1940's Remember the Night

One of my favorite Christmas movies is not as well known as classics like White Christmas, or It's a Wonderful Life, but full of sentiment just the same. Starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in their first of four pairings, Remember the Night follows John Sargent (MacMurray) and Lee Leander (Stanwyck) on an unlikely journey considering their circumstances. 

Lee is in trouble for stealing some jewels. She tries to make a run for it, but gets caught in the chase. She winds up in court with a wacky defender and John as the prosecutor. After a feeble attempt to acquit her, the judge orders the court to resume after Christmas leaving Lee stuck in the slammer. John has a soft spot and makes her bail so she won't be locked up over the holidays. 

Before John knows it, Lee is out on bail and in his apartment!  This puts a stick in John's spokes as he plans to take a road trip to visit his mother for Christmas. Lee doesn't have anywhere to go, and even after suggesting she go back to jail, John decides to buy her dinner and think of a solution.  He takes her to a swanky place with draped walls and chandeliers courtesy of interior decorator, A.E. Freudeman. Lee explains why she steals, they realize they are from the same place, and John decides to give her lift to her mother's house along the way. 

As their journey begins they end up in cow pasture, and get taken in for trespassing and stealing milk. After some quick thinking by Lee they are back on the road - but as fugitives! They reluctantly stop by Lee's mother's house. John learns that Lee's mother is still upset about her actions and shows no love by their impromptu visit. Feeling pity for Lee yet again, he decides to take her to his family's house for Christmas.

Lee is falling for John but knows that with her reputation she would not be a good fit for him. She is proud of his accomplishments as a lawyer and doesn't want to jeopardize his career. Once they arrive at the family home, she is welcomed and adored, even after hearing about her legal situation. The family celebrates the holiday together and John starts to have affections for Lee. They leave for New York by route of Canada as to avoid the cops from the farm fiasco. They spend a night at Niagara Falls and it's clear the two are "falling" for each other.  John suggests they skip town and run away together. Lee wants to go back to NYC and set things straight. 

Once back to the city Lee's trial resumes. John tries to do a lousy job so Lee will get off. Lee, knowing John is too good and decent for her, decides to plead guilty. You'll have to watch to see what transpires in the end, but this film does not have your your typical happy ending, especially for a Christmas film. I happen to love the ending as it is both romantic and realistic. 

This film was written by Preston Sturges who would continue to succeed at his craft with screenplays for The Palm Beach Story, Sullivan's Travels, and one of my favorites, The Lady Eve, of which also stars Stanwyck. It's important to note the film has a racial stereotyped character named Rufus played by Fred Toones. Toones's career included 225 credits, and most of his acting consisted of roles playing janitors, cooks, servants, and bellhops, which was typical for the times. Toones acted in six Oscar nominated films including Imitation of Life, 1937's A Star is Born, and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. When he wasn't on set, Fred ran the shoe shining stand on the lot when he was contracted with Republic Pictures.  

Sturges became pals with Stanwyck during production and told her he would write a film just for her, which turned out to be The Lady Eve. He was so unhappy with the decisions made by director Mitchell Leisen on this film that he decided to direct his screenplays going forward. He started a brief production company with one of my favorite players, Howard Hughes, called California Pictures. This ended shortly after it started due to production disagreements and Howard being, well, Howard. Soon after, Hughes would buy RKO Pictures. 

Penny Serenade

The final pairing of Cary and Irene and follows their relationship through records from when they met until the present.

Irene plays Julie and is on her way out. She and hubby Roger are splitting. But what is the harm in listening to some records first?

The story goes back in time where Roger (Grant)  spots Julie in the record shop. He gets her attention and buys tons of records. On the walk home she learns Roger doesn't even have a record player! The romance begins.

During their courting, we get the sense that Julie wants to shack up and pop out some kids, while Roger is not as keen about the idea. Roger is a publisher and on New Years Eve breaks the news to Julie that he is going on assignment in Japan! Just when Julie thinks they are through, Roger asks her to marry him.

While in Japan, the newlyweds get pregnant. Things are swell until an earthquake hits and Julie looses the baby, and learns she may never have one again. I must say, for 1941, the earthquake scene is pretty well done!

They return to the states and Julie is depressed. Roger and her move into a new apartment which has a publishing room downstairs. Buddy Applejack joins the fun. The paper isn't doing so well but they decided to adopt as the still want a child.

After tons of red tape they finally get a little girl and are beyond the moon. Applejack helps out.

They get a one year trial with the little one and are worried they can't provide for her. The orphanage lady is hard on them and after a year they almost loose her because they are too poor. Time goes by and everyone is happy. Daughter Trina grows up well and even participates in a Christmas play.

But the good times don't last forever as Trina dies from an illness. Roger and Julie are so devastated they don't even talk any more. The orphanage lady is sad too.

We are taken back to the present and Roger and Julie are about to call it quits, when just in time, the phone rings. It's the orphanage calling with another child! Still grieving from their loss, the couple must decide if they want to start all over again and if they can be happy.

Irene said this was her favorite film because it reminded her so much of her own adopted daughter Mary with husband Francis Griffin. Cary earned an Oscar nomination in part from a scene where he begs the judge to let them be parents. They never made another film again, partly due to top billing, where both parties wanted to be first. Cary was quoted as saying, "It's ladies first in lifeboats, but not in movies, I'm afraid."

Ms. Stanwyck Take Two

Last night I took another shot at Barbara and watched "The Lady Eve" with Henry Fonda.

Barb is a card shark con-lady and she has her eye on beer ale heir Charlie Pike. He is obsessed with snakes and they meet on a boat trip back from South America. She starts to fall for him before she remembers she is supposed to take him for his dough. 

Charlie boy is a bit of a dork and acts like one as he looses all his money playing cards with Barb and her pa. He asks her to marry him but soon finds out she is crooked and dumps her before they hit port. Barb is mad because she really does love him and decides to con him again for revenge. 

She puts on a fancy gown and shows up at his pad as another woman, English mind you, although she has no accent. Charlie, being a dork, can't decide if she is the same broad from the ship or not, but eventually falls for her and asks her to marry him (again). They do, and on the honeymoon train ride, Barb goes for her revenge and makes up some lies and tells Charlie about all her bedpost notches and he gets mad and gets off the train. She doesn't want a trip to Reno and decides she wants him for real, but Charlie wants nothing to do with her. He finally stumbles across her thinking she is the con-lady again, and they reunite.

The rest is history...although it seems there is a lot of explaining to do!

Edith Head does the gowns for this picture, and they are divine. There are a couple fun scenes in this film. One when Charlie shows Barb his pet snake, Emma, and Barb wigs out. Another when Charlie has some moments of clumsiness and gets a pot roast dumped in his lap. This was a great screwball comedy and Barbara Stanwyck is growing on me!