Picture Of The Day

Douglas Fairbanks, New York City, 1918. Rallying war bonds for WWI with nothing more than a megaphone. Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Doug sold more war bonds than anyone else ever. And you thought Brad and Angie brought the big crowds...

"Adam's Rib"

One of the best Hepburn/Tracy films is the great "Adam's Rib". This 1949 picture also debuted the adorable Judy Holliday which kicked off her career that would span 20 years.

Judy's husband is a flop and is getting busy with another gal. Judy decides to kill him, scare him, what have you, and buys a gun. She finds him with the "tall job" and fires! Judy's husband is only hurt but she is in need of a lawyer.

Next we meet the Bonner's aka Katarine (Amanda) and Spencer (Adam). They are both lawyers and as it ends up, Kat will defend Judy while Spence is prosecuting her. They both get to work and the fun begins...

The Bonner's obnoxious neighbor, played by David Wayne, has the hots for Kat (even though I get the gay vibe) and Spencer doesn't like it. Tension rises as both lawyers try to win their case.

Katharine is trying to prove that Judy had the right to shoot her husband because he was cheating on her. Spencer is more of a by-the-books man and tries to convice the jury that nobody has the right to try to kill another person.

They fight, they question thier relationship, and in the end they decide if they want to be with each other or not. Plus there is a verdict! There are many fun scenes in this film, one where Spencer attempts to shoot Katharine, and another when they show their party guests some cute home movies. 

Everyone knew how wonderful Judy Holliday was. Katharine even started a rumor that Judy's performance was better than hers and that she was "mad" about it, hoping to get Judy more press. The film was a hit and Judy was quickly chosen to star in her theater role of "Born Yesterday". The rest is history...

The MGM Lion

When it comes to Hollywood studios, the most iconic and recognizable production logos is that of MGM. Founded in 1924, when Samuel Goldwyn, Marcus Loew's Metro Studios, and Louis B. Mayer joined studio forces to become a powerhouse,  MGM used several lions before settling on Leo in 1957. First came Slats who wasn't as magnificent as the roaring lion we are familiar with today. Slats started things off before talkies, so he just looked around checking things out before the film's titles rolled in. Volney Phifer, or Captain Phifer as he was known was his trainer, and the chief animal trainer for the MGM for almost half of the century. He loved Slats so much he had him buried on his property after his death in 1936. 

Next was Jackie, also trained by Phifer, who first gave his roar to the audience as sound was coming into use until 1956. He was also the first Lion to be used in technicolor and is the lion seen in The Wizard of Oz and was used for over 100 films. Later came lions Coffee (1932-1935), Tanner (1934-1956), George (1956-1957) and finally Leo, which is the longest standing lion used for MGM. 

           

                                                                  Captain Phifer and Slats

Slats

 Jackie

Coffee

Tanner

 George

 Leo

Ralph Helfer was Leo's trainer and cared very deeply for him. Ralph started a new way of training called "affection training" that didn't involve whips or chains, but was based on respect and love for the animal. 

MGM lions at work:

Slats 

Jackie

Alfred and Leo

Greta Garbo and Leo. She doesn't look to thrilled to be at work that day.

MGM now uses a digitally enhanced lion for it's logo. Not as triumphant or as exciting as the lions used throughout it's history. One thing is certain, the visuals and audio of the MGM logo is a direct connection to film, and one can recognize what is to come by just a glimpse of the lion on the screen. Next time you go to watch an MGM film, pay attention to the fuzzy animal on screen, you might be able to decipher which lion you are seeing, and have a more nostalgic feeling about how he got there. 

Miss Tay

Sunday blues? Turn on the tube to TCM and sit back to watch a full day of Elizabeth Taylor as they pay tribute to a legend.

Check out the schedule at:

http://www.tcm.com/schedule/index.html

Enjoy!

Quote Of The Day

"Sex appeal is fifty percent of what you've got and fifty percent of what people think you've got."

-Sophia Loren

The Awful Truth

 Tonight's Cary Grant fix is by way of the excellent screwball comedy, 1937's The Awful Truth. Also starring Irene Dunne and Ralph Bellamy, directed and ghost produced by Leo McCarey, with co-producer Everett Riskin.

Cary (Jerry) and Irene (Lucy) are man and wife until they start to get jealous. Jerry thinks Lucy is cheating on him with her foreign singing instructor, and Lucy thinks he is lying about his travels. They decide to get a divorce. But who will get Mr. Smith, their dog whom they both love? The court decides to let the dog choose, and he goes with Lucy.

Lucy moves in with Aunt Patsy and starts sulking because she misses her ex husband. Jerry gets visitation rights with the dog. One night Aunt Patsy scores a date for Lucy named Daniel played by Ralph Bellamy. He is an Okie visiting New York and Lucy thinks he is a bit of a dud. Jerry comes over to play with the dog so Lucy leaves with Daniel and third wheel Aunt Patsy. After one night on the town Daniel is in love. 

Before you know it, Lucy realizes Daniel has serious feelings for her, and realizes that she still has feelings for Jerry. Meanwhile Jerry does what he can to break off the engagement because he still loves her too.

Lucy still has contact with her singing instructor and he and Jerry get in a shuffle when they both get sent to her room to hide from Daniel. Once Daniel gets wind of all Lucy's men, he is over it. Jerry starts dating a rich heiress and they make plans to wed.

While visiting his future in-laws, Jerry finds himself in a pickle when his fabricated sister shows up at the party, and it is Lucy! She plays a boozer and the in-laws are not impressed. She and Jerry take off once it is clear there will be no wedding bells for anyone.

On the way back, they get pulled over by the cops, and after Lucy lets the car run into a tree, they need an escort back to her folk's house for the night. I love the safe way the cops let them ride on the motorcycles. In the end they make a truce and realize the awful truth about their relationship. 

I love this film for many reasons. 

One: Cary - I mean, look at him. He had mastered the art of timing early on, with this film coming before Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, or Monkey Business where he really could perfect his craft.

Two: Lucy's wardrobe is beautiful thanks to Robert Kalloch who worked as chief costume designer for Columbia pictures starting in 1933 and the later MGM in 1941. Some of his highlights at Columbia were designs for Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, His Girl Friday, Holiday, and There's Always A Woman. 

And Three: The ultimate laughable scene where Jerry is hiding behind the door trying to make Lucy laugh while she is supposed to be serious with Daniel.

Cary tried to get out of finishing the picture due to the writers not telling the actors what scenes they would be doing the next day, which made Cary very anxious. Director Leo McCarey convinced him to stick it out, and The Awful Truth ended up being one of the best hits of the year. Irene said she and Grant "meshed from the first moment", and they would go on to star in two more pictures in the coming years.