TCM: The Greatest Movie Channel

[elle]

Robert Osborne had the flu and there also was a scheduling conflict so The Essentials should start in April and the movies in March will have an intro and outro when they repeat later in the year.

Any news on Robert Osborne?

[mariah23]

Any news on Robert Osborne?

The poster said he was fine now.

[ratgirlagogo]

Every Thursday this month they're doing films Condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency.  I haven't been watching this series since I've seen all of the films before.  I did grow up in a Catholic household but our condemned film list (to the extent that my parents would follow it - translation, OK for them but not for us kids) came not from the Legion of Decency but from the Los Angeles Archdioscesan Newspaper the Tidings - so some well-regarded films I particularly remember as having gotten Condemned ratings (like Bonnie and Clyde, for example) apparently weren't condemned by the LoD.  But I have to ask, if anyone knows, about the films coming up this Thursday - why were Ice Castles and Those Lips Those Eyes condemned?

[Milburn Stone]

Every Thursday this month they're doing films Condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency.

 

I see they're having the films introduced by nuns. (At least Viridiana was.) Probably to defuse the charge that they're picking on Catholics.

[Charlie Baker]

The films are intro-ed and outro-ed by the same nun, Sr. Rose Pacatte, who heads the Pauline Center for Media Studies. I recorded Blow Up, which I hadn't seen.  She quoted the reasons for the condemnation before the film started (Immorality, nihilism, nudity) then after it ended, came back with her present day thoughts (Unimpressed, Signore Antonioni). 

[Julia]

I have to say, the few I've seen, I've been pretty impressed with Sr. Rose. I'm still baffled by Ice Castles.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Julia

[mariah23]

Seriously, I want to know why Ice Castles was condemned!

[Milburn Stone]

Question as an uninformed but curious bystander: Does the Legion of Decency still exist? Does it still condemn anything?

[NewDigs]

Seriously, I want to know why Ice Castles was condemned!

Good question! Even google's kind of stumped.

But I did find this comment at IMDb.

"What's wrong with the movie? For a film partially intended to appeal to the teenage crowd, it is unnecessary to have any foul language. Yet Ice Castles is sprinkled with four letter words from the beginning to the end. It doesn't advance the plot one iota and it's inclusion in the film is a mystery. Perhaps the producer thought a "G" rating would doom it at the box office and added the harsh language to get a "PG". Whatever the reason it degrades the film."

Question as an uninformed but curious bystander: Does the Legion of Decency still exist? Does it still condemn anything?

According to Wiki, in 1966 it became an exclusively Catholic entity when it morphed into the National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures and in 1992 became everybody's favorite, The Parents' Television Council.

ETA: personally, I prefer the original 1933 name, Catholic Legion of Decency or CLOD. That was before Protestant and Jewish clerics joined in the battle.

Edited March 20, 2016 by NewDigs

[HelenBaby]

Seriously, I want to know why Ice Castles was condemned!

On the TCM message board someone posted some pics of Robbie Benson from the film. He was wearing tighty whities where his family jewels weren't very well disguised. I'm pretty sure that didn't help anything. ; )

[Inquisitionist]

On the TCM message board someone posted some pics of Robbie Benson from the film. He was wearing tighty whities where his family jewels weren't very well disguised. I'm pretty sure that didn't help anything. ; )

 

Well, THAT sent me scurrying to Google pronto.  LOL!

[Julia]

Aw. There are pictures of him and Karla DeVito in that search. I saw them in Pirates on Broadway. I'm glad they're still together (/ot)

[ratgirlagogo]

 

NewDigs: in 1992 became everybody's favorite, The Parents' Television Council.

No, that's a separate group.  The LoD became the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting.  This is discussed in the wiki you linked from.

The Parents' Television Council:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parents_Television_Council

 

and here is their website: http://w2.parentstv.org/Main/

The Catholic Bishops' Office:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Conference_of_Catholic_Bishops

and here is THEIR website: http://www.catholicnews.com/movies.cfm

 

Searching both sites for Ice Castles and Those Lips Those Eyes leads to zip.  Guess I'll have to tune in Thursday to figure out why these two were so infernal.

Edited March 20, 2016 by ratgirlagogo

[NewDigs]

No, that's a separate group.  The LoD became the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting.  This is discussed in the wiki you linked from.

The Parents' Television Council:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parents_Television_Council

 

and here is their website: http://w2.parentstv.org/Main/

The Catholic Bishops' Office:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Conference_of_Catholic_Bishops

and here is THEIR website: http://www.catholicnews.com/movies.cfm

 

Searching both sites for Ice Castles and Those Lips Those Eyes leads to zip.  Guess I'll have to tune in Thursday to figure out why these two were so infernal.

Yep. I didn't completely outline the progression properly. That's why left the Wiki link.

[Crs97]

An earlier post described the Catholic Church's condemned movie list as "ex cathedra," which is incorrect. "Ex cathedra" (commonly known as papal infallibility) only applies in very specific situations to matters of faith and has only been invoked twice, both regarding doctrine about Mary. A list of bad movies doesn't rank that high on the church's to do list!

I remember a family friend taking me to see "Ice Castles" and then apologizing to my devout Catholic mother for the language. I can't remember now, but if the prevalent epithet was "GD" in an otherwise family film, that might have been enough in the 70's to get the dreaded C rating.

[Rinaldo]

That compound word is still, I think, forbidden on network TV (though its component parts are OK separately, and it is now heard on basic cable like TNT or AMC). There are indeed those, not just Catholics, for whom that is the one thing they won't say (taking the name of the Lord in vain). Famously Kathie Lee Gifford, when serving as Carol Burnett's alternate in Putting It Together onstage, wouldn't sing "wait a g--d-- minute," but had no problem with substituting "wait a fucking minute." And indeed it is consistent from that viewpoint (Loretta Young always maintained that this was the point of her "curse jar" on set, about which so many anecdotes have been told).

 

I watched The Talk of the Town, never having seen it before. Jean Arthur, Cary Grant, and Ronald Colman are all at their most engaging, but what an odd mixture of genres. Part romantic comedy, part Capra-esque populist polemic, part (attempted) Shavian comedy of ideas, part slapstick, part melodrama. It never seems to settle into a consistent level of reality, but there are interesting little undercurrents along the way (Grant and Colman developing their close bond of mutual respect and fondness -- and no, I'm not trying for any "implications," but it really is a fundamental part of the story -- or Colman's valet [Rex Ingram!] moved to tears at seeing his boss shave his beard off). And whatever convolutions the plot puts them through, the three stars remain good company.

 

On the other hand, I just rewatched Adam's Rib for the first time in a long time, and I've surprised myself by finding that I don't like it much. Certainly there are treasurable elements like Judy Holliday's performance, but the Gordon/Kanin script and the Cukor direction seem designed to make a fool of Katharine Hepburn's character (her misplaced zeal, her crying fit) so that in the end Spencer Tracy can be magnanimous and "forgive" her. It just didn't sit well with me as the light entertainment it was supposed to be.

Edited March 22, 2016 by Rinaldo

[Padma]

I agree with you a bit about Adam's Rib. But given the time period, I thought it was a nice try at a battle of the sexes where Hepburn's character was clearly more intelligent than Tracy's but still had the difficulty of navigating the emotions of their personal relationship.

 

The one I really liked during the recent Tracy-Hepburn day on TCM was "Desk Set". In spite of being a bit funny looking back at that gigantic computer, the idea of technological change potentially threatening the workplace is still fresh. And the two characters--much lower key than in Adam's Rib--were so smart and kind of proud and kind of lonely and just right for each other.  Plus great support from Joan Blondell and Gig Young. Not as famous as Adam's Rib or many of the others, but it's my favorite T-H film. 

[Charlie Baker]

I would agree with Rinaldo about The Talk of the Town, but it is very entertaining.

I don't think Adam's Rib is that hard on Hepburn's character, but yes, given the time, she had to be dialed back a bit.  But she wouldn't be completely contained, I don't think.

[Inquisitionist]

I may have to give Talk of the Town another try.  I watched the first 20 minutes a few months ago and could not get into it.

[Milburn Stone]

I may have to give Talk of the Town another try.  I watched the first 20 minutes a few months ago and could not get into it.

 

That happened to me once, too! Still have never seen it past that point.

[Julia]

I have, and I have to agree with Rinaldo that there's a lot more something between Ronald Colman and Cary Grant than there is between Jean Arthur and either of them, although I couldn't really say what the something was. I think if Katharine Hepburn had gotten her original wish and gotten Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy for Philadelphia Story it might have ended up something like this, with two men jousting and their lady fair stomping her feet on the sidelines and insisting someone treat her like a grown woman with agency (and being ignored, mostly).

[elle]

I may have to give Talk of the Town another try.  I watched the first 20 minutes a few months ago and could not get into it.

and

 

That happened to me once, too! Still have never seen it past that point.

Try watching after the 20 minute mark and think of it as a mystery rather than a supposed screwball comedy.  Good Luck!

 

I have, and I have to agree with Rinaldo that there's a lot more something between Ronald Colman and Cary Grant than there is between Jean Arthur and either of them, although I couldn't really say what the something was. 

Beyond both actors could have chemistry with a phone book?  I'd say that it was that both characters had a desire to see justice prevail.

 

I don't recall that Jean Arthur had much chemistry with Cary Grant in "Only Angels Have Wings" either, but she sure did sparkle with Jimmy Stewart!

[Julia]

Beyond both actors could have chemistry with a phone book? I'd say that it was that both characters had a desire to see justice prevail.

I don't recall that Jean Arthur had much chemistry with Cary Grant in "Only Angels Have Wings" either, but she sure did sparkle with Jimmy Stewart!

I like Jean Arthur. It's just that Cary Grant and Ronald Colman were in a sort of very serious Odets-ish drama, and Jean Arthur kept dropping in from the Preston Sturges movie next door. And then too, if you remember his scenes with Douglas Fairbanks Jr, maybe because they really did give him an awful lot of soppy stuff to do, Colman just seemed to really enjoy himself when he got a chance to strike sparks off of other actors.

[bluepiano]

I had not seen A Streetcar Named Desire in a very long time. Is it sacrilege to say that, despite the two legendary leading performances, it has not aged that well? At least as a movie. It's really a filmed stage play. And as great an actress as she is, I just don't find Vivian Leigh believable as Blanche. It's a performance that constantly calls attention to itself.

 

It's cool when TCM brings back a classic, but what makes me really love the network is their recent showing of such obscure early '30s gems as Sing and Like It (Nat Pendleton in a rare lead role, the vastly undervalued Pert Kelton) and Smarty, with Warren William, and Edward Everett Horton improbably competing for the affections of Joan Blondell, at her pre-Code naughtiest.

 

And thanks to TCM for giving me a chance to finally see Billy Wilder's legendary flop Kiss Me Stupid, with Dean Martin, Kim Novak, and Ray Walston, who took over from an ailing Peter Sellers. I can see why it was condemned by the Legion of Decency and buried by its studio in 1964, but it's pretty tame from a contemporary perspective. (If still in somewhat bad taste). I didn't think it was one of Wilder's best, as some are now claiming, but I did enjoy it. It's as purely Billy Wilder as The Apartment. And kudos to Dean Martin for being willing to "play himself" as a detestable SOB.

 

Speaking of the Legion of Decency, interesting article in Wikipedia listing the movies they condemned, from 1933 to 1980. (The Odd Couple? Really?) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_condemned_by_the_Legion_of_Decency

Edited March 23, 2016 by bluepiano

[Milburn Stone]

And thanks to TCM for giving me a chance to finally see Billy Wilder's legendary flop Kiss Me Stupid, with Dean Martin, Kim Novak, and Ray Walston, who took over from an ailing Peter Sellers. I can see why it was condemned by the Legion of Decency and buried by its studio in 1964, but it's pretty tame from a contemporary perspective. (If still in somewhat bad taste). I didn't think it was one of Wilder's best, as some are now claiming, but I did enjoy it. It's almost a companion piece to The Apartment, and just as purely Billy Wilder. And kudos to Dean Martin for being willing to "play himself" as a completely detestable SOB.

 

 

When it came out, I remember the movie critic of The Baltimore Sun treating it like it was an atrocity on the level of a mass genocide. It's not that bad. :)

[bluepiano]

When it came out, I remember the movie critic of The Baltimore Sun treating it like it was an atrocity on the level of a mass genocide. It's not that bad. :)

 

It was 1964, a couple of years from the real start of the Swinging Sixties. And a time not far removed from when a "sex comedy" meant Doris Day valiantly defending her virginity. (At least in America. Kiss My Stupid was actually based on an Italian play, but by 1964 the Italians had already been getting laughs out of sex and infidelity for years).

Edited March 23, 2016 by bluepiano

[Milburn Stone]

Kiss My Stupid

 

Now that's a suggestive title.

[bluepiano]

Hah. Pardon my typo.  :)

[Rinaldo]

Kiss Me, Stupid is waiting on my DVR but yet unseen by me. For me, given my background, the most fascinating thing I know about it is that the songs that are part of the story are all "new" Gershwin songs: unpublished George Gershwin melodies given lyrics for the occasion by his brother Ira. I need to hear them.

[Milburn Stone]

Kiss Me, Stupid is waiting on my DVR but yet unseen by me. For me, given my background, the most fascinating thing I know about it is that the songs that are part of the story are all "new" Gershwin songs: unpublished George Gershwin melodies given lyrics for the occasion by his brother Ira. I need to hear them.

 

One of those previously unpublished Gershwin tunes (the only one I recall right now) was put out as a single by Ella Fitzgerald and appears on the Verve singles-compilation CD (titled Jukebox Ella) that came out way back in '03. The song is titled "I'm a Poached Egg."

 

In the film, it's supposed to be a terrible song, written by the two amateur songwriters. But I'll assert (and will do so to my dying day) that while Ira wrote a lyric, on purpose, consistent with this function, it's also a lyric that when separated from the film is quite charming! The "awful" metaphors in the song make it no worse than some of the deliberately silly songs he wrote in the thirties like "Blah Blah Blah" and "I Love to Rhyme." "Poached Egg" (to the extent it's known at all) has been unfairly maligned. It's hard for me to imagine Ella, Norman Granz, or Nelson Riddle wasting their time on a song they simply considered to be terrible. And indeed, Ella's performance makes the case for this trifle.

[Rinaldo]

Ira Gershwin wrote about the challenge he faced, as you describe: the songs were supposed to be problematic in the story, but he wasn't going to write objectively "bad" songs -- along with the wish not to defame the family name, they were going to be published in sheet music for separate performance, and would become part of the Gershwin canon. So he aimed instead to write "wrong for the situation" songs, or perhaps "trying too hard" songs which would still work well when taken out of context.

 

It's sad that I know all this about them and still haven't heard them! I'll remedy that soon; our spring break is next week.

[bluepiano]

When I first saw the credit for the songs the Gershwins I was confused, because I thought it was referring to "S' Wonderful," as sung by Dean Martin over the opening credits. But the old/new Gershwin songs play a major role in the movie, and in the context of the story work perfectly.

'
When you first hear the lyrics you chuckle, because they do sound like the work of an eager amateur trying too hard to be witty, in the style of the Gershwins or Cole Porter. But then you hear them again and think, wow, they actually are clever, in a way that songs just aren't written anymore. (Don't get me started on the state of contemporary songwriting).

 

It's no small feat to write lyrics that are both an affectionate send-up of a style and at the same time work well as an example of that style. So kudos to the brilliant Ira Gershwin.

 

And the love song that Ray Walston (or whoever dubs his voice) sings to Kim Novak is actually quite lovely.

Edited March 23, 2016 by bluepiano

[prican58]

Ken Howard passed away today. I first saw him on "Adam's Rib", a 1973 tv series based on the movie. It didn't last but I loved him in it. Co star was Blythe Danner, so he and the Paltrows go back. Became a fan since and needless to say The White Shadow was one of my favorite shows.

 

So talented. Even though I have never been able to sit through it, he was in 1776.

[Milburn Stone]

It's no small feat to write lyrics that are both an affectionate send-up of a style and at the same time work well as an example of that style. So kudos to the brilliant Ira Gershwin.

 

I was about to say something much like that. But you said it so well I don't have to. :)

[Rinaldo]

And the love song that Ray Walston (or whoever dubs his voice) ....

It's undoubtedly Walston's own voice. He had a long history in musicals (like the devil in Damn Yankees, stage and screen). In the film of South Pacific, he and Mitzi Gaynor were the only ones allowed to sing for themselves.

[elle]

It's undoubtedly Walston's own voice. He had a long history in musicals (like the devil in Damn Yankees, stage and screen). In the film of South Pacific, he and Mitzi Gaynor were the only ones allowed to sing for themselves.

Rossano Brazzi doesn't sing?

 

Ken Howard passed away today. I first saw him on "Adam's Rib", a 1973 tv series based on the movie. It didn't last but I loved him in it. Co star was Blythe Danner, so he and the Paltrows go back. Became a fan since and needless to say The White Shadow was one of my favorite shows.

 

So talented. Even though I have never been able to sit through it, he was in 1776.

Sad news!  He was in 1776!  Thanks to  you tube , you can just watch just the clips you want.

[Rinaldo]

Rossano Brazzi doesn't sing?

Maybe he did, but not with the operatic basso established as the standard for Emile de Becque. Actually South Pacific is historic in this respect: the first time a voice double was acknowledged in a movie's main titles. We see the credit "the voice of Giorgio Tozzi" along with the rest of the actors.

 

(This movie was so dubbing-happy that Juanita Hall, the original Bloody Mary on Broadway, didn't get to sing for herself. By this date Richard Rodgers preferred the voice of his London Bloody Mary, Muriel Smith.)

 

And a decade later, Giorgio Tozzi got to play the role using his own body, in a stage revival, opposite Florence Henderson as Nellie. If you ever come across the recording, listen to it: they're good.

Edited March 24, 2016 by Rinaldo

[Sharpie66]

Aww, sad to hear about Ken Howard. I was another White Shadow fan, but I first appreciated his work in 1776, which was a big part of my childhood memories of July 4th (on TV every year at that time), and one of the factors that got me into early American history. His Jefferson was just loads of fun--he did the distracted lover, the sarcastic wit, and the showdowns with Adams very well indeed.

John Adams: Do you mean to say that it is not yet finished?

Thomas Jefferson: No, sir. I mean to say that it's not yet begun.

John Adams: Good god! A whole week! The entire earth was created in a week!

[Jefferson turns to face him]

Thomas Jefferson: Someday, you must tell me how you did it.

John Adams: Disgusting.

I love Ken Howard's tone in that comeback!

[bluepiano]

It's undoubtedly Walston's own voice. He had a long history in musicals (like the devil in Damn Yankees, stage and screen). In the film of South Pacific, he and Mitzi Gaynor were the only ones allowed to sing for themselves.

 

I know Ray Walston sings, but if you listen to the songs in Kiss Me Stupid, it sounds totally different than his voice. (He's one of those people whose singing voice is very close to his speaking voice.) There are a number of viewer reviews on IMDB commenting on the fact that it's clearly not Ray Walston singing. Perhaps because he wasn't the original casting choice, and maybe they'd already hired a singer to dub Peter Sellers.

 

Another White Shadow fan here. Ken Howard was so good in that. And I actually remember that short lived Adam's Rib series (based on the Tracy-Hepburn movie) with Blythe Danner.

[Rinaldo]

Thanks for the information, bluepiano. I shouldn't have spoken so hastily, given that (as already established) I still haven't seen the movie. I'm still surprised; I know that there were eras when everyone was dubbed whether they really sang or not, but I had thought that that had waned by this date, especially for a nonmusical like this. Live and learn.

 

Edited to add: I should have known -- I did know! -- all this already. My good friend Julie went into it all when she wrote about the movie (getting a local theatrical showing) 5 years ago. And I even responded. My failing memory at work again....

Edited March 24, 2016 by Rinaldo

[Julia]

Another White Shadow fan here. Ken Howard was so good in that. And I actually remember that short lived Adam's Rib series (based on the Tracy-Hepburn movie) with Blythe Danner.

 

Bruce Paltrow (Blythe Danner's husband/Gwyneth's dad) was the producer of White Shadow. I guess the two of them really hit it off when they made 1776.

[elle]

Maybe he did, but not with the operatic basso established as the standard for Emile de Becque. Actually South Pacific is historic in this respect: the first time a voice double was acknowledged in a movie's main titles. We see the credit "the voice of Giorgio Tozzi" along with the rest of the actors.

 

(This movie was so dubbing-happy that Juanita Hall, the original Bloody Mary on Broadway, didn't get to sing for herself. By this date Richard Rodgers preferred the voice of his London Bloody Mary, Muriel Smith.)

 

And a decade later, Giorgio Tozzi got to play the role using his own body, in a stage revival, opposite Florence Henderson as Nellie. If you ever come across the recording, listen to it: they're good.

Now officially gobsmacked!  I was certain that Juanita Hall did her own singing.

[Milburn Stone]

Edited to add: I should have known -- I did know! -- all this already. My good friend Julie went into it all when she wrote about the movie (getting a local theatrical showing) 5 years ago. And I even responded. My failing memory at work again....

 

I enjoyed your friend's blog post, found much to agree with, found much of it insightful and thought-provoking. I'm glad to see she's still keeping the blog going.

 

(If she cares to revisit 2011 to correct a typo, however, you might point out that it's Climax, Nevada, not Climax, Nebraska.)

 

For all the movie's faults, I can only imagine it being worse with Peter Sellers in the role instead of Walston. Walston certainly didn't have "star power," and the movie might have done better commercially with Sellers on the poster along with Martin and Novak, but Walston's manic performance seems right and makes it very difficult for me to imagine anyone else in the role. (Except, as your friend points out, Jack Lemmon.) No one has more regard for Peter Sellers than I, and he was nothing if not consistently surprising--therefore, I have no business preemptively deciding that he could not have brought the requisite farcical energy to the role--but based on everything I ever saw him do, I imagine the movie being worse, not better, for his presence.

 

Like your friend, I've imagined Monroe in the Novak role if only she had lived, and there's casting that would have transformed the movie into something special. In fact, given how long movies take to get made, I have little trouble believing that Wilder saw Monroe playing the part as he typed. It would amaze me to learn otherwise. One way to enjoy Kiss Me, Stupid a little more than one does is to make the casting substitution continually as one watches. Sort of like a starving cartoon character visualizes a can of beans as a steak.

 

I find Felicia Farr amazingly sexy in the movie and one of the things that does work for me is the delicious masochism inherent in the Walston character's inability to see how hungry she is to have sex with him and only him.

Edited March 24, 2016 by Milburn Stone

[Rinaldo]

Now officially gobsmacked!  I was certain that Juanita Hall did her own singing.

It's a longstanding puzzlement that it was done this way. We can hear how she sounded (a decade earlier) on the original-cast recording of the show. And around the time of the South Pacific film, in Flower Drum Song. (I have trouble imagining how Rodgers managed to tell her, "You're good enough to sing this role of mine onstage, but not that one on film.")

 

Muriel Smith was an African American mezzo-soprano with serious vocal training -- she graduated from the Curtis Conservatory in the same class as Leonard Bernstein -- and starred in Oscar Hammerstein's Americanized version, Carmen Jones, in the original production and many revivals. After relocating to London, she did Bloody Mary and Lady Thiang there, and an actual Carmen at the Royal Opera House. She also provided Zsa Zsa Gabor's singing in Moulin Rouge.

I enjoyed your friend's blog post, found much to agree with, found much of it insightful and thought-provoking. I'm glad to see she's still keeping the blog going.

"A Follow Spot" (yes, a quote from Follies) is definitely worth subscribing to. Some entries deal solely with central-Illinois events, and I skip those. But others contain a lot of good thoughts about TV and movies and theater. I've contributed half a dozen guest columns over the years.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Like your friend, I've imagined Monroe in the Novak role if only she had lived, and there's casting that would have transformed the movie into something special. In fact, given how long movies take to get made, I have little trouble believing that Wilder saw Monroe playing the part as he typed. It would amaze me to learn otherwise.

I seem to remember  that this was in fact the case - that she was the original choice, but that the studio was afraid she was too much of a mess at that point.  And that Dean Martin refused to do it without her, and it only got made without her after she died.  I read it in Nick Tosches' biography of Dean Martin.

[bluepiano]

I find Felicia Farr amazingly sexy in the movie and one of the things that does work for me is the delicious masochism inherent in the Walston character's inability to see how hungry she is to have sex with him and only him.

 

The relationship between Walston and Farr was for me the weakest part of the movie. We're told he's jealousy because he married the prettiest girl in town, and obviously in terms of looks and economic status he doesn't think he's a prize. But they've been married for 5 years, and she apparently adores him and has never given him reason to be suspicious. So after 5 years that level of paranoid jealousy is pathological, and it's amazing she's willing to put up with it.

 

The scene where he attacks the teenaged boy getting a piano lesson and rips his shirt was hard to watch. I can imagine Peter Sellers or Jack Lemmon finding a way to play that scene loony enough so that it would be funny, but Walston plays it straight, like he really wants to beat up the kid, and it's weird and unpleasant. The scene where Walston is trying to get Farr out of the house with made-up stories of his cheating also needs a lighter touch to seem funny and not just mean.

 

In fact, the only real moment of tenderness Walston shows to his "wife" is when he's calling Kim Novak "Mrs. Spooner." He can be kinder and gentler with the woman pretending to be his wife than he can be with his real wife.

Edited March 25, 2016 by bluepiano

[Milburn Stone]

In fact, the only real moment of tenderness Walston shows to his "wife" is when he's calling Kim Novak "Mrs. Spooner." He can be kinder and gentler with the woman pretending to be his wife than he can be with his real wife.

 

I think that's the point, part and parcel of Wilder's jaundiced view of marriage. Just as is Walston's lack of attraction to the spectacularly attractive Farr. (He's jealous of her, but doesn't actually want to have sex with her!)

Edited March 25, 2016 by Milburn Stone

[HelenBaby]

I seem to remember that this was in fact the case - that she was the original choice, but that the studio was afraid she was too much of a mess at that point. And that Dean Martin refused to do it without her, and it only got made without her after she died. I read it in Nick Tosches' biography of Dean Martin.

Actually, I think that was Move Over, Darling which was a remake of My Favorite Wife. It was originally supposed to star Martin & Monroe but she died. It was then made with Doris Day and James Garner. If I'm remembering correctly, there's about 15 to 20 minutes of that film floating around with Monroe but she was so messed up at that point it would take hours if not days to get her to the set.

ETA: it was called Something's Gotta Give when it had Martin & Monroe.

Edited March 26, 2016 by HelenBaby

[Julia]

And Cyd Charisse as the second wife. And much as I love Gail Patrick, it makes a lot more sense to me that a man who still loves his late wife would go for Cyd Charisse circa 1962.

 

Here's some surviving footage.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Actually, I think that was Move Over, Darling

Oops, yes, you're right.