Tag: august 2021

An Old-Fashioned Christmas Movie On The Farm (2021) & “Star Of The Month (August 2021)” Featuring Barbara Stanwyck in… The Bride Wore Boots (1946)

I’m back for one last turn with this month’s Star, and that would be Barbara Stanwyck’s 1946 comedy The Bride Wore Boots, which also stars Robert Cummings and Diana Lynn!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Congratulations It’s Pink (1967)

(available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 2 (1966-1968) from Kino Lorber)

(Length: 6 minutes, 12 seconds)

The Pink Panther steals a basket from some campers, only to find it has a baby in it and not food.  This is another fun cartoon, with the gags varying between the Panther trying to palm off the baby, and then, once he realizes that he’s stuck with it, how he takes care of it.  I know I get a chuckle out of him “milking” the milk truck like a cow (only for a cow to peek out a moment after he finishes)!  It’s very enjoyable, and one I enjoy coming back to!  The only complaint I have is that the audio seems a bit distorted (at least on the Blu-ray, anyway), although not so bad as to completely ruin seeing it.

And Now For The Main Feature…

After seven years of marriage, Sally (Barbara Stanwyck) and Jeff Warren (Robert Cummings) find themselves at odds over their various interests. Sally is running a horse farm with her partner (and former flame, which certainly bugs Jeff) Lance Gale (Patric Knowles), whereas Jeff doesn’t really like horses (and, although he tries to ride, is frequently thrown by even the gentlest horses). Meanwhile, Jeff is an historian and author of books on the old South, with groups of (mostly older) women who like to have him lecture at their meetings and send him various Civil War artifacts (and Sally resents the feminine interest, regardless of age, as well as the artifacts cluttering up the house). Jeff and Sally still love each other, though, and try to get along. For Christmas, Jeff tries to give Sally a horse named Albert (which he has been told is a good horse), but it turns out that he was suckered into buying an older horse that wouldn’t be able to race (an opportunity that Lance uses to pick on him, before they both fight each other). As her gift to Jeff, Sally tried to give him a desk that belonged to Jefferson Davis, but, she also is humiliated later when a group of women (for whom Jeff will be giving a lecture shortly) bring him a gift of a stuffed Confederate horse, and they reveal it to be a fake. What’s worse, one of their younger members, Mary Lou Medford (Diana Lynn), takes a shine to Jeff and kisses him under the mistletoe. Sally sees this, and threatens to leave him, but he convinces her to go with him to a convention (where he has to give a speech), hoping to make a second honeymoon of it. However, Mary Lou is also there, and kisses him again (which Sally sees). This time, Sally has had enough, and demands a divorce. When Jeff advertises for a secretary to help him write a new book, Mary Lou shows up and gets rid of the other applicants to take the job herself (which Jeff very hesitantly goes along with after she manipulates him). Sally had taken custody of their children in the divorce, but (since she is still in love with Jeff), she decides to send them Jeff’s way to help disrupt Mary Lou’s attempts at seducing Jeff. Meanwhile, the horse Albert has taken a shine to Jeff, and he decides to take up riding, in order to train Albert for the upcoming Virginia Challenge Cup (a steeplechase that Sally and her family had been trying to win for a long time). Of course, Mary Lou doesn’t like this, and arranges for Jeff to go on a lecture tour (and plans to go with him). Seeing this, Sally’s uncle, Tod (Robert Benchley) and her mother, Grace Apley (Peggy Wood), conspire to have her children eat so much as to make themselves sick. When they both hear about the children, Sally and Jeff rush right over. Sally quickly wises up to her mother’s tricks, but she keeps quiet about it since she still loves Jeff. Jeff decides not to go on the lecture tour (which results in Mary Lou breaking up with him), and he decides to ride Albert in the Virginia Challenge Cup, especially when he hears about Lance’s plan to propose to Sally if he wins. But, can Jeff, a very untrained rider, win the Cup and Sally’s heart again?

For what (sadly) turned out to be Barbara Stanwyck’s last feature comedy, she does quite well with her role here! I love how her character tries to love her husband, and yet, it’s hard not to feel for her when we see him go wrong. Of course, she is, in her own ways, rather devious, as she tries to get back at him for the “trouble” he causes. And she is quick to recognize that same quality in others, like when her mother tries to get them her and her husband back together (of course, she wants that, too, so no way will she mention that to her husband 😉 ). She does quite well with the film’s humor, which, to me, makes it disappointing that writers couldn’t come up with anything good comedy-wise for her after this film.

The movie evens qualifies, to some degree, as a Christmas movie, which adds to its appeal for me! Now, I know we’re mostly talking about the Christmas stuff happening in the first half hour before moving on, but it has enough importance to the rest of the film, in between Jeff’s (Robert Cummings) gift of a horse to his wife, the mistletoe (which is the start of his marital woes), and the stuffed horse that comes into play here and there. Of course, the film has more than just Christmas in its favor, as I like the comedic performances, too! Robert Cummings does well with his comedy bits (and, from what I’ve read, even did some of his own stunts in the steeplechase)! Robert Benchley as the Uncle Tod (whom the kids really like) and Peggy Wood as Sally’s (Barbara Stanwyck) mother add to the humor, especially when they get to scheming a little themselves. Willie Best is here, too, in what feels like one of his less-stereotyped roles, which at least doesn’t take away from it. The steeplechase scene does manage to be one of the more amusing horse races I’ve seen (at least for those that stay normal without getting screwy like the Marx Brothers). I will admit, I’ve seen much better horse/horseracing films, but the cast for this one makes it entertaining enough that I would love to keep coming back to it every now and then (especially at Christmastime)! So, yes, recommended by me!

What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2020) with… The Bride Wore Boots (1946)

This movie is available on Blu-ray as part of the three film Barbara Stanwyck Collection from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. As usual, this one is sporting an HD scan. This one looks quite good, with most of the dirt and debris cleaned up. There are a few minor instances of scratches and the like, but overall, it’s as good as one could hope for!

What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2020) with… Barbara Stanwyck Collection

The Barbara Stanwyck Collection includes Internes Can’t Take Money, The Great Man’s Lady and The Bride Wore Boots. All three films have HD scans that look quite good, outside of minor dust and dirt here and there. I think the set is worth it for all three films, as, while not seemingly among Barbara’s best-known films, each one of them still allows her to give a great performance as part of some very entertaining movies. Easily a worthwhile set to look into!

Whew! Now that we’re done with all that, I can safely say that this ends my month-long celebration of actress Barbara Stanwyck (well, it does for me, as my next posts will be in the month of September)! So join me again on Wednesday, September 1, as I move on to the second-to-last blogathon I am hosting this year (and on my favorite film genre, no less), Musicals: With A Song And A Dance In My Heart!

Film Length: 1 hour, 27 minutes

My Rating: 9/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Christmas In Connecticut (1945) – Barbara Stanwyck – Titanic (1953)

It Started With Eve (1941) – Robert Cummings – Stagecoach (1966)

Road To Utopia (1946) – Robert Benchley

Tomorrow Is Forever (1946) – Natalie Wood – Miracle On 34th Street (1947)

The Great Man’s Lady (1942) – Barbara Stanwyck Collection

As an Amazon Affiliate, this site gets a small percentage for every purchase made upon using one of the Amazon links, even if it’s not the movie I linked to (and it’s at no extra cost to you). If you like what I’m doing with the blog, please consider using them so that I can continue to do more!

“Star Of The Month (August 2021)” Featuring Barbara Stanwyck in… The Lady Eve (1941)

We’re back again for more time with Barbara Stanwyck (our Star Of The Month), and this time, it’s her classic 1941 screwball comedy The Lady Eve, also starring Henry Fonda!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Jet Pink (1967)

(available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 2 (1966-1968) from Kino Lorber)

(Length: 6 minutes, 3 seconds)

When the Pink Panther walks onto an experimental aircraft base, he decides to try becoming a famous pilot. This one isn’t quite as much fun as some of the others. Once he gets into the aircraft, it’s then a minute or two mainly of the aircraft going everywhere of its own accord. The short doesn’t really manage to be that funny until he accidentally presses some buttons and gets himself ejected (and then finds out he can fly by himself for a moment before he lands back on the ground). As I said, it has its moments, but this one feels more like one of the lesser efforts for relying too much on the same joke.

And Now For The Main Feature…

After spending a year in the Amazon as part of an expedition, Charles Pike (Henry Fonda) is ready to return home on an ocean liner. As the heir to the Pike’s Ale fortune, he quickly catches the eye of every female on the ship. Among them is con artist Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck), who is traveling with her father (also a con man), “Colonel” Harrington (Charles Coburn). While they are at dinner, Jean trips Charles, and starts to work her charms on him (so that she and her father can con him out of his money). Her charms work, as he starts to fall hard for her. Much to her surprise, Jean starts to fall for him as well, and has to keep her father from swindling him at cards. Things are starting to look good for Charles and Jean, but his friend (and bodyguard) Ambrose “Muggsy” Murgatroyd (William Demarest) distrusts Jean and the Colonel, and finds out that they are well-known as being cons. Muggsy reveals this information to Charles before Jean can tell him the truth, and Charles breaks things off, breaking Jean’s heart (although she finds some solace in a big check from Charles that she had previously stopped her father from cashing in). At a horse race, Jean and her father run into a con man friend of theirs, Pearly (Eric Blore) (although he is currently going by the alias Sir Alfred McGlennan Keith). When she hears that Sir Alfred knows the Pike family, Jean starts making plans to come visit as his “niece” under the name Lady Eve Sidwich. The Pikes end up throwing a party to welcome Sir Alfred’s niece. There, Charles is once again smitten with her. Muggsy keeps trying to tell him that Lady Eve and Jean are one and the same, but Charles believes that their extremely similar appearance means they can’t possibly be the same person. He falls for “Eve,” and after a while, they get married. However, on their honeymoon trip, Charles gets increasingly jealous and angry as he learns about some of “Eve’s” numerous past relationships, until he decides to get off the train and divorce her. Later on, she feels sorry and wants to get back together, but he won’t have anything to do with her. Can Jean get him to come back to her, or will her heart be forever broken?

When they met on the set of Remember The Night, writer Preston Sturges promised to write actress Barbara Stanwyck a screwball comedy (a genre she wasn’t exactly being cast in due to her screen image). Being that he had decided that that would be the last film he would write (and not direct), he convinced Paramount Studios to let him direct his next script, The Great McGinty (for very little pay). When that and his second film, Christmas In July, turned out to be hits, he was given a bigger budget to work with. He had actually come up with the screenplay for The Lady Eve as early as 1938 (but kept it to himself), and later made changes, utilizing aspects of the story “Two Bad Hats” by Monckton Hoffe, and tailoring it to Barbara Stanwyck’s talent. It took a bit of convincing the studio executives to go for Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda over other actors actually on Paramount’s payroll, but he did it, just the same. The movie turned out to be a hit with audiences and critics, and has become one of Preston Sturges’ best-known films. Paramount tried to remake the film as The Birds and the Bees in 1956, but, without the writer/director (or the cast), that film version failed.

The Lady Eve is a movie that I’ve been hearing about for the last few years, with a lot of high praise being thrown its way. Well, this year I finally got the chance to see it (heck, I’ve actually been able to see it twice this year!), and I will say that it lives up to the hype! Barbara Stanwyck in particular proved that she is indeed quite adept in a screwball comedy. As a scorned con artist, she proves that she can easily fool her intended target (and, quite frankly, if it weren’t for the scenes where her “Eve” is out of character, we the audience would be hard-pressed to figure out whether the two ladies are the same person or two completely different people). I know I enjoyed watching her try to outplay her own father at cards to keep him from taking all of Henry Fonda’s Charles’ money, or seeing her later drive him nuts when her Eve reveals all her “prior relationships” to Charles to make him jealous!

But Barbara Stanwyck is not the only standout in this film, either! Henry Fonda is also amusing, in between all his trips and falls, or being seduced by Barbara Stanwyck’s Jean. As his ever-suspicious friend and bodyguard, William Demarest also manages to be hilarious, especially since he realizes that Barbara Stanwyck’s Jean and Eve are the same person (yet can’t convince anybody else). Eric Blore also adds to the fun as another con (although he’s not in the film as much as I would have preferred). Seriously, this is a wonderful film with a well-deserved reputation as one of the best screwball comedies, and for that reason alone, comes highly, HIGHLY recommended from me!

What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2020) with… The Lady Eve (1941)

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Criterion Collection from a new 4K transfer taken from a 35 mm fine-grain master positive. Overall, the movie looks pretty good. It has some minor issues that keep it from being perfect, but the reality is that the film was held back for a long time on Blu-ray because they were searching for some potentially better elements, but there were none to be found. So, instead of continuing to search for a closer equivalent of perfection, they went with the film elements that were in the best shape. I personally am thrilled with what we got, and would certainly recommend this release as the best way to see this fantastic screwball comedy!

Film Length: 1 hour, 34 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

As an Amazon Affiliate, this site gets a small percentage for every purchase made upon using one of the Amazon links, even if it’s not the movie I linked to (and it’s at no extra cost to you). If you like what I’m doing with the blog, please consider using them so that I can continue to do more!

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Remember The Night (1940) – Barbara Stanwyck – The Great Man’s Lady (1942)

Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) – Henry Fonda – Mister Roberts (1955)

The Mark Of Zorro (1940) – Eugene Pallette – It Ain’t Hay (1943)

Music In My Heart (1940) – Eric Blore – Road To Zanzibar (1941)

“Star Of The Month (August 2021)” Featuring Barbara Stanwyck in… Internes Can’t Take Money (1937)

As we continue on with more films featuring this month’s Star, Barbara Stanwyck, we’ve got her 1937 film Internes Can’t Take Money, also starring Joel McCrea!

Coming Up Shorts! with… In The Pink (1967)

(available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 2 (1966-1968) from Kino Lorber)

(Length: 6 minutes, 13 seconds)

Feeling a little fat, the Pink Panther goes to the gym to work out. This one is really funny, with all the things that the Panther does to exercise (all the while causing trouble for the poor Little Man in the process)! I find many of the gags be quite funny, especially the one with the punching bag and the chicken! Some are predictable, like the “shadow-boxing,” but they don’t take away from what is a very funny cartoon worth coming back to with some frequency!

And Now For The Main Feature…

At Mountview General Hospital, medical intern Dr. James Kildare (Joel McCrea) is trying to take care of the various people that come to see him. One of his patients is Janet Haley (Barbara Stanwyck), who has come in to take care of some burns. They feel an instant spark for each other, but she faints from hunger as she is about to leave. When she comes to, Dr. Kildare gives her something to drink, and advises her to come back the next day about her burns. Afterwards, Dr. Kildare and the other residents are summoned to Dr. Henry J. Fearson’s (Pierre Watkin) office. There, fellow intern Jim Weeks (Lee Bowman) is fired for performing an experimental operation on a patient that died afterwards (a procedure that he and Dr. Kildare had worked out together, but only Weeks had a chance to do first). Dr. Kildare takes his friend Weeks to the bar across from the hospital. Janet also goes to that same bar, where she tries to talk with gangster Dan Innes (Stanley Ridges). As we find out, her late husband was a crook, and kidnapped their daughter to keep Janet quiet. However, a bank robbery he was involved in went wrong, and he died from being shot (but never revealed the location of their daughter). Janet was sent to prison herself for two years (because she was accused of being his accomplice), and, having been released, was now trying desperately to find her daughter. Innes (who knew her husband) tells her that he might have some information, but it would cost her $1000 (which she doesn’t have). Gangster Hanlon (Lloyd Nolan) walks in the place with a bad knife wound, and Dr. Kildare tries to save him there (since Hanlon’s men won’t let Dr. Kildare take him to a hospital), with Janet’s help. The next day, Janet tries to follow a lead on her daughter (and fails) before trying to talk with Innes again. He still wants the $1000 dollars to give Janet the information, but also offers her up the possibility of sleeping with him to get the information (which she turns down). Due to this detour, she is late to work and is fired. Since she doesn’t come back to Dr. Kildare, he decides to go see her in person and take her a meal. On the way, he stops at the bar, where he is given an envelope by one of Hanlon’s men (which he later finds out has $1000 in it). Dr. Kildare tells Janet about it, but also mentions that he has to give it back (since interns aren’t allowed to accept money). Janet tries to steal the money when she thinks he isn’t looking, but he catches her at it, and is disappointed in her. He gives the money back to Hanlon, who offers to do him a favor if he needs it. Faced with no other choice, Janet reluctantly decides to go along with Innes’s proposition. She has one last appointment with Dr. Kildare about her burns, and she gives him a note explaining things (but asks him to read it later). However, he decides to read it sooner, and, realizing the fix she is in, asks Hanlon to help find her and Innes before they can do anything she might regret. But will Dr. Kildare and Hanlon be in time? Or, for that matter, will Janet be able to find her missing daughter?

This was another captivating performance from Barbara Stanwyck. As a desperate mother and an ex-con, we see her fighting to find her missing daughter. She has her limits to what she is willing to do, but, with hope slowly dissipating as time goes on, those principles are harder to hold onto. In the end, she is willing to sacrifice herself and her own happiness in the hope of having her daughter restored to her (and, with the help of others that she cares for, she finally succeeds).

The story for this film was taken from Max Brand’s story (of the same name) that appeared in Hearst’s International-Cosmopolitan in 1936. This marked the first appearance of Dr. Kildare on film, and it was almost the last, as the box office was lower than expected, resulting in Paramount dropping any possible plans for a series (although MGM thought they could do something with the character and bought the rights, turning it into a successful series at their studio with Lew Ayres cast as Dr. Kildare). Personally, while I have known of the Dr. Kildare films, it’s never been a series that I’ve been interested in. I mainly saw this film because of Barbara Stanwyck’s presence in it (and she certainly didn’t disappoint). I think Joel McCrea did a good job as the doctor, giving us an honest man, who wants to help people (like trying to come up with a better operating procedure for liver operations), and, due to the rules, is unwilling to accept the money that a gangster tried to give him for saving his life (even though he found it tempting). I think that Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea work well together (in what was the third of six films pairing them together), making their onscreen couple work, even with her character’s principles going down the drain as she tries to find her daughter. It’s an interesting start to the overall Dr. Kildare series (although I really only like this cast and am unlikely to dig into any of the Lew Ayres films at MGM). This is one I would certainly recommend!

What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2020) with… Internes Can’t Take Money (1937)

This movie is available on Blu-ray as part of the three film Barbara Stanwyck Collection from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Like the films in the other collections I’ve reviewed so far, it mainly sports an HD scan (at least, to the best of my admittedly limited knowledge on the subject). For the most part, it looks quite good with very little damage evident onscreen, outside of a few moments here and there. It may not be a full-fledged restoration, but, at the same time, it doesn’t look like it needs one, and is probably the best one can hope for at this time. I certainly think it is worth it!

Film Length: 1 hour, 19 minutes

My Rating: 8/10

As an Amazon Affiliate, this site gets a small percentage for every purchase made upon using one of the Amazon links, even if it’s not the movie I linked to (and it’s at no extra cost to you). If you like what I’m doing with the blog, please consider using them so that I can continue to do more!

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

The Bitter Tea Of General Yen (1932) – Barbara Stanwyck – Remember The Night (1940)

Joel McCrea – Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

 Barbara Stanwyck Collection – The Great Man’s Lady (1942)

“Star Of The Month (August 2021)” Featuring Barbara Stanwyck in… The Bitter Tea Of General Yen (1932)

Now that we’ve come around to August, with actress Barbara Stanwyck as our new Star, we can get into her 1932 film The Bitter Tea Of General Yen, also starring Nils Asther.

Coming Up Shorts! with… Pink Of The Litter (1967)

(available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 2 (1966-1968) from Kino Lorber)

(Length: 6 minutes, 1 second)

When a policeman catches the Pink Panther littering, the Panther is forced to clean up the town of Littersburg. This one was fun, with most of the humor coming from the Panther’s failed attempts to get rid of the trash. It’s enjoyable, and you certainly can’t help but cheer when the Panther figures out how to get rid of the trash! I don’t think this is the Panther at his absolute best, but it’s certainly one of the better ones, and worth revisiting!

And Now For The Main Feature…

In Shanghai, China, a group of missionaries get together to celebrate the wedding of fellow missionary Dr. Robert Strike (Gavin Gordon) and his childhood sweetheart (who has just arrived in China) Megan Davis (Barbara Stanwyck). However, the area is rife with civil war, and Robert decides to delay the wedding so that he can help rescue some orphans. Megan quickly volunteers to help him out, and they go to see General Yen (Nils Asther), so that Robert can get a safe passage pass for the area. However, the general writes in Chinese (which Robert still hasn’t learned well), effectively making fun of him for trying to rescue orphans instead of enjoying the company of his future-wife. When Robert and Megan try to get the orphans away, the crowd gets violent, and they are both knocked out. Megan awakes on a train, being cared for by General Yen’s mistress, Mah-Li (Toshia Mori), as they and the general go to his summer palace. When she awakes again at the palace, it is to the sound of gunshots, as the general is having his prisoners shot. She goes to him to protest the brutality, but he tells her that his other option is to let them starve to death, for lack of food that he can give them. General Yen’s financial advisor, Jones (Walter Connolly), lets him know he raised nearly six million dollars (which is currently hidden in a nearby boxcar), and tries to convince the general to send Megan back to avoid trouble (to no avail). After a dream, Megan finds herself falling for the general. However, trouble arises when the general discovers that Mah-Li has been spying on him with the help of one of his men, Captain Li (Richard Loo), and orders Mah-Li to be executed. Megan won’t have it, and the general pushes her to put her beliefs to the test, by taking Mah-Li’s place if she should prove traitorous again. And sadly, Mah-Li does, revealing the location of the general’s money to his enemies. However, in spite of losing everything, the general can’t bring himself to take Megan’s life. Can the two of them be together, or will the general’s misfortunes be the end of him?

The Bitter Tea Of General Yen was based on the 1930 novel of the same name by Grace Zaring Stone. The film was a project that director Frank Capra wanted to do (as he was in search of an Oscar at the time), and he got it when a previous director assigned to the property was fired. It was Capra’s decision to cast actress Barbara Stanwyck in the lead, after having worked with her previously on three films. For the role of the general, he didn’t want a big star made-up to look Chinese, so he went with a lesser-known Swedish actor in Nils Asther. Capra made sure to rehearse the other actors a lot, but not Barbara Stanwyck, as he felt she did better with fewer rehearsals. The film famously was the first to play at Radio City Music Hall, although its engagement there was cut short when it didn’t do good business. As a whole, the film failed at the box office, a fact blamed on the film’s interracial romance, which audiences didn’t care for (and sadly for Capra, the film didn’t even get nominated for an Oscar, either). It’s only been in recent years that the film has received a more positive reception.

So far, I would say that this movie is the earliest Barbara Stanwyck film that I have had the opportunity to see. And her performance in this movie is quite fascinating. Her character starts off the movie as an eager missionary, looking to marry and help her childhood friend (even willing to postpone her wedding to help him out with his work). However, life takes an unexpected turn, as she finds herself dealing with a Chinese general. As her erotic dream about him indicates, she certainly has some racist beliefs about the Chinese, but the general starts to work away at some of them. In the process, he even pushes her on how much her religious convictions are actually worth when put to the test. Of course, the movie’s ending is slightly ambiguous as to what will actually happen to her, but it’s interesting to see how Barbara’s performance even then is worth seeing!

This is a movie I wanted to see as much because it was directed by Frank Capra, and Barbara Stanwyck’s presence certainly didn’t hurt it! I do think that all the performances in this movie worked, as we got to know the various characters. Sure, there is some stereotyping going on, some because of the times (mostly like a white actor portraying a Chinese man), and others on purpose (like the racist image in Megan’s dream that gives way to her erotic feelings about the general). It’s definitely more of an “artsy” type of movie, but I found myself so fascinated by the story being told that I didn’t mind it. It was a nice way to start off celebrating Barbara Stanwyck for the month, with one of her pre-Codes (and I certainly hope I get the chance to see more as time goes on), and I would certainly recommend it!

What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2020) with… The Bitter Tea Of General Yen (1932)

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Sony Pictures Entertainment. To be fair, the Blu-ray for this movie barely qualifies as a new release for 2020. The movie actually made its Blu-ray debut back on August 1, 2017 (with the exact same transfer). That release was a part of the “Sony Choice Collection” line of MOD Blu-rays. However, a common complaint was that those were BD-Rs, not pressed Blu-rays (and this film ended up being the last one released as part of that line). Since then, Sony paused their MOD releases for a while, and then resumed with a few changes. For one, they were no longer under any special kind of brand, and, for another, they were pressed Blu-rays. Over time, they started re-releasing titles from their “Sony Choice Collection,” except now on pressed Blu-rays (and still utilizing the same transfers), with The Bitter Tea Of General Yen getting its re-release on September 22, 2020. But, enough about that. The transfer is a beautiful thing to behold, with all the detail and the properly cleaned-up picture. Certainly well worth it for that reason alone!

Film Length: 1 hour, 28 minutes

My Rating: 8/10

As an Amazon Affiliate, this site gets a small percentage for every purchase made upon using one of the Amazon links, even if it’s not the movie I linked to (and it’s at no extra cost to you). If you like what I’m doing with the blog, please consider using them so that I can continue to do more!

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Barbara Stanwyck – Internes Can’t Take Money (1937)

Walter Connolly – It Happened One Night (1934)

TFTMM Presents “Star Of The Month (August 2021)” Featuring Barbara Stanwyck

Well, August has arrived, and that means that we’ve moved onto actress Barbara Stanwyck as the Star Of The Month!

Table Of Contents

Quick Film Career Bio

Birth: July 16, 1907

Death: January 20, 1990

Ruby Catherine Stevens (who had adopted the stage name Barbara Stanwyck, a combination of the first name of a play called Barbara Freitchie, The Frederick Girl, and the last name of an actress from the play, Jane Stanwyck), made her first movie appearance in the 1927 silent Broadway Nights. She had had the opportunity to play the lead, but, due to her inability to cry during her screen test, she didn’t get the part (and instead made a minor appearance as a fan dancer). She tried again with the sound films The Locked Door and Mexicali Rose, but it was her working with director Frank Capra in Ladies Of Leisure that helped give her a boost. After that, she had a few big roles in various pre-Code films, such as Night Nurse, Baby Face and The Bitter Tea Of General Yen. Even with the rise of the Code, she continued to make an impression in dramatic roles, including Stella Dallas (for which she received her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress) and Union Pacific.

While making Remember The Night, she became friends with writer Preston Sturges, who saw comic potential in her that hadn’t been tapped yet. He wrote the screwball comedy The Lady Eve, which became a big hit and proved her comedic abilities. That same year, she followed up with another big comedy, Ball Of Fire opposite Gary Cooper (for which she was again nominated). But, it was a few years later when she played one of her best-known roles in the film noir Double Indemnity opposite her Remember The Night co-star Fred MacMurray (and was nominated a third time). Over the next few years, she continued to do comedies, thrillers, noirs and westerns.

In the 1950s, her film career started to slow down, so she switched over to television. For the most part, she just made guest appearances on various TV series, including Wagon Train, The Untouchables, and Dick Powell’s Zane Grey Theatre. In 1961, she had her own short-lived drama series (if you can call one season of 36 episodes “short-lived”) called The Barbara Stanwyck Show, which earned her an Emmy Award. She made a few last appearances on the big screen, before making a mark on the hit western TV series The Big Valley. She made a few other appearances in TV movies and shows before making the 1983 mini-series The Thorn Birds. She finished out her run with a guest appearance on Dynasty and spun off her character into The Colbys, which turned out to be her final role, as she died several years later.

Filmography

This is a list of all the films that I personally have reviewed from her filmography so far. Obviously, I will be adding to it throughout the month of August, and it is my plan to add to it as I review more and more of her films even beyond this month’s celebration.

The Bitter Tea Of General Yen (1932)

Internes Can’t Take Money (1937)

Remember The Night (1940)

The Lady Eve (1941)

The Great Man’s Lady (1942)

Christmas In Connecticut (1945)

The Bride Wore Boots (1946)

Titanic (1953)

Crime Of Passion (1957)

Entries For This Month

Thoughts From The Music(al) Man –

The Bitter Tea Of General Yen (1932)

Internes Can’t Take Money (1937)

The Lady Eve (1941)

The Great Man’s Lady (1942)

The Bride Wore Boots (1946)

Rules:

Since this blogathon lasts a month, I’ll keep the rules here in case anybody is still interested in joining in:

  1. At this point, I am not putting any restrictions on topics related to the various stars, whether it be any of their films, or biographies, lists of favorites, etc.
  2. These celebrations are intended as tributes to these stars, so I would ask that any participating posts be respectful of the stars themselves. Obviously, if you don’t care for that specific star, that would probably not be a good month to join in.
  3. I’m requesting that all posts would be new material, and not any previously published ones.
  4. As previously indicated, these celebrations of the stars and genres will last a whole month each, so you will have that whole month to work with. I myself will be publishing about four or five posts per month (depending on the number of Sundays and whether there are any recent disc releases that would fit the bill), so you can decide how many you want to do (within reason).
  5. If you are interested in joining, I would certainly suggest you either comment on this post, email me at astairefan7@gmail.com, or, for the Facebook savvy, contact me at my FB page. And feel free to use the banners I have put together (I’m still unsure of how much space I will have to work with over time on pictures, so for now I am doing one each).

Announcing the Barbara Stanwyck “Star Of The Month (August 2021)” Blogathon

As we keep things going, I’m just here to remind everybody that, as my schedule has been indicating, next month’s Star will be none other than actress Barbara Stanwyck! So, if you want to join in on the month-long celebration, be sure to sign up on this post!

Table Of Contents

My Own Feelings On Barbara Stanwyck

For me, I was more or less introduced to Barbara Stanwyck via her holiday classic Christmas In Connecticut (well, it was either that or Remember The Night). While I liked both films, neither of them was necessarily enough to start me looking into more of her films. That would happen more or less as a byproduct of seeing different movies getting a Blu-ray release in the time since I upgraded to the format. Since then, I have seen several more of her films. While my feelings on some of those films themselves have been mixed, I’ve been impressed with her performances. So, I’m looking forward to digging into her filmography a bit more through this blogathon, both through the (mostly new-to-me) movies I will be reviewing, as well as what other films anybody else decides to talk about! So, I hope that I will indeed be joined by others in this endeavor!

Upcoming Schedule For 2021 (Beyond August):

September – genre: Musicals

October – nothing

November – star: Humphrey Bogart

December (1-24) – genre: Christmas films

December (25-31) – nothing

Roster For The Barbara Stanwyck “Star Of The Month (August 2021)” Blogathon

Since this is obviously for next month’s blogathon on Barbara Stanwyck, then that’s all you need to worry about signing up for. As always, here are the rules that we are working with.

  1. At this point, I am not putting any restrictions on topics related to the various stars, whether it be any of their films, or biographies, lists of favorites, etc.
  2. These celebrations are intended as tributes to these stars, so I would ask that any participating posts be respectful of the stars themselves. Obviously, if you don’t care for that specific star, that would probably not be a good month to join in.
  3. I’m requesting that all posts would be new material, and not any previously published ones.
  4. As previously indicated, these celebrations of the stars and genres will last a whole month each, so you will have that whole month to work with. I myself will be publishing about four or five posts per month (depending on the number of Sundays and whether there are any recent disc releases that would fit the bill), so you can decide how many you want to do (within reason).
  5. If you are interested in joining, I would certainly suggest you either comment on this post, email me at astairefan7@gmail.com, or, for the Facebook savvy, contact me at my FB page. And feel free to use the banners I have put together (I’m still unsure of how much space I will have to work with over time on pictures, so for now I am doing one each).

Thoughts From The Music(al) Man

  • The Bitter Tea Of General Yen (1932), Internes Can’t Take Money (1937), The Lady Eve (1941), The Great Man’s Lady (1942) and The Bride Wore Boots (1946)