MURDER AT THE VANITIES

MURDER AT THE VANITIES (1934). Director: Mitchell Leisen.

On opening night at Earl Carroll's Broadway revue, the Vanities, a dead body is found far up above the stage dripping blood on chorus girls. Lt. Murdock (Victor McLaglen) investigates while producer Jack Oakie throws a panic. Kitty Carlisle is the star of the show, Ann Ware, who's engaged to the European import -- and her co-star -- Eric Lander (Carl Brisson). Jessie Ralph is the wardrobe mistress-with-a-secret, and Gertrude Michael is the supremely bitchy performer, Rita Ross (she does a lively number on "Marijuana!") Even Charles Middleton -- Ming the Merciless of the Flash Gordon serials -- shows up as another member of the cast. At one point his orchestra playing Liszt is hijacked by a swing/jazz band and he gets even by firing a (prop) machine gun at everyone on stage. Dorothy Stickney, who years later would play the Queen in the Julie Andrews version of Cinderella, steals the show as Norma, Rita's long-suffering maid and punching bag. Danish Brisson was a former boxer who should have stayed with that profession -- his singing voice is grating on the ears (especially in duet with Carlisle's beautiful tones) and he only made a half dozen or so movies. He had a pleasant enough personality and some little acting ability, but major star material he was not.

Verdict: Not exactly murder to sit through but no world-beater, either. **.

THE REMARKABLE MR. PENNYPACKER

THE REMARKABLE MR. PENNYPACKER (1959). Director: Henry Levin.

"Morality is a matter of geography."

The progressive Horace Pennypacker (Clifton Webb) has one wife and many children in one town in Pennsylvania, and a whole different family in another town in the state -- sooner or later each family will learn of the other's existence and then what? Mr. Pennypacker answers that question and manages to milk much humor out of a decidedly serious situation. It also manages to be surprisingly frank at times, if a trifle unreal. Webb is, as ever, excellent, and there are fine performances from Dorothy McGuire [Invitation] as unwitting wife, Emily; Dorothy Stickney [Murder at the Vanities] as Aunt Jane; Doro Merande [The Gazebo] as the secretary, Miss Haskins; and Charles Coburn as Grandfather Pennypacker; and there's nice support from Jill St. John as Kate. Ray Stricklyn and David Nelson are two other children, and Ron Ely is a young minister who's fallen for Kate. However entertaining the film may be, there is no denying that Horace's reasons for entering into a second bigamous marriage are rather spurious and self-centered. Still, it's hard not to like the movie on its own terms, and it even has some suspense.

Verdict: Another winning Webb performance. ***.

RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA (TV/1957)

RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S CINDERELLA (1957). Director: Ralph Nelson.

This is the one and only musical written and composed by the great team of Rodgers and Hammerstein that had its premiere on television -- about 60 million people tuned in! Reportedly, the show was written specifically for Julie Andrews, who starred in this production. (There was another TV production eight years later starring Lesley Ann Warren, and a much later one with Brandy.) While Julie Andrews has never exactly been an actress who radiates much vulnerability, she's still quite good in this starring part and sings beautifully as well [21 at the time, she rehearsed this by day while appearing nightly on Broadway in My Fair Lady!] . Jon Cypher (pictured with Andrews) plays the prince and is fine; he's been a busy character actor ever since, appearing on numerous TV shows and even in Bert I. Gordon's production of The Food of the Gods (1976). Howard Lindsay and Dorothy Stickney are perfection as the King and Queen (especially when they sing and argue over what to serve 1700 guests at the prince's ball) and Ilka Chase, Kaye Ballard, and Alice Ghostley certainly score as the wicked stepmother and her two daughters. Edith (Edie) Adams makes a nice fairy godmother as well. The lilting songs include "Ten Minutes Ago," "A Lovely Night," and --prime Rodgers and Hammerstein -- "Do I Love You (Because You're Beautiful)?" A funny touch has Kaye Ballard not only flirting with one of the servants in line at the climactic wedding but even with the Prince (Hope springs eternal)!

Verdict: A real pleasure. ***1/2.