I'VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU

Bill Carter and Catherine |McLeod

I'VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU (1946).  Director/producer: Frank Borzage.

Famous pianist and conductor Leopold  Goronoff (Philip Dorn of Zeigfeld Girl) , who is quite a chauvinist, takes pretty Myra Hassmann (Catherine McLeod of So Young, So Bad) under his wing and teaches her everything he knows, although he seems to feel that no woman could ever be a true artist. At her first concert at Carnegie Hall, the audience seems to feel differently and Goronoff's jealousy causes him to make a foolish decision. Myra marries handsome farmer George (Bill Carter) and settles down, but years later her daughter Georgette (Vanessa Brown) starts on her own career. Will Myra's path cross with Goronoff's, and what will happen to all concerned when they do? 

Dorn and McLeod at Carnegie Hall

I've Always Loved You, like many romantic movies, throws logic to the wind and glosses over so much that it almost seems like a fantasy film. The ending, although satisfying in some ways, is especially ridiculous -- someone who played one concert 17 years ago gives another at Carnegie Hall without any rehearsal or prior announcement -- sure! Dorn gives a good performance in one of his largest roles, although James Mason might have done more with it. Catherine McLeod, who acquits herself quite nicely, did mostly television work. Bill Carter is appealing, but at times he's so nice that he's borderline cloying. One suspects he was trying to cover up his English accent as he is playing an American farmer. Apparently he didn't impress the right people because this was his last film role for over fifteen years.  

Bill Carter

There are also some excellent supporting performances in this, including Fritz Feld as Goronoff's long-suffering manager; Elizabeth Patterson as Myra's nanny and housekeeper; and especially Maria Ouspenskaya as Goronoff's very loving and wise "bubushka" or grandmother. The film moves at a good pace and is filmed in truly gorgeous Technicolor. But no matter how good the acting, the fact remains that most of the movie's power comes from Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto, which of course was also used the year before in the far, far superior Brief Encounter. I've Always Loved You came from Republic Studios, once famous for its serials. In fact one of Catherine McLeod's earliest roles was as a dancer in The Tiger Woman! 

Verdict: Beautiful concert sequences tied to a rather contrived and foolish plot. **1/2. 

HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT

Charles Boyer and Jean Arthur

HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT (1937). Director: Frank Borzage.

Ship builder Bruce Vail (Colin Clive) is pathologically jealous of his innocent wife Irene (Jean Arthur) until finally she's had enough and wants out. Vail will do anything to prevent the divorce, to that end paying Irene's chauffeur in Paris to pose as her lover. Interceding in this phony scenario is head waiter Paul Dumond (Charles Boyer), whose good intentions pave the way for all sorts of problems when Vail decides that he must be Irene's lover and frames him for murder. Believe it or not, it all builds up to a [post] Titanic-type shipwreck. Because of its rather ridiculous plot -- Dumond quits his job to follow Irene to America after knowing her one day, and even drags along the chef Cesare (Leo Carrillo)-- History almost becomes a shipwreck were it not for its romantic intensity and, most importantly, the wonderful performances of the leads. You wouldn't think that Arthur and Boyer would make a good pair, but they play marvelously together and are completely convincing no matter what the story line throws at them -- and it throws a lot. The bit with the ship hitting an iceberg is well-handled on the technical side and the wind-up is moving as well. It's also fun to watch the sharp Boyer taking over an American restaurant and getting everyone to snap to it in record time. Carrillo and especially Clive also offer sterling performances.

Verdict: Quite absurd but also quite entertaining due to the two stars. [It also helps to be an incurable romantic.] ***.

NO GREATER GLORY

NO GREATER GLORY (1934). Director: Frank Borzage.

In Germany a group of young boys have laid claim to a vacant lot and call themselves the Paul Street Boys. A group of older boys, bullies, are after the lot for themselves, and the younger lads are determined to defend it at any cost. The smallest boy, Nemecsek (George Breakston), is the only one of the Paul Street gang to be a private, and he is also determined to prove that he is as brave and able as any of the others and win his stripes. It all ends in tragedy, however.

I have a good friend who loves this picture, partly because it reminds him of his youth and his experiences in the Army. I really wanted to like this film -- I had already seen the remake called The Boys of Paul Street (1969) -- but it came off to me as nothing so much as a more serious Little Rascals movie! The movie is obvious from the get-go, simplistic and superficial, and actually rather tedious. The business with the vacant lot being a kind of microcosm of war is beaten to death long before the movie's conclusion. The acting of an uncredited Lois Wilson as Nemecsek's mother at the climax isn't nearly strong enough, although I do have to say that the performances of young Breakston, Jimmy Butler, Frankie Darro, and the other youngsters are exemplary. But I could hardly wait until it was over, and to my great surprise I wasn't much moved by the tragic ending either -- perhaps because I would have admired the pathetic Nemecsek more if he had tried to talk the boys into sharing the damn lot instead of eagerly throwing himself into "warfare." Still, it does have a certain poignancy, and a nice musical score by R. H. Bassett.

Verdict: Not exactly Lord of the Flies. **.

LIVING ON VELVET

LIVING ON VELVET (1935). Director: Frank Borzage.

Terry Parker (George Brent) has never been the same since his parents and young sister were killed when a plane he was piloting ran out of gas and crashed, leaving him with barely a scratch and a lot of guilt. His friend Walter (Warren William) introduces him to Amy (Kay Francis), the woman he's in love with, and of course the two of them fall in love while Walter keeps a stiff upper lip and continues to befriend them. But Amy finds that Terry is still sort of living life alone and can't get through to him, endangering their marriage. Living on Velvet deals with some provocative and extremely painful situations but never with any depth or especial realism. Francis is excellent, William gives his usual professional performance, and Brent isn't bad, even though he's incapable of getting across his character's haunted nature. The script remains on a superficial soap opera level throughout.

Verdict: Not quite a waste of 90 minutes but almost. **.

STRANDED

STRANDED (1935). Director: Frank Borzage.

Lynn Palmer (Kay Francis) has dedicated her life to helping people via the Traveler's Aid Society. Back into her life comes an old school chum, Mack Hale (George Brent, pictured), who's building a bridge and dealing with hoods who want him to pay protection money. Mack is a practical, somewhat cold-blooded guy who thinks Lynn is a fool to care for losers who can't care for themselves (even though he hires a young man who came to her for help). As their relationship hits a personal crisis -- Lynn tells him that she won't give up her job after they've married -- things at Mac's job get worse. The hoods manage to get some of the workers drunk, which leads to a disturbing, indeed horrifying, scene, when one of the drunk men falls dozens of stories to his death. (In fact, that's about all you can think about until the end of the movie.) Things are resolved a bit too quickly -- that's Hollywood -- but Stranded is an engrossing picture featuring two excellent lead performances. Lynn Palmer is a fascinating, likable, independent female characterization and is is very well portrayed by Francis in one of her most notable performances. Donald Woods, Frankie Darro, Barton MacLane, Ann Shoemaker, and other fine character actors also give fine support.

Verdict: Very interesting drama. ***.