sabby Reviews

The Tarnished Angels (1957)

A slight departure for director-extraordinarre Douglas Sirk

[6/10 · 29 April 1999]

Although Douglas Sirk was Universal's house director in the mid-late 1950's turning out glossy soap after glossy soap (1954's "Magnificent Obsession", 1955's "All That Heaven Allows", 1959's "Imitation of Life"), he took a slight diversion with "The Tarnished Angels". Besides being in black and white, this actioner is much less sudsy than Sirk's other films of the era. Using the prinipal players from his 1956 epic soap "Written on the Wind", he creates a fast-paced melodrama following the adventures of a family of airplane stunt people and the reporter who is drawn into their world. Robert Stack is Roger Shumann, a stunt pilot, Dorothy Malone is his beautiful parachutist wife, and Rock Hudson is Burke Devlin, the intrigued reporter.

Roger is devasated when he crashes his prized plane, so another pilot(Robert Middleton) makes Roger a deal. He'll give Roger his plane in exchange for Roger's wife,LaVerne(Malone). Meanwhile, a used and abused LaVerne falls for Burke. There's not much here at all by way of plot. In fact, the film is really dull in that aspect. But what gives this movie legs are the brilliantly directed action sequences(some of the best ever captured on celluloid)and tremendous performances from Stack, Malone, and Hudson. Malone is especially amazing, following up her Oscar-win the previous year for "Written on the Wind". Mediocre film, interesting especially to Sirk fans.

The Damned Don't Cry (1950)

Joan Crawford, once again, shows us a gutsy,brilliant performance

[7/10 · 29 April 1999]

The amazing Joan Crawford never diappoints. In "The Damned Don't Cry", she gives yet another stellar performance during her 1940's-50's heyday. Like "Mildred Pierce", this film is done via flashback. Crawford plays a dowdy housewife, who soon after the tragic death of her young son, becomes a glamorous gangster's wife. Watching her transform herself is a riot, and seeing her work her way up to the top is brilliant fun. Her co-stars are equally as good. The beautiful black and white cinematography really enhances an already good film. Check this one out.

Lured (1947)

An effective early Douglas Sirk-directed,Lucille Ball-driven drama

[7/10 · 29 April 1999]

Before becoming a big name in the 1950's as Universal's house director(1954's "Magnificent Obsession", 1959's "Imitation of Life"), Douglas Sirk dabbled in westerns and film noir-ish mysteries. "Lured" is one such mystery that stars a pre-"I Love Lucy" Lucille Ball, George Sanders, and Boris Karloff. Ball stars as a showgirl in London who gets drawn into the search for a serial killer when one of her dancer friends becomes an apparent victim of this killer. The killer preys on London's most beautiful women via personal columns. Ball is hired by Scotland Yard to answer personal columns in an attempt to track the real killer. She encounters frightening situations and odd characters in her search. When she falls in love with one of the men, she begins to fear for her life as he may indeed be the killer. Sirk's direction is really quite impressive with his shadowing and his uncanny ability to beautifully capture women on film. Ball, too, is good, although she really seems to be a bit out of place when it comes to high drama. And the always excellent Sanders doesn't disappoint. Overall, "Lured" is a good, solid worthwhile thriller.

Les Girls (1957)

Cute, fun musical with a hilarious point-of-view

[7/10 · 25 April 1999]

I love classic films, but I'm not one for musicals. I like melodramas. With "Les Girls", however, I have to make an exception. This is fun, colorful, comic-musical in which Kay Kendall plays Lady Wren, former member of a European dance troupe, who writes a book exposing the backstage "truths" and scandals. Along comes Taina Elg, also a former member of that troupe, suing Lady Wren for defamation of character. A trial ensues in which we get flashbacks, giving the various points-of-view of how things really happened. Cute and fun from the opening moments of plantiff and defendant entering the courtroom to the flashbacks showcasing Kendall's brilliant comedic abilities and the oft-referred to gin in the perfume bottle sequence. This is truly a good show and Gene Kelly's great too.

Autumn Leaves (1956)

Joan Crawford in a top-drawer thriller

[8/10 · 25 April 1999]

Joan Crawford gives a real tour-de-force as Milly, a work-obsessed, but lonely spinster who meets a handsome man, Burt (played wonderfully by Cliff Robertson), in a diner late one night. Their meeting turns into romance, and before Milly knows it, they are married in quickie Mexican nuptuals. When they return home, secrets from Burt's past began to come into the open. Before long, Burt turns into an abusive, dillusional schizophrenic. Crawford's performance is amazing (once you get past the shoulder pads and butch haircut) and Vera Miles' role as Burt's devious ex-wife is classic. Don't miss a vicious cat fight between Crawford, Miles, and Lorne Greene, in which Crawford spews at Miles, "And you, ya slut!" Director Robert Aldrich did a tremendous job of taking this melodrama, but never letting it turn into a total soap opera. Great show!

Dark Victory (1939)

The ultimate in classic tear-jerkers, Bette makes this role her own

[8/10 · 25 April 1999]

1939 was the year movie buffs remember as the year of "Gone With the Wind". Well, yeah, that was a spectacular film and all, but let's not forget that year's other big picture, Bette Davis' weeper "Dark Victory". Overshadowed by all the hoopla surrounding "GWTW", "Dark Victory" is a wonderful "little" picture with a role that Davis really got a chance to sink her teeth into. She plays rich, spoiled socialite Judith Traherne who whiles away her days drinking, partying, and riding horses. Soon, though, her carefree life turns tragic when she's diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She begins to focus on living her life to the fullest, including falling in love with her doctor(the bland George Brent). Ronald Reagan has a bit part as Judy's friend and Humphrey Bogart horribly plays an Irish horse trainer(serious miscasting). Nonetheless, this is a moving sudser with Davis in a brave role. Your tears will fall on cue as Davis makes her final walk up the stairs into her bedroom.

Lifeboat (1944)

I'd like to be lost at sea with this great cast anyday

[7/10 · 16 April 1999]

In one of Alfred Hitchcock's earliest films, six people with different personalities and backgrounds are stranded together in a lifeboat after the passenger-carrying freighter they are on is sunk by a German u-boat in the Mid-Atlantic. The cast includes the fabulous Tallulah Bankhead as a bitchy photo-journalist, Hume Cronyn as kind-hearted man who finds love on the lifeboat, Canada Lee as a kind steward, Walter Slezak as a mysterious German, and John Hodiak who has to dodge Tallulah's nonstop advances. Hitchcock did this film on one set - the single lifeboat. What's amazing is that he could keep things interesting for two hours, but he managed to somehow. Bankhead is this movie's greatest asset. Reportedly, she didn't wear underwear on the set and constantly kept the crew at attention! This is a great, novel film.

Rebecca (1940)

Perhaps the finest example of early Hitchcock

[8/10 · 16 April 1999]

"Rebecca" was Alfred Hitchcock's first Hollywood picture (after a string of British made hits). This also gave Hitchcock his first (and only!!)Academy Award. This fabulous mystery has endless twists and turns and provides an amazing movie-going experience. Joan Fontaine(who was Oscar-nominated)plays a woman who marries a rich, dashing Englishman(Laurence Olivier), but she soon is haunted by the memories of his late wife, Rebecca. Adding to Fontaine's troubles is the evil and scary Mrs.Danvers(Judith Anderson)who is the housekeeper that is completely obsessed with Rebecca. Major lesbian overtones here. This is undoubtedly one of the greatest films of Hollywood's golden era and a Hitchcock triumph!

Gone with the Wind (1939)

Supreme epic of lust and passion!

[10/10 · 16 April 1999]

I put off seeing "Gone With the Wind" for a long time, because I thought, "Who cares about some Civil War epic?" Well, when I reluctantly sat down to watch it, I soon became mesmerized by the passion of this movie. My second favorite film of all time (only behind 1959's "Imitation of Life"), this is supreme epic drama. What an amazing work this is! Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) is a pain-in-the-butt spoiled brat who loves Ashely (Leslie Howard), but Ashley loves his cousin Melanie(Olivia De Havilland). Ashley leaves Scarlett to care for Melanie(whom Scarlett despises)when he goes off to war. Enter the heroic Rhett(Clark Gable)who saves Scarlett and Melanie from a burning Atlanta. Rhett begins to find Scarlett attractive in a strange sort of way. Tragedy soon unfolds for everyone in this film. Your tears will flow and you,too, will fall in love with this picture! Plus, Olivia De Havilland, perhaps out most underrated performer, is the real stand-out in this cast.

Walk on the Wild Side (1962)

Lesbian madame Stanwyck is strangely overprotective of her girls

[5/10 · 6 April 1999]

This surprisingly mediocre movie is mainly notable for Saul Bass's amazing opening sequence of a black cat "walking on the wild side", choreographed to a catchy jazz score. The plot is flat as Laurence Harvey, a Texas cowboy, goes on a search to New Orleans for his true love (played by Capucine). Along the way he meets homeless wanderer Jane Fonda who becomes seethingly protective of him. They part ways after she steals a precious rosary from a sweet Russian diner owner(Anne Baxter). Meanwhile, in New Orleans, we get a peek inside a notorious whore house where the fabulous Barbara Stanwyck is the madame. Capucine is one of the girls at this house who lesbian Stanwyck really likes. When Laurence Harvey finally tracks down Capucine, she hides the truth about her job from him - for a while. This is not a very good film, although, Stanwyck, as always, is great. Also, Anne Baxter is terrific with her impeccable Russian accent. The half-baked screenplay dulls what could have been a great, campy film.

By Love Possessed (1961)

Another glossy Lana Turner soap

[6/10 · 6 April 1999]

Despite coming off the success of 1959's classic sudser, "Imitation of Life", and 1960's mystery/soap, "Portrait in Black", Lana Turner made a poor career choice with "By Love Possessed". Not a bad film exactly, it does pale in comparison to the other melodramas of Turner's later career. The great cast includes Efrem Zimbalist,Jr., Jason Robards, George Hamilton, Susan Kohner(the black daughter passing as white in "Imitation of Life"), and Barbara Bel Geddes. In this vehicle, Turner plays the alcoholic, pleasure-deprived wife of a handicapped lawyer(Robards). So, she begins an affair with his law partner(Zimbalist), despite the fact that he is married to Bel Geddes and has a son(Hamilton). Hamilton is involved in a lacking side plot in which he's in love with a rich, but mentally unstable local girl(Kohner). The film is super plush and has a great score. However, the character development is so lacking, that by the end of it all we don't care about them. Too bad. It could all have been so good. This movie's only worth a look if you're a big fan of Turner's.

Madame X (1966)

Lana Turner gives the performance of her career

[8/10 · 27 March 1999]

This tear-jerking melodrama gives Lana Turner her last great role(before her late'60s,early'70s hokum)and it is surely her greatest performance. Who knew she had it in her? Turner plays the doomed Holly, a shop girl from San Francisco who marries into a rich,political family on the East Coast. Her demented mother-in-law(Constance Bennett in her last role)hates Holly and eventually forces her to fake her own death and take on a new identity. Holly gets a makeover in Europe and falls into alcohol and drugs in Mexico, before the final shocking plot twist. Lush, dramatic, and moving, "Madame X" is a classy production all the way, and a total Lana showcase.

The Rains of Ranchipur (1955)

Glamorous remake with all-star cast

[7/10 · 27 March 1999]

This glamorous remake of the '30s film "And The Rains Came", casts Lana Turner, Richard Burton, and Fred McMurray. Turner is a woman who travels with her husband to India to purchase some horses. While there, the unsatisfied Lana embarks on an affair with Hindu doctor Burton, breaking taboos and causing a ruckus among the elite set. All the drama is compounded by a series of earthquakes and one big flood that threatens the lives of everyone. It's hard to tell what's more beautiful to look at - the Indian scenery(really filmed in Pakistan) or the always elegant Lana. Storyline-wise there's not a lot of substance, but it's truly a visual feast regardless.

All I Desire (1953)

Early Douglas Sirk/Universal sudser

[7/10 · 27 March 1999]

Barbara Stanwyck gives this early Douglas Sirk-directed, Universal-produced soap just the kick that it needs. Not nearly as memorable as Sirk's later melodramas, it's easy to see by watching "All I Desire" where Sirk would be heading artistically in the next few years. Stanwyck is a showgirl who returns to her family in smalltown, U.S.A, after deserting them a decade earlier. Her family and community have mixed emotions in dealing with her shocking return. Some of the cinematography is amazing, and Stanwyck is tough-as-nails and really gives this film a shot of energy. Overall, a fairly good show.

The Great Lie (1941)

Supreme soap opera of lies and deceit

[7/10 · 27 March 1999]

Bette Davis and Mary Astor take place in one of filmdoms greatest bitch-fests, The sappy sweet Davis and obnoxious concert pianist Astor both love the same man(George Brent). He goes back and forth between them. Slick and soapy, the performances are great and Astor walked away with an Oscar. Great classical score, too.

Portrait in Black (1960)

An ultra-glam Lana in a soap opera/mystery

[8/10 · 17 February 1999]

Immediately following the success of 1959's "Imitation of Life", a pure masterpiece, producer Ross Hunter called on "Imitation" star Lana Turner to glam-it-up once again in "Portrait in Black", a top-notch blackmail mystery. Teamed up with "Imitation" daughter, Sandra Dee, Turner plays the wife of a San Francisco shipping magnet who's having an affair with her hubby's doctor.

The San Francisco scenes are great, the music by Frank Skinner is lavish, and Lana looks extraordinary. A great production.

All That Heaven Allows (1955)

Wyman and Hudson re-team for this classy melodrama

[9/10 · 17 February 1999]

Due to the success of 1954's "Magnificent Obsession", Universal once again called on Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Agnes Moorehead, and director Douglas Sirk for this passionate, heart-gripping look at the hypocrisy of small-town America. Wyman, a rich widow in this well-to-do New England town, falls in love with her gardener (Hudson) and all hell breaks loose. Her community ridicules her and her grown children are horrified by her. She finds herself having to choose love or the respect of those around her.

The cinematography is beyond extraordinary, the score by Frank Skinner is unbelievably moving, Wyman is exquisite, and Sirk gives some of the best direction of his career. A really classy melodrama and completely worthwhile.

Knots Landing (1979–1993)

The greatest prime time soap is missed very much

[13 February 1999]

"Knots Landing", for 14 years, was the greatest television experience ever. From December 27, 1979, until May 13, 1993, we followed the sudsy lives of our favorite characters. From Val and Gary's initial movie into the neighborhood, to Abby's arrival and her nonstop manipulations, to Laura's terminal brain cancer and the impact it had on everyone's lives, to the ultimate psycho Jill, it was all terrific entertainment. Not overly-glossy and implausible like other night-time soaps, "Knots" had a realism all it's own. It will be missed and remembered fondly.

Back Street (1961)

Attempt by Universal to emulate success of '50s soaps

[8/10 · 13 February 1999]

After the enormous success Universal had with Douglas Sirk-directed melodramas in the 1950s, they continued trying to repeat that success into the '60s. "Back Street" is one such sudser. Susan Hayward and John Gavin fall in love, but fate intervenes over the years keeping them apart. Enter Vera Miles as Gavin's psycho, alcohol-fueled wife who refuses to give him a divorce and you've got pure, unadulterated melodrama. Hayward is okay, and Gavin looks really good, but it's Miles who gives the performance of this movie. She's outrageous and evil and provides the film with all the energy it needs. This movie, while good, tends to be quite implausible, though, and is really missing Sirk's expert direction. But those of us who just love sudsers don't mind.

Imitation of Life (1959)

Classic glossy melodrama at its finest

[10/10 · 13 February 1999]

Boy is this movie amazing! From the very first moment showing the Universal-International logo with its sweeping music, to the final moments of Annie's farewell, this is top-notch entertainment.

Lana Turner has never looked more glossy, John Gavin has never been better looking, and Susan Kohner and Juanita Moore's Oscar-nominated performances are moving beyond words. The music, the cinematography, the story, and Douglas Sirk's direction all contribute to why this is my all-time favorite movie.

Written on the Wind (1956)

Trash, greed, and lust topple a rich Texas family

[10/10 · 13 February 1999]

On the surface, "Written on the Wind" is a lurid, glossy soap opera about the sexual dysfunctions of a Texas oil family. But underneath it all is a deep, social commentary on 1950's life. Director Douglas Sirk scores again with another Univeral sudser. Robert Stack falls in love with Lauren Bacall. The problem is that Stack's best pal, Rock Hudson, loves her too. When Stack finds out he's sterile and Bacall ends up pregnant, the fireworks fly. And, the all-too-good Dorothy Malone won an Oscar for her portrayl of Texas' biggest nympho who is shunned by Hudson. Good epic soap opera.

All That Heaven Allows (1955)

Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in top sudser

[9/10 · 13 February 1999]

Following the success of 1954's melodrama, "Magnificent Obsession", Universal had director Douglas Sirk churn out this glossy soap-fest. Reuniting Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, and Agnes Moorehead from "Magnificent", this film is so good and emotion-packed. Rich widow Wyman falls for her gardener Hudson, losing the respect of her children and conservative community. The visual metaphors (that Sirk was famous for) abound and it all makes for an incredibly beautiful film. Plus, Wyman looks elegant and is at her best.

Magnificent Obsession (1954)

Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in classic soap

[8/10 · 13 February 1999]

What do you get when a rich playboy is indirectly responsible for the death of a well-loved doctor and then responsible for that doctor's widow's tragic blindness and then devotes his life to medicine to help find a cure for her? Well, you've got yourself a classic 1950's melodrama starring the always-excellent Jane Wyman; a buff, but stiff Rock Hudson; and directed by director-extraordinarre Douglas Sirk. "Magnificent Obsession" isn't as tear-jerking or trashy as some of Sirk's other fodder, but it is good, solid entertainment. The swooning music and Technicolor make for a great film. And the scene where a blind Wyman feels her way around her hotel room, alone, is just too good for words.