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Swingin' Classics
Tea for Two (1950) - Gordon MacRae and Doris Day were paired in a few movies together, and if anything, their films make Doris and Rock's look risque. This remake of No, No, Nanette is set in 1929, during the stock market crash. Nanette longs to be in the theater and her uncle promises her money (to invest in a show) if she promises to say no to everything for a certain period of time. Need I say that hilarity ensues? Gordon MacRae plays a songwriter and her love interest. Features a great supporting cast including dancer Gene Nelson, comedian Billy DeWolfe, Eve Arden as the cynical secretary/best friend and S.Z. (Cuddles) Sakall as Doris's uncle. Great fun, with good songs beautifully sung by MacRae and Day.
The Reluctant Debutante (1958) - Sandra Dee comes to London to stay with her somewhat estranged father (Rex Harrison) and her dotty stepmother (Kay Kendall). She gets swept up in London's debutante season and falls in love with a bad boy American drummer ((John Saxon). Angela Lansbury also stars as the mother of a "rival" debutante. Kay Kendall is unbelievably brilliant and hilarious in this movie, and all other characters basically exist to orbit around her. She's dotty, and hysterical, and wears hilariously fabulous clothing (she acts through her marabou!). And the movie is good, too.
Pillow Talk (1959) - The classic of the Doris and Rock films. Brad Allen (Hudson), a playboy composer, and Jan Morrow (Day), an interior designer, share a party line and fight constantly. When he catches a glimpse of her in person, he falls for her and, since she loathes him as Brad Allen, becomes Rex Stetson and woos her. Tony Randall plays Brad's best friend and Jan's client, and Thelma Ritter plays Jan's boozy maid and both are utterly hilarious.
Lover Come Back (1961) - Doris and Rock, together again in their second film together after b>Pillow Talk. This time, they play rival ad agency executives: Carol Templeton (Day), an honest, hardworking girl and Jerry Webster (Hudson), the boozing, conniving playboy. Jerry makes up a fake product and ends up impersonating a scientist, who Carol falls for. Tony Randall also stars as the neurotic head of the advertising agency. Hilarity and a happy ending ensues. Doris and Rock made one more film together, Send Me No Flowers (1964), about a hypochondriac who tries to marry off his soon-to-be-widowed wife. Despite the presence of Tony Randall, this one pales in comparison with the first two.
Come September (1961) - No Doris this time, just Rock. Robert Talbot (Hudson) is a playboy who owns a Italian villa, which is run as a hotel by his ingenious butler--without Talbot's knowledge, of course. Lisa (Lollabrigida) is his lover, who wants him to marry her. Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee also pop up as flirting vacationers, and Bobby sings a great song called "Multiplication." A cute comedy in a lovely setting, and Gina sexes Rock up like Doris never could.
The Thrill of It All (1963) - Stepping in for Rock Hudson on this one is James Garner, who does a pretty good job. Doris plays a housewife who unexpectedly becomes a television personality, much to the exasperation of her husband, James Garner. Another good advertising film of the time (or a little earlier) was Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, starring Tony Randall as an adman, and Jayne Mansfield as the star he wants to advertise his lipstick.
That Funny Feeling (1965) - Sandra Dee plays an actress who cleans houses for a living. Embarrassed of her shared tiny apartment, she claims one of her client's houses is her own when she meets Bobby Darin. Unbeknownst to her, however, it's his house. Confusion and hilarity ensues. It's not the best of the fifties romantic comedies, but Bobby Darin is so cute, it makes up for any other shortcomings. I constantly get this movie confused with This Happy Feeling, which stars Debbie Reynolds, John Saxon, and Curt Jurgens, which is much less charming.
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An Affair to Remember (1957) - Sigh. Definitely the soapiest of all tear-jerker romances. Deborah Kerr and Cary Grant play star-crossed lovers, who meet on an ocean voyage and who fate conspires against to keep apart. Good for a rainy afternoon or anytime you need a little movie catharsis.
The Best of Everything (1959) - This is one of those films that Movieline's late, great Bad Movies We Love feature would call a "gaggle" movie. A gaggle of coeds go to Spring Break (Where the Boys Are), a gaggle of coeds go to Rome (Three Coins in the Fountain). In this one, a gaggle of gals start work in the publishing industry, working for Joan Crawford, no less. Soapy and melodramatic, and you'll appreciate your cubicle like never before after catching a glimpse of the steno pool.
Imitation of Life (1959) - The Technicolor, Lana Turner-starring version, of course. Lana Turner plays a struggling actress whose best friend is her colored maid. Both women have daughters (Sandra Dee and passing for white Susan Kohner). Also stars Troy Donohue as a boyfriend of Kohner's who knocks her around to a crazy jazz soundtrack when he finds out she's not white. Douglas Sirk at his best.
Valley of the Dolls (1967) - Another gaggle movie, this one with a gaggle of starlets breaking into show biz with varying degrees of success. Neely O'Hara (Patty Duke in a scenery-eviserating performance) is a young singer, Sharon Tate plays a model/actress, and Barbara Parkins plays a New Englander who becomes a spokeswoman for a makeup line. Romance, mental wards, drugs and mucho angst ensues.
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Gidget (1959) - Sandra Dee plays a young California girl who eschews her boy-crazy friends and becomes obsessed with surfing. She takes up with a "wild" gang of surfers and becomes their unofficial mascot. The dangerous and rebellious Big Kahuna (Cliff Robertson) is the leader of the gang, and relatively cleancut, swoony Moondoggie (James Darren) is around to provide romantic interest. Very adorable.
Where the Boys Are (1960) - Four college girls take off for Fort Lauderdale for spring break: the smart, independent Merrit (Dolores Hart, who went on to be a nun), marriage-minded Tuggle (Paula Prentiss), hapless Angie (Connie Francis) and pretty, dim Melanie (Yvette Mimieux). Among the men they meet are the adorable Jim Hutton, and dreamy pretty-rich boy George Hamilton. Great fun, and romantic trauma ensues as well as some great singing by Connie Francis.
Beach Party (1963) - The first in the fabulous series of movies where pasty East Coast "teens" Frankie and Annette hit the beach for sun, surf, romance and singing. This one stars Robert Cummings as an anthropologist studying teen sex, Dorothy Malone as his assistant, and the musical stylings of Dick Dale. The surfers run into trouble with Eric Van Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) and his lame motorcycle gang. Also starring: Morey Amsterdam!
Palm Springs Weekend (1963) - As the fifties ended and sixties progressed, these movies got weaker and weaker. Palm Springs Weekend is pretty much only notable for its unbelievably aged cast masquerading as youth, and a fabulous scene on the beach where you can clearly see the studio lights above the beach backdrops. Stars Connie Stevens, Troy Donohue, Stefanie Powers, and Robert Conrad--altogether a pretty charmless bunch.
Muscle Beach Party (1964) - This year, the surfers have a new addition to the beach, Jack Fanny (Don Rickles) and his bodybuilders. Also, a contessa stops by and takes a shine to Frankie. Much fighting and singing ensues. Features an excellent performance by "Little" Stevie Wonder. And starring: Morey Amsterdam!
Bikini Beach (1964) - In this one, Frankie Avalon plays a dazzling dual role, both as Frankie and a British pop star, the Potato Bug. The gang gets involved in drag racing (at Big Drag's, playing by Don Rickles) and hilarity continues to ensue. Also stars Keenan Wynn, as a newspaper columnist who wants to shut down the "immoral" Bikini Beach. Little Stevie Wonder pops up again, and Donna Loren sings a kick-ass version of "It Only Hurts When I Cry."
Beach Blanket Bingo (1965) - This time, the gang takes up parachuting, and Frankie has two extra girls to fend off, Linda Evans (as Sugar Kane, a pop singer) and Deborah Whalley (as a parachuter). Annette flirts briefly with John Ashley, but you know her heart belongs to Frankie. Guess who runs the parachuting joint? Don Rickles again. Now called "Big Drop." Good times. They went on to make a few more beach movies, with Frankie and Annette or some combination therein, but even an ardent fan like me can't defend them.
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The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)- Sigh. Was anyone ever swoonier than Errol Flynn? He was cool before cool was invented. As Robin Hood, nothing fazes him, except maybe Olivia de Haviland as Maid Marian. Very swoony and romantic, and features great supporting characters played by Basil Rathbone and Una O'Connor.
The Women (1939) - Wonderfully written, and featuring what seems like nearly every actress in Hollywood at the time. It's impossible to pick favorite lines, or scenes, but I do love Marjorie Main's tales man: "Them big, strong, red-headed men... they're fierce!" accompanied by an excellent wink. I also adore Paulette Goddard as a remorseless husband stealer and Mary Boland as the Countess DeLave. "L'amour! L'amour!" Thank goodness Hollywood hasn't remade this one!
The Lady Eve (1941) - I'm not sure I could love any movie more than I love The Lady Eve. It's short, it's fabulously witty, it stars Barbara Stanwyck as a con woman who knocks Henry Fonda's socks off, AND it stars Charles Coburn. How could it be better? The best scene is when Barbara narrates poor, hapless Henry's progress across the ship's dining room in her compact mirror. Hilarious and sexy.
Woman of the Year (1942) - One of my two favorite Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy movies. In this one, Hepburn plays a high-powered newspaper writer, and Tracy a sportswriter. Love ensues, and features one of the best movie kisses on record. As Tracy is seeing her off at the airport, and bewildered by her massive staff entourage, he asks her what he's doing there and she says, "I thought you might want to kiss me good-bye." He turns away as if to say, "Nah," but then lays a great kiss on her.
The More the Merrier (1943) - I picked this up on a recommendation from the fabulous 100 Great Film Performances You Should Remember - But Probably Don't by Paul DiLeo. Jean Arthur plays a single woman living along in Washington, DC who rents out part of her apartment to help out during the wartime housing crisis. Luckily, she rents it to Charles Coburn, who plays fairy godfather to her when he discovers how much she needs to loosen up. When he runs across Joel McCrea, he rents out half of his half to McCrea and hilarity and romance ensues. Features some truly amazing scenes between Arthur and McCrea, a great deadpan actor. I love when they're in a nightclub with Coburn and Arthur's fiance and they're rumbaing ever so subtly with each other, using only their shoulders. And when he walks her home and tries to make his move, while she fends him off is a mastery of subtle physical comedy. And like The Lady Eve, funny AND sexy.
Mildred Pierce (1945) - What can you say about Mildred Pierce? My favorite of Joan Crawford's films, it's the height of forties women's pictures. Poor Mildred works herself to the bone for her ungrateful family, and for what? Luckily, Jack Carson and Eve Arden are around to lighten the mood a touch. Beautifully filmed, excellent story by James M. Cain.
Adam's Rib (1949) - My other favorite Tracy/Hepburn movie also features a great performance by Judy Holliday, as a wronged wife who tries to shoot her husband. Tracy and Hepburn are lawyers on opposite sides of the case. Wonderfully written, hilariously funny, and still pretty right on on the battle of the sexes.
All About Eve (1950) - As long as we're talking about strong, iconic women, you can't not mention Bette Davis, and in All About Eve, she's at her best. An aging actress whose protege tries to take over her life, Bette is supported by great character actors like Thelma Ritter, and a wonderfully witty and biting script. There's also a great book on the making of the film called All About All About Eve by Earl Staggs which chronicles behind the scenes.
Born Yesterday (1950) - Judy Holliday went on from Adam's Rib to star in Born Yesterday, about a gangster's girlfriend who gets tutored by William Holden. Incredibly witty dialogue and excellent performances all around, and wonderful chemistry between Holden and Holliday.
Auntie Mame (1958) - "Patrick! My little love!" How can you not love Auntie Mame? Wonderful adaptation of Patrick Dennis's novel, featuring Rosalind Russell in the role she was born to play. Fabulous sets, fabulous costumes. Wretchedly horrible boy actor in the part of Patrick, but he's ignorable.
Some Like It Hot (1959) - Another film that holds up as beautifully today as it did when it was released, Some Like It Hot constantly amazes me with its brilliance. Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe and the fabulous Joe E. Brown all turn in amazing performances and make the most of the hilarious dialogue. What else can you say? Watch it. Yearly.
How to Steal a Million (1966)
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Updated 1/20/08
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Swingin' Classics
Horror (That Doesn't Suck)
Musicals: Now With More Singing & Dancing
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