper and ladylike actresses such as Deborah Kerr and Grace Kelly.


>>>While I liked Johnny Apollo very much, I felt it suffered from the same syndrome afflicting Jesse James,

ANOTHER FORGETTABLE FILM, IMHO, ALTHOUGH THE DOROTHY LAMOUR CHARACTER WAS GREAT, YES, AND I LIKED THE ATTORNEY, CHARLIE GRAPEWIN (ALWAYS A TERRIFIC ACTOR AND ANOTHER SCENE STEALER).

>>>>>I also recommend reading the Ty excerpt from "The Star Machine"--which is very insightful while watching this collection. Jeanine Basinger is an excellent writer. (Her book on silent stars is also a must-read.)

TOO TRUE. HAVE THE 'SILENT STARS' BOOK AND IT'S FABULOUS AS WELL.


P.S.: On side note, I have a signed pic of TP that has the following inscription: "To Iris, 'This Above All', remember." According to the store owner, "Iris" was a woman he had an affair with during the filming (she was an extra). (He, in turn, got the pic from an estate sale.) Ironically, "Iris" is the name of the Gladys Cooper character.

Who knows but it made an interesting story.

>BTW, do you believe he dies at the end?

Not in the movie itself. He clearly is alive as that last close-up fades out. I got the feeling from the nurse opening the curtains and the sunlight flooding into the room as that last scene began that they were telling us he would live.

However, I suppose it's possible to read into it that he dies after the movie ends. I'm not sure that's what Darryl Zanuck and R.C. Sheriff (screenwriter) were thinking though -- wonder what's in the archives about that.

>Some reviews I've read believe he does. Melody and I were going back and forth on this and even though they leave it to the audience, they leave it on an upbeat tone as to make us think that he does survive (?)

That's basically my impression. He's definitely alive at the end of the Lux Radio Theater version too.

>TOO TRUE. AND IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE LINDA DARNELL WAS A TEENAGER AT THIS POINT.

She might have even been 15 years old when they actually filmed it. Good grief. As one online reviewer noted, imagine making that film today with Miley Cyrus, Josh Hartnett and ... some older actor whose name I forget.

>SHE LOOKED OLDER, YES, BUT SHE HAD THE ACTING CHOPS TO MAKE HER PLAY AN OLDER WOMAN BELIEVABLE AS WELL. HOWEVER, THIS HAS TO BE HIS WORSE FILM OF THE 30'S, I THINK.

I think it has competition from Second Honeymoon. I enjoyed Day-time Wife a lot; the worst part for me was the end. They set it up so Ty should have been having an affair with the secretary -- otherwise why would he have said those things to her and given her presents? (As she mentioned during that nightclub scene.) But because of the Production Code or what the studio thought the audience wanted, they cop out at the end and it turns out he wasn't having an affair with the secretary. Right. Of course, I can't imagine why any man would want to have an affair if Linda Darnell were waiting at home.

>STRONGLY AGREE!! SHE HAD MORE OF A LIGHTER, EFFERVERSENT TOUCH. I ADORE GENE TIERNEY BUT THOUGHT SHE HAD A PARTICULARLY BAD ACTING MOMENT, IN 'THE RAZOR'S EDGE' WHEN SHE HAD THE ARGUMENT WITH THE SOMERSAUGHT MAUGHM CHARACTER AND SHE THROWS THE DIRTY ASHTRAY AT HIM. THOUGHT THAT WAS AN EMBARASSING SCENE FOR HER. OTHERWISE, SHE HANDLED THE SCHEMING ISABEL VERY WELL.

I don't see any problem with that scene -- what in particular do you object to? (It's straight out of the book, including Maugham making Isabel pick up the food. It's not an ashtray, though -- I think it's a plate with rolls or something else that goes with tea. Don't remember exactly.)


>P.S.: On side note, I have a signed pic of TP that has the following inscription: "To Iris, 'This Above All', remember." According to the store owner, "Iris" was a woman he had an affair with during the filming (she was an extra).

This is where I'm tempted to wonder to myself if there were any film where he did not have... never mind.

> (He, in turn, got the pic from an estate sale.) Ironically, "Iris" is the name of the Gladys Cooper character.

Sniffy Aunt Iris would NOT have approved. Oh, in the book of This Above All, Iris manages to finagle an invite to the U.S. so she can take the kids and escape the war -- and her husband, Pru's uncle, the younger Hamish. Hamish is a nice guy who goes into the military once he realizes that Iris and the children won't be returning. (This is one of the subplots that were not part of the movie.) One thinks he'll be better off without Iris, although he will miss his children.

---
>BTW, do you believe he dies at the end?

Not in the movie itself. He clearly is alive as that last close-up fades out. I got the feeling from the nurse opening the curtains and the sunlight flooding into the room as that last scene began that they were telling us he would live.

However, I suppose it's possible to read into it that he dies after the movie ends. I'm not sure that's what Darryl Zanuck and R.C. Sheriff (screenwriter) were thinking though -- wonder what's in the archives about that.

>Some reviews I've read believe he does. Melody and I were going back and forth on this and even though they leave it to the audience, they leave it on an upbeat tone as to make us think that he does survive (?)

>That's basically my impression. He's definitely alive at the end of the Lux Radio Theater version too.

YES, I THINK THEY INTIMATE (STRONGLY?) THAT HE DOES SURVIVE AND HE AND PRU LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER. STILL, IT'S NOT 100% CERTAIN AND IT'S INTERESTING HOW ENIGMATIC AN ENDING IT IS FOR A HOLLYWOOD FILM OF THAT ERA. SUPPOSE YOU HAVE TO GIVE THE STUDIO CREDIT FOR THAT.




>>I think it has competition from Second Honeymoon. I enjoyed Day-time Wife a lot; the worst part for me was the end. They set it up so Ty should have been having an affair with the secretary -- otherwise why would he have said those things to her and given her presents? (As she mentioned during that nightclub scene.) But because of the Production Code or what the studio thought the audience wanted, they cop out at the end and it turns out he wasn't having an affair with the secretary. Right. Of course, I can't imagine why any man would want to have an affair if Linda Darnell were waiting at home.

HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH YOU HERE AS EVEN WITH REPEATED VIEWINGS IT SUCH A LACKLUSTER LITTLE FILM AND THE PLOT DRAGS--NOT TO MENTION HOW PREDICTABLE IT ALL IS.

SECOND HONEYMOON WAS MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED, IMHO, WITH THE CHARACTERS BEING MUCH MORE EVOLVED. LOVED THE TEASING TP GIVES LORETTA IN THE FIRST FEW SCENES WHEN HE TEASES HER ABOUT HER HUSBAND, THEN TEMPTS SAID HUBBY WITH THE "JOY" CHARACTER. NOT TO MENTION THE GREAT COMEDIC RAPOR WITH THE SECONDARY CHARACTERS WHO PLAY THE FAMILY FRIENDS (CLAIRE TREVOR, ET AL)

SO, I DUNNO, I HAVE A REAL SOFT SPOT FOR 2ND HONEYMOON AND THINK IT'S TP AND LY'S BEST--OTHER THAN SUEZ WHICH THOUGH A DIFF. FILM ENTIRELY IS 'NECK AND NECK' WITH HONEYMOON, IMHO.

>Razor's Edge...I don't see any problem with that scene -- what in particular do you object to? (It's straight out of the book, including Maugham making Isabel pick up the food. It's not an ashtray, though -- I think it's a plate with rolls or something else that goes with tea. Don't remember exactly.)

I THINK SHE SO DARNED STIFF AND ALMOST AMATEURISH IN HER PLAYING OF THAT SCENE. NOT TO MENTION HOW YOU 'SEE' HER ACTING WHEN THE HERBERT MARSHALL CHARACTER STARTS TO WIN HER OVER WITH COMPLINMENTS. SHE GOES FROM A TO Z WITH NO SUBTLETY AT ALL. MAYBE IT'S AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT SCENE TO PLAY, I DON'T KNOW.....

>P.S.: On side note, I have a signed pic of TP that has the following inscription: "To Iris, 'This Above All', remember." According to the store owner, "Iris" was a woman he had an affair with during the filming (she was an extra).

This is where I'm tempted to wonder to myself if there were any film where he did not have... never mind.

HHMMM, YES I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN . IT'S A GENERAL CONCESUS THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO DISPLEASE PEOPLE....LIKED TO KEEP EVERYONE HAPPY, ETC. EVEN AT THE RISK OF....AS YOU SAY ...OR DON'T SAY

> (He, in turn, got the pic from an estate sale.) Ironically, "Iris" is the name of the Gladys Cooper character.

Sniffy Aunt Iris would NOT have approved. Oh, in the book of This Above All, Iris manages to finagle an invite to the U.S. so she can take the kids and escape the war -- and her husband, Pru's uncle, the younger Hamish. Hamish is a nice guy who goes into the military once he realizes that Iris and the children won't be returning. (This is one of the subplots that were not part of the movie.) One thinks he'll be better off without Iris, although he will miss his children.

VERY INTERESTING INDEED! MAYBE I SHOULD TRY TO READ THE BOOK AT THIS POINT !

I've really enjoyed these comments from both of you!

I should look up the book THIS ABOVE ALL at the library. Sounds like a great read.

The passion (albeit toned down from the book) between Clive and Prue was still very pronounced considering the times (and the Hays Office). I mean, look at the train scene--Clive looking out the window while Prue changes? While the movie places them in separate rooms, one could imagine that it was a good chance they didn't remain in separate rooms . . . and why would Prue be all upset in seeing Aunt Iris at the lodge/hotel if we're to believe nothing was *that* progressed between Clive and Prue?

I actually enjoy Daytime Wife and thought Linda Darnell comes off beyond her younger years. I also like the premise of the story--wife pretty much beating her husband at his own game. :)

I do think Ty and Loretta Young perform well in Second Honeymoon, but it didn't impress me all that much. Their banter is definitely worth watching and Ty is certainly charming and obviously crafty--so is Loretta.

I agree with Joanne that Gene Tierney is better in Razor's Edge than in Wonderful Urge. If not for seeing Love is News, Wonderful Urge could stand more on its own, but to have them together (literally side-by-side) in the collection, Love is News wins out hands down.

Girls Dormitory is Simone's vehicle all the way. I took it more as a witness of its time--building up Simone as a new sensation, introducing Ty (obviously), etc. Seeing Ty for the very first time like that would certainly have blown me away. He could do "card tricks" and "slight of hand" for me anytime, dahrlinkh!! Marvelous, simply marvelous!

And speaking of another movie, I pulled out Alexander's Rag Time Band right after completing the new collection and just fell back in love with the scene between Alice Faye and Ty "Now It Can Be Told" (sigh!).

MV

>I should look up the book THIS ABOVE ALL at the library. Sounds like a great read.

I really enjoyed it and I think anyone who loves this film would too. It certainly enhances one’s appreciation of the characters, especially Clive.

>The passion (albeit toned down from the book) between Clive and Prue was still very pronounced considering the times (and the Hays Office). I mean, look at the train scene--Clive looking out the window while Prue changes?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record – “it’s right out of the book”!

>While the movie places them in separate rooms, one could imagine that it was a good chance they didn't remain in separate rooms

Despite the Production Code, there was a lot of sex in the movies. I can think of quite a few places in just Ty’s films where it’s obvious what was going on, even if we didn’t see the actual act. (Like George Brent and Myrna Loy in The Rains Come, although again, from what I’ve heard Loy’s character was toned down greatly for the film.) I don’t have any disagreement at all that Clive and Pru’s affair, even in the movie version, is more than kissing, but because of the Code, the storyline has to be contorted into a weird shape to disguise the reality. If they are sleeping together, there really is no earthly reason for them not to be literally sleeping together through the night. It’s rather disconcerting to see Pru rushing into Clive’s room whenever he has a nightmare – and I don’t think it’s just because I’m looking at this with 2008 eyes or because I’ve read the book. Even back then critics remarked on how the changes from the book to the movie version. I find it quite fascinating how the literary culture and the cinematic culture were so divergent, and that what was completely acceptable in one medium was not in another.

>. . . and why would Prue be all upset in seeing Aunt Iris at the lodge/hotel if we're to believe nothing was *that* progressed between Clive and Prue?

This works for whatever you think may be going on between Clive and Pru. First of all, Pru is supposed to be at her home for her leave, not in Leaford at a hotel, so it’s a bit of surprise. But also, Aunt Iris is one of those annoying English old school judgmental moral guardian types who would be shocked at the very notion of a properly brought up young lady signing into a hotel with a man, even if they were booking separate rooms – and that goes double if the young lady in question is her niece (by marriage).

One thing you can say for Ty, he is one of the very few actors back then who managed to get into bed with a woman, on camera, even when no one’s feet were on the floor! (c.f. The Black Swan and Crash Dive – we might even be able to include Brigham Young if you don’t mind the curtain.)

>I actually enjoy Daytime Wife and thought Linda Darnell comes off beyond her younger years. I also like the premise of the story--wife pretty much beating her husband at his own game.

I wish it had the courage of its convictions but I can live with a compromised ending.

>I do think Ty and Loretta Young perform well in Second Honeymoon, but it didn't impress me all that much. Their banter is definitely worth watching and Ty is certainly charming and obviously crafty--so is Loretta.

This seemed to me like Ty and Loretta were thrown into a formula script that was a weak version of other, much better, comedies of remarriage that were so prevelant back in the 1930s. They’re always wonderful together but the bloom is off this particular rose. I will admit I’ve only seen Second Honeymoon and Day-time Wife once so they are in desperate need of rewatching. Perhaps a re-evaluation will be in order.

>And speaking of another movie, I pulled out Alexander's Rag Time Band right after completing the new collection and just fell back in love with the scene between Alice Faye and Ty "Now It Can Be Told" (sigh!).

Melody, you just picked out one of my all-time favorite Tyrone Power scenes. I absolutely love that moment when his face changes expression as it dawns on him that Alice loves him and his realization that he loves her also. That and the way he hurries off after her really let us know, without words, the force of the emotion that has rushed over Alexander. A lovely bit of acting. (Of course, Irving Berlin’s song really sets the mood!) And I’m very much looking forward to the imminent release of Alice and Ty’s final film together, Rose of Washington Square. As I am also a big Al Jolson fan, you can imagine how much I want that one on DVD!

>While the movie places them in separate rooms, one could imagine that it was a good chance they didn't remain in separate rooms

Despite the Production Code, there was a lot of sex in the movies. I can think of quite a few places in just Ty’s films where it’s obvious what was going on, even if we didn’t see the actual act.

TOO TRUE! MELODY HAS HEARD (..ER, READ ME HARPING ON THIS BEFORE, PERHAPS, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE MOST DELICIOUS SCENES TO TOUCH UPON WHAT YOU MENTION, PEACHTREEGAL, IS THE DINNER SCENE IN "MARK OF ZORRO". IT'S ALL DONE IN LOOKS AND GLANCES BUT IT'S THERE. SPECIFICALLY, WHEN ALL ARE AT THE TABLE AND BASIL RATHBONE IS ABSENTMINDEDLY STABBING AT AN UNCUT ORANGE. DIEGO MAKES THE COMMENT THAT ESTEBAN IS TREATING THE ORANGE AS AN ENEMY TO WHICH THE BROMBERG/"UNCLE" CHARACTER QUICKLY JUMPS IN WITH, "ESTEBAN IS FOREVER THRUSTING AT THIS AND THAT!" WITHOUT SKIPPING A BEAT, DIEGO IMMEDIATELY LOOKS AT THE GAYLE SONDERGARD CHARACTER WITH A KNOWING AND CYNICAL LOOK ON HIS FACE. SHORT, QUICK BUT SPEAKS VOLUMES. WELL, TO THIS VIEWER AT LEAST



(Like George Brent and Myrna Loy in The Rains Come, although again, from what I’ve heard Loy’s character was toned down greatly for the film.) I don’t have any disagreement at all that Clive and Pru’s affair, even in the movie version, is more than kissing, but because of the Code, the storyline has to be contorted into a weird shape to disguise the reality. If they are sleeping together, there really is no earthly reason for them not to be literally sleeping together through the night.

HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH YOU TWO HERE. THE FILMAKERS WANT TO MAKE QUITE CLEAR--TO ME AT LEAST---THAT THESE TWO ARE FOLLOWING A STRICTLY PLATONIC RELATIONSHIP. THEY MAKE A POINT OF IT WHEN CHECKING IN, WHEN WE SEE THEM (MANY TIMES) IN THEIR SEPARATE ROOMS, AND WHEN CLIVE BERATES MARTY FOR EVEN ASSUMING OTHERWISE (ON PRU BEING A LADY..."THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SHE IS."


>This works for whatever you think may be going on between Clive and Pru. First of all, Pru is supposed to be at her home for her leave, not in Leaford at a hotel, so it’s a bit of surprise. But also, Aunt Iris is one of those annoying English old school judgmental moral guardian types who would be shocked at the very notion of a properly brought up young lady signing into a hotel with a man, even if they were booking separate rooms...

>YES, AGREED. THE AUNT IS PRUDISH ALL THE WAY AND IT WOULDN'T TAKE MUCH TO RUFFLE HER FEATHERS.


>And speaking of another movie, I pulled out Alexander's Rag Time Band right after completing the new collection and just fell back in love with the scene between Alice Faye and Ty "Now It Can Be Told" (sigh!).

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT! IF EVER THERE WAS SEX IN A SONG, THIS IS IT. IT'S ALL SO VISCERAL, TOO. OUT ON THE BALCONY....NO WORDS NEEDED. NICELY DONE.

Melody, you just picked out one of my all-time favorite Tyrone Power scenes. I absolutely love that moment when his face changes expression as it dawns on him that Alice loves him and his realization that he loves her also. That and the way he hurries off after her really let us know, without words, the force of the emotion that has rushed over Alexander. A lovely bit of acting. (Of course, Irving Berlin’s song really sets the mood!)




And I’m very much looking forward to the imminent release of Alice and Ty’s final film together, Rose of Washington Square. As I am also a big Al Jolson fan, you can imagine how much I want that one on DVD!


NO DOUBT YOU ALL HAVE SEEN THIS....


http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Washington-Square-Tyrone-Power/dp/B0019APR6W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1220559035&sr=1-1

>TOO TRUE! MELODY HAS HEARD (..ER, READ ME HARPING ON THIS BEFORE, PERHAPS, BUT I THINK ONE OF THE MOST DELICIOUS SCENES TO TOUCH UPON WHAT YOU MENTION, PEACHTREEGAL, IS THE DINNER SCENE IN "MARK OF ZORRO".

And don't forget the dance during that scene with the supposedly foppish Don Diego getting poor Lolita all hot and bothered.

>IT'S ALL DONE IN LOOKS AND GLANCES BUT IT'S THERE. SPECIFICALLY, WHEN ALL ARE AT THE TABLE AND BASIL RATHBONE IS ABSENTMINDEDLY STABBING AT AN UNCUT ORANGE. DIEGO MAKES THE COMMENT THAT ESTEBAN IS TREATING THE ORANGE AS AN ENEMY TO WHICH THE BROMBERG/"UNCLE" CHARACTER QUICKLY JUMPS IN WITH, "ESTEBAN IS FOREVER THRUSTING AT THIS AND THAT!"

We know what swords are substitutes for in the movies.

>HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH YOU TWO HERE. THE FILMAKERS WANT TO MAKE QUITE CLEAR--TO ME AT LEAST---THAT THESE TWO ARE FOLLOWING A STRICTLY PLATONIC RELATIONSHIP. THEY MAKE A POINT OF IT WHEN CHECKING IN, WHEN WE SEE THEM (MANY TIMES) IN THEIR SEPARATE ROOMS, AND WHEN CLIVE BERATES MARTY FOR EVEN ASSUMING OTHERWISE (ON PRU BEING A LADY..."THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SHE IS."

Well, he says that in the book too as I recall (I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure he said it). So after that big clinch by the haystack in the movie... nothing happened? What a waste!

>NO DOUBT YOU ALL HAVE SEEN THIS....

http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Washington-Square-Tyrone-Power/dp/B0019APR6W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1220559035&sr=1-

That's the link to Rose of Washington Square, but I'd like to put in a plug for the entire box set, The Alice Faye Collection Vol. 2. , which has not only Rose, but a bunch of other Alice classics, including another favorite of mine, the delightful Hello, Frisco, Hello, which also stars the wonderful John Payne *sigh* and Jack Oakie (one of my favorite second bananas). "You'll Never Know," a beautiful song forever associated with Alice, was introduced in "Hello, Frisco, Hello."


http://www.amazon.com/Collection-Washington-Hollywood-Cavalcade-Broadcast/dp/B0018RKEQ4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1220560927&sr=1-2

HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH YOU TWO HERE. THE FILMAKERS WANT TO MAKE QUITE CLEAR--TO ME AT LEAST---THAT THESE TWO ARE FOLLOWING A STRICTLY PLATONIC RELATIONSHIP. THEY MAKE A POINT OF IT WHEN CHECKING IN, WHEN WE SEE THEM (MANY TIMES) IN THEIR SEPARATE ROOMS, AND WHEN CLIVE BERATES MARTY FOR EVEN ASSUMING OTHERWISE (ON PRU BEING A LADY..."THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SHE IS."

There is another part when during the rainstorm Clive and Prue come into an inn and ask for a room. The owner insinuates that they may be up to something "more" and Clive gets pretty upset that the owner would think such a thing, with Clive and Prue ending back in the rain. Ty certainly knows how to give an attitude back, whether in voice, in the eyes, even in mannerisms.

>There is another part when during the rainstorm Clive and Prue come into an inn and ask for a room. The owner insinuates that they may be up to something "more" and Clive gets pretty upset that the owner would think such a thing, with Clive and Prue ending back in the rain. Ty certainly knows how to give an attitude back, whether in voice, in the eyes, even in mannerisms.


Broken record syndrome: that's "right out of the book." That's when they end up at the haystack and you know what happens.

YES, I THINK THEY INTIMATE (STRONGLY?) THAT HE DOES SURVIVE AND HE AND PRU LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER. STILL, IT'S NOT 100% CERTAIN AND IT'S INTERESTING HOW ENIGMATIC AN ENDING IT IS FOR A HOLLYWOOD FILM OF THAT ERA. SUPPOSE YOU HAVE TO GIVE THE STUDIO CREDIT FOR THAT.

I guess it's enigmatic -- until you brought it up I had assumed Clive survived. Which brings up other questions, such as, how much would he have recovered from such a traumatic injury and would he be able to return to the Army eventually? We'll never know. :)

HAVE TO DISAGREE WITH YOU HERE AS EVEN WITH REPEATED VIEWINGS IT SUCH A LACKLUSTER LITTLE FILM AND THE PLOT DRAGS--NOT TO MENTION HOW PREDICTABLE IT ALL IS.

I think I'm going to have to go with Melody re Day-time Wife and Second Honeymoon, though those are my initial impressions from just one viewing. I know I'll be watching both again at some point.

>I THINK SHE SO DARNED STIFF AND ALMOST AMATEURISH IN HER PLAYING OF THAT SCENE.

Ironically, The Razor's Edge is my most recent Tyrone Power movie watched, and I just don't recall anything stiff and amateurish in that scene. Other than Gene Tierney always is a bit... unbending. Which is why she is so good playing elegant femme fatales (Laura) or ladies with stiff upper lips (a la The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, a great favorite of mine, or the tough-minded Isabel of The Razor's Edge).

>>This is where I'm tempted to wonder to myself if there were any film where he did not have... never mind.

>HHMMM, YES I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN . IT'S A GENERAL CONCESUS THAT HE DIDN'T WANT TO DISPLEASE PEOPLE....LIKED TO KEEP EVERYONE HAPPY,

Well, that's one way of explaining it! LOL

ETC. EVEN AT THE RISK OF....AS YOU SAY ...OR DON'T SAY

No need to say.

...I finished watching all ten movies. This was a very interesting project as I only saw two out of the ten (Luck of the Irish and Daytime Wife) prio to this.

...They're not only a snapshot on Ty's career, but also on their times, showing how a studio would develop (or even halt) a star's career.

.....I will say that the dialogue for these movies tends to be well-written, with wry, clever banter. While some of the trendier slang can be apparent, there is still a savvy that is lost in today's films. It seems like our movie dialogue is "dummed" down in comparison.

AGREED! THOUGHT THE DIALOGUE IN 'LOVE IS NEWS' AND 'SECOND HONEYMOON' IN PARTICULAR, WAS VERY WELL WRITTEN (HAD TO LOVE TP'S EXPRESSION--THAT WRY CYNICAL SMILE, WHEN LORRETA YOUNG'S HUBBY GOES OFF TO DANCE WITH THE MARJORIE WEAVER CHARACTER :-)!)

I DON'T KNOW, I THINK UNLIKE YOU MELODY, SECOND HONEYMOON IS THE BEST SCREWBALL COMEDY HE DID IN THE 30'S. HAVE TROUBLE SITTING THROUGH 'DAYTIME WIFE' AS IT SEEMS A BIT FORCED AND EVEN THOUGH 'LOVE IS NEWS' IS BETTER THAN 'DAYTIME WIFE' (IMHO, AT LEAST :-)..) IT DOESN'T HOLD UP AS WELL AS 2ND HONEYMOON (TP HAD A MORE MATURE ACTING STYLE AT THAT POINT, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ONLY A YEAR LATER, I THINK).

....We see Fox's reply to fans wanting more of Tyrone. We see the eagerness in the younger Ty but the more staid, mature actor in the latter films.

....Girl's Dormitory is a vehicle for Simone Simon, but Ty is dashing as her cousin that she introduces as her "fiance". Very striking presence when he arrives at the school--no wonder everyone wrote in and Hedda Hopper sat through twice to find out who he was.

HAVE NEVER BEEN TOO FOND OF SIMONE SIMONE (TOO MUCH OF THE COY KITTEN IN HER PLAYING) AND IT'S SUCH A ROUTINE FILM.

......I enjoyed Love is News and it's alter ego That Wonderful Urge which is a little more mature, but I actually prefer the original with Loretta Young--more fresh, spunky.

....Cafe Metropole also shows that same spunk, and Ty has some good comedic scenes, and dashing even when fairly drunk, asking for his "eagle" dinner. (Does ANYONE eat eagles????) Good pairing with Loretta Young; entertaining overall.

....Second Honeymoon was like a career "blip" compared to the others. I do like Ty trying to catch up with an overshot ping pong ball and literally falling into a chair and hitting the wall. Now that's timing! I don't know if he was meant to do that, or just did it to finish the scene, but it's pretty fun to watch. (It was actually the highlight of the movie for me which doesn't say much about the film overall.)

....I'll Never Forget You was disturbing to me. I thought the pairing of Ty and Ann Blythe was good, but I came away from it feeling uneasy and not sure why.

I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN. I LOOOOOOVE THIS MOVIE HOWEVER. THE TIME TRANSPORT DOES IT FOR ME :-)!. INTERSTING PREMISE. MAYBE IT WAS THE 'REINCARNATION' OF THE ANN BLYTHE CHARACTER THAT YOU FOUND DISTURBING..OR THAT CREEPY HOUSE IN THE MODERN PART OF THE SCENES?

I THINK HIS RELATIVES IN THE 1700'S WERE ALMOST A BIT ON THE NASTY SIDE--ESPECIALLY HIS FIANCE (TALK ABOUT A QUICK TURNOVER TO DISLIKE. SHEESH). THE BLYTHE CHARACTER WAS GREAT, HOWEVER, AND SHE AND TP HAD GOOD CHEMISTRY. WHAT SAY YOU? ALSO, TO BE A BIT OF A TEENYBOPPER HERE, I THINK THE LOVE SCENE WITH BLYTHE IS ON OF THE BEST OF TP'S CAREER...AND THE DIALOGUE DURING THAT SCENE MAKES IT SO, IMHO.

....This Above All was the strongest of the set and it's one I plan to watch again ASAP of this whole collection. The meeting of Ty and Joan Fontaine (as the character Prue) in the dark was beautifully shot. Ty gets to show more of his skill in this. Another strong film was Johnny Apollo which deviates from his more charming roles to a rougher character.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THIS MOVIE. ONE OF MY ALL TIME TP FAVORITES. IT'S ONE OF THE FEW ROLES WHERE YOU FORGET YOU'RE WATCHING TP AS HE DISAPPEARS INTO THE CHARACTER (ALA 'NIGHTMARE ALLEY'); SUCH AN INTERESTING PREMISE AS WELL.

YES, THAT INTRO SCENE IS A KILLER, AGREE :-)!!



.....Overall, considering they had to pull some of these movies together from whatever material they could find (some of the films have this disclaimer), I thought it a good "snapshot" of Ty's career. For the rest of it, one needs to look at his other films to complete the "album" of Tyrone Power.

Definite thumbs up!

MV

Did they, or didn't they, in This Above All?

In the book, definitely yes. But in the movie... it seems we have a definitive answer as to what the studio was thinking. :) 20th Century Fox studio head Darryl F. Zanuck was famous (or infamous) for his lengthy memos which scrutinized scripts from every angle -- his own script-writing attempts were mediocre, but he was a very fine editor of others' work. Rudy Behlmer's book, "Memo From Darryl F. Zanuck," offers many of Zanuck's memos and they are fascinating reading indeed. I had completely forgotten this book published in 1993 was on the shelf (I have a LOT of movie books and I don't always remember what's in my collection) but spotted it the other day and thumbed through for anything on Tyrone Power. And what should appear but the following, in a memo to Jason Joy, Fox director of public relations:

Dear Jason:

I have spent the entire weekend doing nothing but carefully studying this script...

We took a bestselling novel and eliminated the illegitimate pregnancy sequences and the illicit love story...

In the haystack scene which, after all is not a haystack, but a kind of barn-like shelter, Prue and Clive fall in love -- and nothing else...

Why should we assume that they have consummated an illicit affair? What have they said or done, or what do they later indicate to prove that they have gone the whole way?...

*******

So there you have it. :) I admit my view of the movie is colored by reading the book and just what I know of human nature and I keep thinking that off-camera more is going on that Darryl F. Zanuck wanted us to realize but obviously that was not the intent. No mention of Clive's ultimate fate but given Zanuck's view of things, I'm sure he meant for Clive to survive. The memos on Razor's Edge and Nightmare Alley are really interesting -- Zanuck twists himself into knots trying to make these best-selling books palatable to movie audiences. He does "get" the ending of Razor's Edge though, thank goodness, and did not change it. Nightmare Alley, sordid though it was in 1947 (and it's still pretty hard stuff) was greatly softened from William Gresham's novel -- I really recommend that book to anyone who hasn't read it.

Yeah, it doesn't surprise me as it seems like they wanted to make it fairly clear in the film that this was a lilly white relationship. Great info. Peachtree, txs :-)! (I always thought Zanuck was a cut above most movie moguls of his day as he was a filmmaker as well as an executive.)

BTW, I had to chuckle over your statement that you have too many film books. I suffer from the same ailment :-)! The 'worst' period being when I was in college and the majority of my collection was at my parent's house. Needless to say, over 4 yrs. of purchasing resulted in some duplicates once I got home and saw what I had done :-). Ended up donating the dups to the library.