A DOLL'S HOUSE (1959)

Julie Harris and Christopher Plummer

A DOLL'S HOUSE (1959 telefilm). Director: George Schaefer. NOTE: This production was broadcast Live.

Nora Helmer (Julie Harris) is married to a man, Torvald (Christopher Plummer), who is on the verge of great success, and their marriage seems to be happy -- on the surface. Two visitors bring upsetment to Nora's life: her old friend, Kristine (Eileen Heckart), a widow whose life turned out quite differently from Nora's; and Nils Krogstad (Hume Cronyn), who lent Nora money some time ago in order for her to secretly help her husband. Now Nils is pressuring Nora to make sure her husband doesn't fire him, or the truth will come out -- that Nora forged her late father's signature in order to get the money. An added complication is that the Helmers' good friend, Dr. Rank (Jason Robards) tells Nora that he is madly in love with her. Nora can only hope that Torvald will react with understanding if the truth about the loan and her criminal actions comes out, but she may get a very unpleasant surprise.

Eileen Heckart with Harris

This truncated TV version of one of Henrik Ibsen's greatest plays and one of the earliest masterpieces to have a feminist perspective (without hitting you over the head with it) boasts some excellent performances from the entire cast, although Robards never seems capable of playing fervid love scenes convincingly. Although she is certainly given cause, some may find Nora's seemingly abrupt character change to be equally unconvincing, along with some of her actions at the end, although that may be due to the cuts in the text made in the teleplay. In any case A Doll's House is a great play and even this abbreviated version is compelling and suspenseful.

Verdict: Worthwhile to see even this imperfect version of a masterpiece with such a great cast. ***. 

ZIEGFELD FOLLIES

Kelly, Astaire and Garland

ZIEGFELD FOLLIES (1945). Director: Vincente Minellli.

9 years after he starred as The Great Ziegfeld, William Powell reprised his role of Flo Ziegfeld -- sort of. In the opening moments of Ziegfeld Follies, the great impresario is seen in Hollywood's idea of heaven pontificating on the Follies, and wondering what they would look like if the Follies still existed today. Voila! First puppetoons are used to depict the original Follies; then suddenly there's a stage and we see a series of acts with contemporary stars such as Lena Horne, Lucille Ball, Kathryn Grayson, Virginia O\Brian, and many others. After about half an hour the movie is almost stopped dead by a long and mostly unfunny skit with Keenan Wynn trying to make a phone call. A later sketch with Victor Moore as a man arrested for expectorating on the subway and Edward Arnold as his lawyer is much better, as is another sketch with Fanny Brice (who was actually in the original Follies) and Hume Cronyn as a couple who have a winning sweepstakes ticket and William Frawley as their landlord. A bit with Red Skelton playing a TV announcer who gets drunk reminds one of the later "Vitavegamin" routine on I Love Lucy. James Melton and Marion Bell sing a duet from La traviata, but are not that impressive. Fred Astaire [Royal Wedding] does two dance numbers with Lucille Bremer [Till the Clouds Roll By], but the highlight of the picture is his dance with Gene Kelly -- the only time the two danced together in the movies. The other highlight is Judy Garland playing an affected star in a production number with several handsome male dancers. Garland also appeared in Ziegfeld Girl.

Verdict: Although this has no story, it still manages to be entertaining. ***.

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946)

Garfield and Turner

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946). Director: Tay Garnett.

Cora Smith (Lana Turner) and her husband Nick (Cecil Kellaway) run a combination gas station and cafe, but their placid lives become unsettled when Nick hires a drifter named Frank (John Garfield) to help around the place. Cora and Frank are attracted to one another, and suddenly she can't see herself spending the rest of her life with her much older and unattractive husband, especially when he abruptly tells her that they're selling the restaurant (for which Cora had a lot of plans), moving in with his sister, and Cora will have to be nursemaid for the paralyzed woman for the rest of her life. (In other words, Nick is almost begging to be killed. His complete disregard for his wife's feelings makes him quite unsympathetic). What happens next is a black comedy of errors, accusations, recriminations -- and murder. Although Lana Turner gave some good performances in later years, such as in A Life of Her Own, she's a little too unseasoned to make the most of Cora, although she isn't terrible. Garfield and Kellaway come off much better, of course (although they're hardly as pretty!) and they have some solid support from the likes of Leon Ames as a D.A., Hume Cronyn as a lawyer, and Audrey Totter as a gal who briefly dallies with Frank. The Postman Always Rings Twice is a good, entertaining picture -- much better than the dreadful remake with Jessica Lange and Jack Nicholson -- but somehow it's not quite a classic like the superior Double Indemnity, which was also taken from a James M. Cain novel. This Hollywood version takes a lot of liberties with the plot and characters, the usual case with Cain. For instance, in the novel the lovers were practically kids.

Verdict: Not the best adaptation of a Cain novel, but certainly not without merit. ***.

SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO

SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLO (1960). Director: Vincent J. Donehue.

Based on the play by Dore Schary, Sunrise at Campobello takes place in the 1920's in the days when future President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (Ralph Bellamy) was stricken with polio. With the help of his wife Eleanor (Greer Garson), his mother (Ann Shoemaker), children and close friends, Roosevelt not only comes to terms with his affliction, but rises ever higher in the political arena. Bellamy first played the role on the stage, and he's fine, if a bit artificial at times. Garson is quite good as Eleanor, although at first her prominent buck teeth are a distraction. But as good as the leads are, the film is practically stolen by Ann Shoemaker, superb as Roosevelt's concerned if somewhat domineering mother, and Hume Cronyn as Roosevelt's friend and associate Louis Howe. These two fine actors play characters who don't especially like each other [at least Mrs. Roosevelt finds Howe vulgar], and their crackling scenes together are the highlights of the movie. Serial king Lyle Talbot shows up briefly as another politician. Sunrise at Campobello is overlong, but it's moving and generally effective.

Verdict: Worth seeing for Shoemaker if nothing else. ***1/2.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS SEASON THREE

ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS Season 3. 

The delightfully droll Hitch introduces 39 more half hour episodes of mayhem, mischief, murder, and macabre comedy. The two best episodes are "Reward to Finder" in which a husband and wife [Jo Van Fleet and Oscar Homolka, both of whom are superb] battle over the cash that was found in a lost wallet; and "Return of the Hero," an ironic item about a soldier (Jacques Bergerac) who apparently wants to bring home a disabled friend who saved his life, and is surprised at his family's negative (and ultimately heart-breaking) reaction. Other memorable episodes include: "Heart of Gold" [an ex-con "adopted" by his cell mate's family]; "Together," with Joseph Cotten locked in an office with his dead mistress; the famous "Lamb to the Slaughter," with Barbara Bel Geddes using an unusual weapon on her unfaithful husband; "Post Mortem" [sweepstakes ticket on a corpse]; "The Canary Sedan" [Jessica Tandy in a tale of a psychic]; "The Impromptu Murder" [a very ironic tale in which Hume Cronyn murders an old lady]; and "Little White Frock," in which an actor (Herbert Marshall) "auditions" by telling a very tall tale. 

Verdict: One of the most entertaining TV series ever. ***.

LIFEBOAT

LIFEBOAT (1944). Director: Alfred Hitchcock. 

The survivors of a freighter that was torpedoed by a Nazi U-boat discover that the German they have on board was actually the captain of the submarine that not only destroyed the freighter but ordered the lifeboats shelled. Despite this, he manages to take over the ship until ... Absorbing Hitchcock suspense film has plenty of both dramatic and thrilling episodes, and despite its one location is quite cinematic for the most part. Walter Slezak does not play a cartoon Nazi spitting out "schwein!" all the time but one who is fairly ingratiating and therefore more troubling. Among some powerful and moving sequences in the film one that stands out the most has a young mother (Heather Angel) who's lost her baby, awakening with her hands still "holding " the missing infant. Although Tallulah Bankhead nearly steals the show as reporter Connie Porter [first seen in the lifeboat in her mink], the entire cast is excellent, including Slezak, Angel, William Bendix as a poor sap who loses his leg; Mary Anderson as a nurse; John Hodiak as the commanding Kovac; Henry Hull as the wealthy Rittenhouse; Canada Lee as Gus; and Hume Cronyn as Sparks. [Hull was the Werewolf of London years before.] The movie has many lovely and interesting touches throughout. Characterizations and dialogue in Jo Swerling's screenplay [apparently taken from a story idea or treatment by John Steinbeck] are excellent. You could quibble that there's too much talking and card-playing, that there's not enough of a reaction to the realization that Slezak was the captain of the U-boat (although Hitchcock may have been saving the fireworks for a later moment), but essentially this is a fine and fascinating classic. Great ending. 

Verdict: Strong stuff. ***1/2.

SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943)

SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943). Director: Alfred Hitchcock.

Young "Charlie" Newton (Teresa Wright) is thrilled that her Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) has come to the small town of Santa Rosa for a visit, but when she learns he's a suspect in the "Merry Widow" strangulation murders of three wealthy widows, the friendly visit becomes a battle of wills between two determined individuals. Shadow of a Doubt, bolstered by a script co-written by Thornton Wilder which features interesting, three-dimensional characters (perhaps young Ann is a bit too "cute" and precocious), is also quite talky and drags in spots, making it hard to sustain the tension. However, it holds the attention and spins a fascinating web around the two Charlies as they dance their sinister dance. Joseph Cotten never had a better role or gave a better performance, and he is matched by Teresa Wright. Patricia Collinge ("Birdie" from The Little Foxes) is strong and touching as the mother and sister who loves both Charlies, and there are a lot of good character performances. Hume Cronyn, who plays a friend of Charlie's father and is comedy relief, becomes a little tiresome after awhile. There are some nice Hitchcock touches in the picture -- Uncle Charlie's family walking ahead of him and out of camera range as he remains isolated (after they pick him up at the station); the tracking shot to the ring on young Charlie's finger -- but it is obvious that the beginning and ending of certain sequences (which open or end too abruptly) were left on the cutting room floor. Although well-photographed, the film still has the look of a B feature. One could also quibble about certain plot points.

Verdict: Despite imperfections, an effective and occasionally chilling picture with great lead performances. ***1/2.