The favorite film: Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a screwball comedy from the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock The synopsis: Ann and David Smith are a happily married couple living in New York City… but they have their share of fights. Fights that tend to last for up to eight days. Still, each time, they reconcile… until it comes to light that their marriage isn’t legal! … Continue reading Favorite things about… Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941)
The favorite film: All That Heaven Allows, a 1955 melodrama from the soap king himself, Douglas Sirk The synopsis: In a well-to-do suburban town, Cary Scott lives alone. Her two children are in college, and her husband has died, leaving her with an empty home and a less-than-active social life. Her friend Sara and admirer Harvey do their best to bring her out of her … Continue reading Favorite things about… All That Heaven Allows (1955)
The favorite film: Midnight, a 1939 screwball comedy directed by Mitchell Leisen The synopsis: Arriving in Paris with no money and no place to stay, Eve Peabody tries to get a job as a club singer with the help of taxi driver Tibor Czerny. When none of the clubs will hire her, she sneaks into a charity concert, where she catches the attention of Georges Flammarion. … Continue reading Favorite things about… Midnight (1939)
The favorite film: Designing Woman, a 1957 romantic comedy directed by Vincente Minnelli The synopsis: Sports writer Mike Hagen has spent a long night out in Los Angeles, drinking and having fun with fellow reporters. When he wakes up, he’s terribly hungover and can’t remember whether he submitted his copy during that wild night. Luckily for Mike, he did submit copy… but it was co-written … Continue reading Favorite things about… Designing Woman (1957)
In addition to being this month’s “Favorite things about…” feature, this post was written for the Barbara Stanwyck Filmography Project, my quest to watch every single film Barbara Stanwyck ever made! For more reviews from the project, visit the dedicated index page. The favorite film: Meet John Doe, a 1941 dramedy/societal critique directed by Frank Capra The synopsis: When publisher D. B. Norton takes over … Continue reading Favorite things about… Meet John Doe (1941)
The favorite film: Bachelor Mother, a romantic comedy from RKO, directed by Garson Kanin and written by Norma Krasna The synopsis: Toy saleswoman Polly Parrish is being let go from her seasonal job just after Christmas. After seeing a woman leave a baby on the step of a local orphanage, she is mistaken for the baby’s mother. Could this twist of fate help Polly save … Continue reading Favorite Things About… Bachelor Mother (1939)
The favorite film: Les Girls, a Cole Porter musical directed by George Cukor for MGM The synopsis: Sybil Wren, a famous dancer known to the public as “Lady Wren,” is sued for libel by Angele DuCros. Angele, Sybil, and their fellow dancer Joy find themselves at odds over which version of the truth is the honest-to-goodness truth, after Sybil publishes a memoir of her time … Continue reading Favorite things about… Les Girls (1957)
The favorite film: King Kong, an adventure/fantasy classic from 1933 The synopsis: A filmmaker and his crew head to a remote island to make a new film starring the beautiful Ann Darrow. The island has native inhabitants, but they live in a small village, keeping themselves protected from whatever danger lurks around the rest of the island. The truth of the island is revealed after … Continue reading Favorite things about… King Kong (1933)
The favorite film: How Green Was My Valley, a 1941 drama directed by John Ford, from the novel by Richard Llewellyn The synopsis: A Welsh coal mining family, the Morgans, face the ups and downs of life through the strength of their close-knit bond. The cast: Donald Crisp as Mr. Morgan Sara Allgood as Mrs. Morgan Roddy McDowall as Huw Morgan Maureen O’Hara as Angharad … Continue reading Favorite things about… How Green Was My Valley (1941)
The favorite film: You Can’t Take It With You, a 1938 romantic comedy directed by Frank Capra The synopsis: When Alice and Tony fall in love and decide to marry, in-law introductions bring trouble, as the eccentric Sycamores clash with the wealthy and refined Kirbys. The cast: Jean Arthur as Alice Sycamore Jimmy Stewart as Tony Kirby Lionel Barrymore as Martin Vanderhof Spring Byington as … Continue reading Favorite things about… You Can’t Take It With You (1938)
