A STAR IS BORN (1954)

Judy Garland and James Mason

A STAR IS BORN (1954). Director: George Cukor.

Esther Blodgett (Judy Garland) ignites the interest of movie star Norman Maine (James Mason) when he drunkenly stumbles upon the stage where she is performing a number for a Hollywood "Night of Stars" benefit. Esther is by no means a star, but rather a vocalist with a popular band. Norman is so impressed by Esther that he arranges a screen test for her and is instrumental in her taking over the lead role of a new musical production. Eventually Esther -- rechristened "Vicki Lester" by the studio -- and Norman marry, but as her career hits the heights and she does become a certified star, Norman's heavy drinking and bad behavior pay a toll ... 

The Man That Got Away

I've seen this version of the venerable story more than once in the past few years and my opinion of it waxes and wanes. I have now come to the conclusion that it is a very good and very entertaining classic motion picture, and the best version ever of this bit of Hollywood folklore. In previous years I may have been reacting negatively to the obsessive, near-hysterical reaction among some Garland fans who may have ruined many a screening of the picture. I first saw the film on television decades ago, chopped up by commercial interruptions and missing scenes that had even made the final theatrical cut. Color and cinemascope were lost. Now the film can be seen in its original three hour length in widescreen technicolor and stereophonic sound -- boy what a difference!

Born in a Trunk

There are times when you do get the impression that this is strictly A Judy Garland Extravaganza with the woman taking centerstage in one musical number after another and to hell with the story. But in the final quarter the film does get back to the central romantic relationship between Esther and Norman, and as for all of the musical numbers -- well, A Star is Born is a musical, after all, and the production numbers, featuring a luminescent and ultra-talented Garland at the top of her form, are extremely well-done and give the film its vitality. The long Born in a Trunk sequence is also quite stylish and memorable. 

Norman Maine overhears that he's washed up forever

Garland gives a terrific performance, and those who claim the Oscar was stolen from her may be correct. This time around I didn't find her overly mannered or too neurotic but pretty much on-target in her portrayal. Let's not forget James Mason, who is near-superb as the charming, dissipated Norman, who can be a pretty mean drunk when he wants to be. There is a lot we don't learn about Norman, unfortunately, which might have made him a bit more sympathetic, although when we see Mason as Maine in his bed listening to the studio boss tell Esther how washed up her husband is, you can't help but feel a stab of pity. 

Garland with Charles Bickford

Charles Bickford makes his mark as the studio boss, and he has two wonderful scenes with Mason in the Maine home and at the sanitorium where Norman is hopefully drying out. Bickford also figures in a especially well-written dressing room sequence when Esther tells of how helpless she feels trying to succor Norman and how there are times when she actually hates him due to his failure to control his drinking and all of his broken promises. Jack Carson also scores as the long-suffering publicity man who has had to put up with Norman's drunken antics for too long a time. Tommy Noonan is fine as Esther's friend, the band leader Danny, who gives her a needed pep talk, and there are bits from Irving Bacon as Norman's butler, Percy Helton as a drunk, Arthur Space as a court clerk, Frank Ferguson as a judge, Tristram Coffin as an assistant director, Grady Sutton as a reporter, and Richard Webb as a winner at the Oscar ceremony, and many, many other familiar names who show up only briefly. 

Get That Long Face Lost

In addition to Born in a Trunk, which includes a rendition of Swanee, the other song numbers include It's a New World, What am I here for? and Get That Long Face Lost which features two cute black children. Arguably the best number is The Man That Got Away, superbly delivered by Garland. One might wonder why she smiles during this torchiest of torch songs, but it may reflect a sheer joy in singing, and in this excellent Harold Arlen-Ira Gershwin song. (Arlen and Gershwin did the other numbers, aside from Born in a Trunk and Swanee). I confess that I've always found the number Garland does for Norman in her living room to be a little tiresome, but you can't win 'em all. In any case, Sam Leavitt's cinematography is first-class, as is Cukor's direction. 

Norman accidentally smacks Esther at the Oscar ceremony

Some things you just have to take with a grain of salt. Why would Norman Maine insist that Esther have a screen test when he's never actually seen her act, just sing? Sure her interpretive singing skills are impressive, but that doesn't mean she can act. Still, this is Hollywood. Based on the initial reviews and audience reaction, everyone expected A Star is Born to be a tremendous hit, but the studio cut forty minutes out of it so there could be more showings. I'm not certain if that really would have hurt the box office, but in any case the movie lost money and Garland only made two more pictures. Her big comeback was both a triumph and a failure. 

Verdict: A hell of a lot of work went into this picture and it shows! ***1/2.  

ANATOMY OF A MURDER

James Stewart

ANATOMY OF A MURDER (1959). Produced and directed by Otto Preminger.

"Get off the panties! You've done enough damage." -- Judge Weaver.

Folksy former D. A. Paul Biegler (James Stewart) is importuned by his soused buddy, Parnell (Arthur O'Connell), to defend an Army lieutenant, Manion (Ben Gazzara), after the man shoots and kills a bar owner who allegedly raped his wife, Laura (Lee Remick). The trouble is that Laura seems rather sluttish, Manion has a hair-trigger temper, and the defense that Biegler comes up with -- an irresistible impulse that Manion couldn't control -- may not fly with the jury. And a hot shot prosecutor from out of town, Claude Dancer (George C. Scott), may put the lie to Laura's story in any case.

Eve Arden and Arthur O'Connell

Anatomy of a Murder is a frustrating picture. On one hand, it is very entertaining, frank, suspenseful and fast-paced, its nearly three hour length flying by in short order. There are also some excellent performances from Stewart (who in one interview did not seem to see his character as any kind of hero, which he isn't); Remick (who offers one of her best performances, in fact); Gazzara; a splendid Scott, who makes the most of his comparatively brief scenes; and especially O'Connell, who is superb as Parnell -- Stewart, O'Connell and Scott all received Oscar nominations, the last two in support. Eve Arden is also on hand as Biegler's seriously underpaid secretary, and she also makes the most of her scenes with her customary aplomb. Murray Hamilton also scores as a bartender, along with Kathryn Grant as the daughter of the victim, and Don Ross [Walk the Dark Street] makes his mark as a jailbird who testifies against Manion. Sam Leavitt's [Advise and Consent] cinematography was also rightly nominated for an Oscar, although I didn't especially care for Duke Ellington's jazz scoring.

Ben Gazzara

On the other hand, if you're expecting a neat and tidy story where all of the loose ends are tied up as in a Perry Mason episode, be forewarned that Anatomy of a Murder is not only ambiguous in its plot line but morally ambiguous as well. This last is no surprise, as the film is based on a novel written by the defense attorney who actually represented someone similar to Lt. Manion and fictionalized the true case. The result in real life was the same as in the movie. Frankly, some people may want to throw something at the TV screen when the film is over, while others will ruefully note that the justice system is imperfect and some people never quite get the justice they deserve.

George C. Scott and Lee Remick 

Another problem with the picture is that at times it is off-puttingly light-hearted, almost playing like a parody of a courtroom drama. You're gratified when the judge finally tells people that this is a serious matter, although it seems to take him forever to do so. Stewart's "aw shucks" manner becomes a little grating at times. And what on earth is up with that flamboyant cigarette holder than Manion uses in the court room? Judge Weaver is played by an actual judge, Joseph N. Welch, who later became an actor and had three credits. Although his performance is okay, for better or worse he does add to the almost comical tone of some sequences in the picture. Otto Preminger also directed the terrific Angel Face.

Verdict: Your call. Quite absorbing and well-acted, one of Preminger's better directorial jobs, thought-provoking, but it may have you gritting your teeth. ***. 

ADVISE AND CONSENT

Anderson (Murray) walks out on Ray (Granger)

ADVISE AND CONSENT (1962). Director/producer: Otto Preminger.

"Us old buzzards can spot a dying mouse from 10,000 feet up. Us old buzzards have the sharpest eyes in creation. Right now I'm studying the terrain ..." -- Senator Seabright Cooley

The President (Franchot Tone) has selected Robert Leffingwell (Henry Fonda) to be the new Secretary of State, but first the senate has to "advise and consent" to his nomination in a special hearing. The person primarily opposed to Leffingwell is a senior southern senator named Seab Cooley (Charles Laughton), who is concerned about Leffingwell's possible communist ties, and also has a personal dislike of the man after he once showed him up in public. Presiding over the hearing is young Senator Brigham Anderson (Don Murray), who is very concerned when he discovers that Leffingwell lied under oath about his personal ties to his chief witness against him, Herbert Gelman (Burgess Meredith). But then Senator Van Ackerman (George Grizzard), who wants Leffingwell to get in, institutes a blackmail plot against Anderson, having to do with the Senator's relationship with a Ray Shaff (John Granger) while stationed in Hawaii, leading to tragedy. This business is a major plot point of Advise and Consent, with a scene in a gay bar [full mostly of gay caricatures] when the self-loathing, closeted Anderson goes to confront Shaff, who told of their former relationship because he was desperate for money. Advise and Consent is an interesting, if talky political film, with the "villains" coming from both sides of the political spectrum. Fonda is fine in what really amounts to a supporting role, but Charles Laughton, who is superb in his final movie, would have walked off with the picture were it not for Murray's strong [if imperfect] portrayal of Brigham Anderson. Inga Swenson is also quite good as Anderson's wife and Edward Andrews is excellent as Senator Orrin Knox. Gene Tierny has a small role as a wealthy Washington hostess who is the secret lover of the Senate Majority Leader (Walter Pidgeon, who gives one of his better performances). Grizzard, Lew Ayres as the vice president, and Tone, are all notable, as is Betty White in a brief turn as the only female in the senate. Peter Lawford is okay as another senator but he is a little lightweight in this company. John Granger, who played Ray, did not appear in another film for 19 years! Allan Drury, who wrote the novel that this film was based upon, apparently based the Anderson business on a real-life incident. One wonders what Frank Sinatra thought of one of his records playing in the background in the gay bar. Sam Leavitt's black and white photography is outstanding, with one beautifully-composed widescreen shot after another. One of Preminger's better directorial efforts.

Verdict: It's the acting and the look of the film that puts it over. ***.