ABCs at the Movies: The Doubles Round!

[Ellemeno]

While looking for an E, I got fascinated by this - all I can find is that it is a short documentary starring Veronica Lake as herself.  IMDb has the two plot keywords as "Hair" and "WWII."  So here's my theory on what this film is about:  Veronica Lake was very famous then for her "Peek a Boo" look, letting her hair cascade over one eye.  Well, that wouldn't be safe on Rosie the Riveter, no sirree bob.  My guess is that this was a little cautionary safety film that Veronica Lake was asked to do, that was shown along with the newsreels before the main film.  I'n that interesting?  If anyone can find more info, much obliged.

[MaineWriter]

Very good deducing, Elle, and I think you are right on the money. I couldn't find anything called "The Eyes Have It" but here is a safety movie with Ms. Lake and her famous hair. Check out the factory workers with their "futile gesture." LOL

http://www.archive.org/details/us_news_review_issue_5

[MaineWriter]

==comment==

Neil Doyle at IMDb says: Any story about an axe murderer on the loose has to be taken seriously--and this one is no exception, especially since it is given some film noir ambience in lighting, sets and photography--and has Basil Rathbone as the master mind of all the villainy.

Laraine Day and Lew Ayres (usually cast in the Dr. Kildare series) are the stars of this well made B-film that played the lower half of double-bills when released in 1942. They both move capably through a story that mixes romance, humor and suspense--although much of what happens stretches credibility a bit. Attempts on Laraine Day's life provide a few genuine thrills in this somewhat creepy tale about an actor (Lew Ayres) and a society girl (Day) on the trail of a serial killer being masterminded by sinister Basil Rathbone who uses hypnotism to carry out his plans.

Although a minor mystery, it has some chilling moments thanks to the intensity of Rathbone's acting and some atmospheric night scenes with the heroine being menaced and stalked on rainy streets by a killer.

[MaineWriter]

This is just sort of a random comment, but I wanted to share:

The other day I played "La Zia di Carlo" for the Z, noting that it was a remake of "Charley's Aunt" which had previously been a movie and stage play, first produced in 1892. I had never heard of "Charley's Aunt" but Ellemeno said it was funny and they had put it on as her high school play.

Just now I am reading a review of "Is He Dead?" which just opened in New York City, and I come across this:

Reclaimed from the mothballs by the scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin, who came upon the manuscript five years ago in the Mark Twain Papers at the University of California, Berkeley, “Is He Dead?” would likely generate only a few chuckles (and many a cry of “Oh, brother”) in the reading. Its plot suggests an ungainly younger cousin to “Charley’s Aunt,” Brandon Thomas’s popular cross-dressing comedy from 1892.

Three times in three days! Isn't it funny how things come together?

"Is He Dead?" got a very good review, and it has an interesting history.

http://theater2.nytimes.com/2007/12/10/theater/reviews/10dead.html?em&ex=1197435600&en=79489ee4e7f174e7&ei=5087%0A

[memento]

=comment=
Speaking of Veronica Lake.

[oilgun]

[southendmd]

IMDb user comment:  In Which We Serve is a stunning and emotional piece of film making. Coward and David Lean sympathetically directed this thinly veiled account of Lord Montbatten's sea battle during WWII. Coward himself played the Montbatten role (renamed, Kinross for the film.), and turned in a sincere and 3 dimenional portrait. For those of you used to seeing Noel only in high comedy, this film is a revelation. Strong support is also given by Sir John Mills and Joyce Carey. Sir Noel won a special oscar for the screenplay.

[MaineWriter]

==comment==

Another WWII movie. Here's a comment from IMDb: Refreshingly free of cant and surprisingly low on propaganda, Joe Smith American is one of the best 'B' features you'll ever see--it was so good, in fact, that it opened in 1942 atop the bill at movie theatres in New York City. Robert Young plays the titular character, an all American 'Joe' who won't spill his guts about a secret bomb sight to the bad guys--even after being tortured and threatened with death. The torture sequence is surely one of the most grueling things committed to celluloid from the period, and in addition to being spectacularly shot by Charles Lawton Jr. was masterfully lit by one of MGM's superbly trained and uncredited craftsmen. The cloth binding used to blind and gag Young, coupled with the narrative use of his inner voice, anticipates the bleak and distressing Johnny Got His Gun by thirty years. And while the film is certainly a tribute to American patriotism--witness the fascinating schoolyard rendition of My Country Tis of Thee, complete with an odd fascist style salute to the flag--it pointedly allows Young's character to sleep in on Sundays and miss church!

Robert Young, of course, is the father from "Father Knows Best."

[Fran]

[oilgun]

This one looks like it's worth seeking out!
From an IMDb user:  Hysterical madcap fun. There may be no funnier moment in the history of film than Edward G. Robinson irritably gift wrapping a piece of luggage (all reasonably priced at $9.75) for a bothersome customer. The pacing of this movie is breathless (it's like a Bugs Bunny cartoon) and it's one of the few comedies that can legitimately claim to have a laugh virtually every minute. It's a movie that understands how funny a single door constantly opening and closing can be, provided there is a parade of zany enough characters passing through it, all of whom possess impeccable comic timing. It's also got a young, menacing Anthony Quinn to give it some edge, and an early Jackie Gleason to steal a couple scenes. Nearly as delightful as the king of screwball comedies "Bringing Up Baby".