TV stars that aren’t movie stars

Some television stars try desperately to become movie stars. For every success like Steve McQueen, there is someone like McQueen’s costar in SOLDIER IN THE RAIN– Jackie Gleason– who is unable to transition. Or maybe they have limited success, but they are so identified with the television roles that made them household names it is almost impossible to transfer their small screen stardom to the big screen.

Gleason had been a supporting player in movies at Warner Brothers in the early 1940s. But he did not achieve his greatest fame until he played lovable Ralph Kramden in the fifties on The Honeymooners. Maybe if he had made a feature film about the Kramdens, his movie chances might have been better. This is not to say the films Gleason made in the 60s were terrible; on the contrary, some of them were quite good– like THE HUSTLER and PAPA’S DELICATE CONDITION. However, try as he did, Gleason was not able to transform himself into a motion picture lead like other comedians of his generation. Interestingly, he would keep appearing in films until his death in the 1980s, so obviously he was not a quitter. But for every SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT and NOTHING IN COMMON, there was a misfire like THE TOY.

Of course, Gleason wasn’t the only one caught in a TV holding pattern. Other actors who hit it big on television also failed to score with the movie-going public. Shelley Long became well-known as Diane Chambers during the early seasons of NBC’s sitcom Cheers, but her jump to movies was almost career suicide. While she had a modest success with OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE (propelled in large part by costar Bette Midler), she didn’t fare too well with follow-ups like HELLO AGAIN and TROOP BEVERLY HILLS (which had a budget of $18 million and only made $8 million at the box office). Soon, Shelley Long was back on television, in a new sitcom which tanked, and she was lucky to get good guest roles on any series that would have her.

It makes a person wonder why a popular actor on a hit television series would leave midstream and try to make it as a bonafide movie star. Is it because there’s a little voice inside their head saying it’s time to strike while the proverbial iron is hot? Maybe that voice is their agent’s. Or perhaps there is a general dissatisfaction with the weekly series grind, and enough ego to push ahead and test the waters. Look at all the ex-cast members of Saturday Night Live who tried. Look at Welcome Back, Kotter and that guy Vinnie Barbarino.

Hollywood love child

Judy Gable and Patricia Davies are two names you may not have heard before. That’s because technically, they did not exist. Unfortunately, they were products of affairs that took place in Hollywood, with both their fathers married to other women, while their mothers were single actresses. The nature of their conception and birth had to be kept a closely guarded secret.

Judy Gable was better known as Judy Lewis. She was the illegitimate daughter of Loretta Young. But for years she was led to believe she had been adopted. She was kept in the dark about the identity of her real mother, and she was not allowed to know who had fathered her. It turned out dad was Clark Gable, Loretta’s costar on THE CALL OF THE WILD. While the two stars were filming in 1934, they fell in love and had a brief affair that resulted in Loretta becoming pregnant.

Because of Loretta’s strict Catholic upbringing, she would never consider an abortion– but an elaborate scheme was concocted to have the baby in secrecy and then arrange an adoption of her own child. Also because of Loretta’s Catholic views, she would never be able to admit publicly that she had given birth to a child out of wedlock. A few years later Loretta married and her husband officially adopted Judy, which is how Judy wound up with the last name Lewis, instead of Gable.

When Judy was fifteen years old, her mother was making another picture with Gable. This time it was a production for MGM, the romantic comedy KEY TO THE CITY. One day after filming, the debonair star stopped by Loretta’s home and bumped into Judy. Supposedly, this is the only time Judy interacted with her biological father. Gable knew he was speaking to his own offspring, but did not acknowledge her as his daughter. It wasn’t until several years after Gable’s death in the sixties that Judy had the courage to finally confront Loretta and demand the truth. Judy probably pieced it together from the rumor mill, or the fact she physically resembled Gable.

Another Hollywood love child was the secret daughter of Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst. It was common knowledge that Davies and Hearst were paramours who spent much time together. Hearst carefully guided Marion’s screen career and built her a lavish home in Santa Monica. But of course the publishing tycoon had a wife and children back east. He never obtained a divorce, even though he lived primarily with Marion for many years.

In the 1920s and 1930s, a young girl often visited with them, who was raised as the child of Marion’s sister. But Patricia Van Cleve was in fact not Marion’s niece at all. Instead, she had been born in Europe at a Catholic hospital during one of Marion’s long European vacations between movies. Marion gave the baby to her childless sister to raise, but when Patricia was eleven, Marion admitted she was the true mother and that Hearst was the father. Hearst himself confirmed it on Patricia’s marriage to actor Arthur Lake. But for years, Patricia Lake only told family and close friends who her parents were. Not until just before her own death in 1993 did she allow the story to be told publicly.

It probably wasn’t easy for Loretta Young or Marion Davies to hide the fact they had daughters out of wedlock, especially given their unique circumstances. Maybe it’s for the best society has changed a lot since those days.

Before and after the code

Much has been written about the Hollywood production code, and I do not intend to go over the various aspects of the code, why it came into place and why it was eventually abolished. Obviously, some activist groups were rather influential getting the code implemented in the first place. Likewise, some producers and directors were influential in dismantling it several decades later.

Instead what I would like to focus on is that brief period of time right before the code took affect, and the first few years after the code was finally lifted. I always thought it was interesting that films from 1933 or early 1934 were still quite different from films released in 1969 or 1970. For instance, we would never mistake something like GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 with MIDNIGHT COWBOY, would we?

What makes films made before and immediately after the code so different? Motion picture product from both periods share certain artistic freedom in terms of content and approach to storytelling. However, the stories are often not at all alike. Perhaps this is because movie-making itself usually reflects current events in the world at large. And the world had changed greatly from the mid-30s to the late-60s. Themes about the great depression or New Deal policies promoted during FDR’s first term in office were all but distant memories during the Johnson and Nixon administrations. Also, America was not at war in the thirties; while something like the on-going crisis in Vietnam consumed the nation’s thoughts on a daily basis in the sixties.

Meanwhile, societal attitudes seem to have evolved radically. Sex would never go out of fashion, not even during the production code era (where it still exists off-camera and may still be alluded to). But styles of dress reflecting sex were much more ‘mod’ after the code, and the glamour of the early days of sound film were eschewed in favor of more casual attire and earthy characterizations on screen.

And while nude or partially nude scenes were attempted in the early days, later on when nudity is depicted, it seems more germane to the story. In other words, characters may appear in the buff as they are about to make love, with the characters taking their relationship to the next level. Previously, nudity was used for shock value– fan dancing, swimming, showering– but not because it was an emotional experience.

Another interesting change is that the use of foul language would be included in dialogue after the code, but before the code we never really hear anyone utter expletives.

Finally, while film content is much freer from 1968 onward, that is not necessarily the case with television. Certain standards are still to this day imposed on network television. Meaning that if an R-rated film is broadcast on one of the major networks, it still has to be edited (either by cutting scenes or dubbing dialogue) that would conform to a code of sorts.

Box office poison

In Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller SUSPICION, Cary Grant brings a glass of milk up the stairs to Joan Fontaine. The audience is led to believe the milk may contain a dose of poison, especially if Grant’s character turns out to be a cold-blooded killer who plans to do away with his wife.

There are other examples of poison in the movies– both literally and figuratively. For instance, there’s something called box office poison when a star has a streak of poorly performing pictures. The public (and sharp-tongued critics) may viciously turn on their once-favorite celebrities, deeming them and their movies things to avoid. However, not all stars labeled box office poison find their career ruined. Some of them do bounce back.

In the late 1930s, Katharine Hepburn and Joan Crawford were among those identified as box office poison by influential exhibitors. Kate had flopped badly with SYLVIA SCARLETT; and Joan did not fare well with THE ICE FOLLIES OF 1939. But with successive hit films, their careers rebounded and they stuck around for several more decades.

There was also a time in the late 1960s when a few other big name stars were starting to fall out of favor with audiences and critics. One of them was Glenn Ford, who up until that time had been an enormous box office draw with moviegoers. In fact, he ranked number one in 1958.

His winning streak hit a brick wall in 1962 with MGM’s remake of THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE, which lost $5 million. Then suddenly, over the course of the next few years, Glenn Ford’s track record became hit-and-miss (with more misses than hits). Other pictures that did not perform well for him during this period included FATE IS THE HUNTER, which barely broke even; DEAR HEART which went mostly unnoticed at the time of release; and DAY OF THE EVIL GUN a last-ditch attempt to restore Ford to glory in the western genre. By 1969, critics were complaining that Ford’s high salary was no longer merited considering how many of his films had recently tanked. MGM obviously saw the writing on the wall, too, and he was finished as a lead in big budget motion pictures, prompting him to turn to television projects.

But Glenn Ford wasn’t the only who had a bunch of duds in the late 60s. There were other stars not connecting with audiences like they had in the past. Among these were Doris Day and James Garner. Like Ford, they would transition to starring roles on television where they could extend their acting careers into the 1970s and 1980s.

As for Cary Grant, he never took on a weekly television series. And there really wasn’t a time during his most productive years when he was ever considered box office poison. But he did get caught up in a little business involving some arsenic, and some old lace.

Recommended films vol. 3

TEAR GAS SQUAD (1940)

Why you should watch it: It’s the little B-movie that could. Dennis Morgan and John Payne play cops who get in each other’s way. Morgan, in fine voice , sings ‘When Irish Eyes Are Smiling,’ along with several other well-known selections. Gloria Dickson is the love interest.  This is one of three films she made with Morgan at Warners, all of them directed by Terry Morse.

More reasons: Character actress Mary Gordon is on hand as Dickson’s Irish mother.  Mixed in with the music and romance are some good comedy and action sequences.

*****

SHORT CUT TO HELL (1957)

Why you should watch it: It’s the only film James Cagney ever directed, and for a first-time effort, this remake of THIS GUN FOR HIRE is not too bad.  Cagney supposedly made the film as a favor to producer A.C. Lyles, and he did not really intend to pursue a career as a director.  While it may not be up to the original, the film still has a good deal of energy, and enough suspense to sustain viewer interest.

More reasons: Actress Georgann Johnson is cast in the Veronica Lake role, and she applies a serious amount of realism.  At one point, she has to walk down the aisle of a train, and she does it very subtly as if her equilibrium is off-balance, which if you think about it, it should be.  How come other actors do not walk realistically on trains, planes and other fast-moving transportation in movies?

*****

FUN ON A WEEKEND (1947)

Why you should watch it: This is one of Priscilla Lane’s last films, and a triumphant comic performance at that.  It’s fairly reminiscent of her earlier screwball antics in ARSENIC AND OLD LACE.  Only this time instead of Cary Grant, her sparring partner is Eddie Bracken, who brings his own unique brand of humor and pizzazz to the project.

More reasons: The story starts quite simply but as complications develop, it becomes increasingly obvious (and increasingly painful for one’s ribcage) that only the absurd die happy.

*****

ABOUT MRS. LESLIE (1954)

Why you should watch it: Shirley Booth only made five motion pictures, so any chance to see her in a movie is a real treat.  This particular item pairs her with Robert Ryan who plays against type as a mysterious magnate with romance in mind.  Of course, his idea of companionship differs significantly from hers, yet a bond is forged and it is a lasting connection.

More reasons: Booth displays a range of emotions in this film, and she gets the chance to sing.  The story of the couple’s unusual courtship is told mostly in flashback, with several subplots in the present to balance out the narrative.

*****

HIGH NOON (1952)

Why you should watch it: This esteemed western, an allegory about the blacklist, is full of plot impossibilities and contrivances that make an hour and a half in a lawman’s life (and a movie viewer’s life) seem interminably long.  But it contains an earnest, heartfelt performance by Gary Cooper who was awarded the Oscar for his efforts.  The cast includes a luminous Grace Kelly at the beginning of her movie career as well as sultry Katy Jurado, a star of Mexican cinema.

More reasons: Tex Ritter sings the theme song, which repeats the phrase ‘Do not forsake me, oh my darlin.’  How could anyone forsake this classic?

Animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax

During the final season of TV’s Frasier in 2004, I went to Paramount studios with a friend to be part of the studio audience for two different episode tapings. As is customary at these tapings, a stand-up comedian usually jokes with the audience between scene set-ups. But at Frasier, we were entertained during one of our visits by the dog who played Eddie on the show. The animal’s trainer came downstage and they performed tricks while cast and crew prepared to film the next part of the story.

Most sources will tell you that Eddie was portrayed by Moose. But the reality is the NBC sitcom ran so long (for eleven seasons) that Moose had simply become too old and sick to continue in the role. So Moose’s son Enzo took over during the last two years. And Enzo is the one my friend and I watched perform tricks and “act” in the show. Though it’s a bit difficult to see in the photo where the dog is posing with star Kelsey Grammer, Moose had light brown spots on his lower front area. But Enzo did not. And the trainer told us she had to add the spots with some sort of hair coloring dye before they filmed the newer episodes.

I remember being quite impressed with the talent Enzo had, and how his trainer was able to make sure he was always camera ready. Of course, that was their livelihood, and as a member of the cast, the dog had to be able to perform each scene to the letter. And this was nothing new in Hollywood, because for years dogs and other animals had been used in movies and television series. Lassie, trained by Rudd Weatherwax, is probably the most famous example.

Rudd came from a family that specifically bred and trained dogs for Hollywood shows. He often worked with his brother Frank, and there was another brother named Jack who trained the animals, too. Some of their “clients,” besides Pal who played Lassie in several MGM movies as well as the pilot for the long-running TV show, included Rommy the son of Terry (Toto in THE WIZARD OF OZ); and Spike who starred in Disney’s OLD YELLER.

According to an article I read online, there is a certain method used to make sure the animals can perform on cue. My guess is that on the set of Frasier, Enzo’s trainer probably subscribed to this approach. In this case, the dog was rehearsed to move in a way that suggested emoting. While the viewer watching at home could not see it, those of us in the audience witnessed how she used hand signals, eye contact and voice inflections to elicit the desired performance. It also helped that in her bag she carried a lot of doggie treats that were earned for each trick or stunt performed. As we could tell, a lot of work went into transforming a scamp from kennel row into a canine star.

Old time video store

Recently a woman I know posted some pictures on Facebook of VHS movies she found inside boxes sitting in her garage. Underneath the photos, she posted a caption that anyone who wanted to come by and sort through the boxes could help himself to the old movies before she tossed them out. I no longer live in the same town, so I did not get the chance to go into her garage and see what she had. But I am sure if I did, I would have had a nice stroll down memory lane.

I probably should provide a bit of background information here. The woman lives in Rangely, a small Colorado town where I spent my adolescence during the late 1980s. For years Cheri and her sister Paulette operated a business located on Main Street in what is basically an oil town in the middle of nowhere. It was a big deal when the downtown cinema closed. And an even bigger deal when the Wade sisters opened their Family Video store in 1987.

I always loved movies. And so it is with particular fondness that I recall riding my bike to the video store with my sister to pick out the latest Ralph Macchio or Paul Hogan flick. Not only were these pictures of our youth fun, but there was the added incentive if we rented ten, we would get the eleventh rental free.

I think everyone in Rangely frequented that video store. It was the only one in town, and their selection was unsurpassed. Plus, you have to remember that home video was very expensive in those days. So maybe a middle class family would get a few VHS movies at Christmastime, but in order to see the many other releases of the year, or a classic like CASABLANCA, you did rely on video rentals. There was no Netflix, no DVDs, and as I said, our original cinema had closed its doors. The nearest movie theatre was in another small town, across the border in Utah about sixty miles away. So, except for the occasional high school play or local talent show, the video store was the major (and often only) source of family entertainment around.

Of course, the Family Video store is now a thing of the past. Paulette moved away, and Cheri has another job these days. In that Colorado town, and countless towns across the country, the days of video store vendors are long gone. Most of them were replaced in the late 1990s and early 2000s by chains like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. But those businesses are not what they used to be, either. Most of our movie shopping today is done online. And every now and then, we remember– especially when it is a Throwback Thursday and we see those old memories on Facebook– just how it used to be.

Written by Patricia Highsmith

I’ll be the first to admit I am no authority on the life or writings of Patricia Highsmith, but I admire her style quite a lot. Perhaps this column will be the beginning of a greater understanding about her. Of course most of us know her as the author of Strangers on a Train, which was adapted by Raymond Chandler for Alfred Hitchcock. And others know her as the creator of stories about con artist Tom Ripley, some of which were made into feature films by international producers as well as Hollywood studios.

Highsmith’s style seems a lot more brazen than other writers of her time, and possibly, this is why I admire her. I don’t think she was afraid to tackle controversial subjects. Usually when other authors attempted to cover such risky topics, it was done indirectly or with a great deal of camouflage. But Highsmith refused to be coy, and she did not shy away from themes revolving around sexual ambiguity and amorality. In fact, these themes drive all her major stories, and I believe it makes what she published that much more provocative and valuable.

Specifically, in STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, two men meet aboard a locomotive and strike up a curious conversation about murder. They soon agree to help one another in their mutual desire to kill, but with the idea they can make sure neither becomes a suspect. It is an interesting storyline to say the least, and it plays like a commentary on the closeted nature of homosexual men, one who is married and one who is not and still lives with his mother. Inevitably all sorts of unexpected complications arise.

In PURPLE NOON she once again throws two men of varying backgrounds together and unites them eternally over a sordid criminal act. In fact, they are sort of merged into one being, when American Tom Ripley murders Frenchman Philippe Greenleaf and assumes his identity while traveling across Europe. Another murder occurs involving a friend of Philippe’s, which Tom pins on his dead alter ego. The film ends on an ambiguous note with Tom nearly confronted by police for his actions. PURPLE NOON was shocking and made leading actor Alain Delon a major movie star.

Hollywood revisited Highsmith’s intriguing story in 1999 with Matt Damon as the troubled title character. THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY was a hit with North American audiences, and the author’s work was again more fully accessible to English-speaking audiences. As in any film adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s work, whether produced by Hollywood or abroad, her brilliance as a storyteller is present. And her inimitable signature style is hard to miss.

Garbo impersonators

Sometimes mimicry is the highest form of flattery. If you’re Greta Garbo and you go to the movies and see two of Hollywood’s top comediennes poking fun at your screen image, you may either consider it an insult, or laugh. Hopefully Garbo regarded these delightful spoofs as compliments.

In the first film, BLONDIE OF THE FOLLIES, it’s Marion Davies front and center doing her best impersonation of Garbo. Among a crowd of party goers, she and costar Jimmy Durante entertain guests with their send-up of GRAND HOTEL. And the scene is truly hilarious.

In another film, it’s Carole Lombard’s turn to have fun at Garbo’s expense. She plays an actress pretending to be Scandinavian royalty in THE PRINCESS COMES ACROSS. Posing as the fictional Princess Olga, she boards an ocean liner to America with her pal, Alison Skipworth.

Soon they’re involved in a murder mystery at sea, a development that causes the women to get mixed up with Fred MacMurray and William Frawley. As the plot unravels, it is not too difficult to see the story is a clever set-up for Lombard’s cheeky jab at Garbo. Or maybe, just maybe, she is seriously paying respects to an actress who inspires her. At any rate, it’s grand fun and worth watching.

Steinbeck stories filmed by Lewis Milestone

Not long ago I watched a community college production of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. The play differs slightly from the feature film version, but not in too many significant ways. Mostly, in the stage version, the action is confined to the sleeping quarters of the men. Of course, in the movie, the story is opened up a bit more to show the land and some of the roads down which the main characters, George and Lenny, travel.

Seeing the live performance of Steinbeck’s classic tale helped me appreciate just how much director Lewis Milestone expanded upon the basic story in his 1939 film for Hal Roach’s company. It is not filmed in Technicolor, nor does it really need to be, but the shots of the desolate countryside and these two men trying to find some sort of sanctuary, is depicted so starkly and honestly that we cannot view it without being moved by it. Part of the film’s success is the casting of Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr., which strikes just the right balance.

But I think a lot of the credit must be given to Milestone, a literary man who adapted other written works for the screen. Milestone also continues in the vein of adapting literature by John Steinbeck with his 1949 production of THE RED PONY for Republic Studios.

This time, the story is recorded in color (Trucolor to be exact), and again Milestone has assembled a superior cast to bring the story of a boy and his pony to life– including Robert Mitchum, Myrna Loy and Louis Calhern. As we had seen in the previous picture, Milestone includes many shots of rural landscapes, which serve as a mirror and a commentary about the inner state of mind experienced by Jody, the young Steinbeck protagonist.

Many of Steinbeck’s other stories were turned into motion pictures by Hollywood studios. However, none of that other filming had the benefit of Lewis Milestone’s assured direction. Milestone brings a truthfulness to the struggles faced by the characters in these dramas. He presents simple folk trying their best to survive in a world that would just as soon squeeze them out of existence. There’s a poignancy he captures that gives us an understanding of people strengthened by adversity, and a spirit they have that no hardship can defeat.