I TAKE THIS WOMAN

Hedy Lamarr

I TAKE THIS WOMAN (1940). Director: W. S. Van Dyke.

"Time wounds all heels." -- Marcesca.

Georgi Gregore (Hedy Lamarr) tries to throw herself off of an ocean liner due to an unhappy love affair, but she is saved by the compassionate Dr. Karl Decker (Spencer Tracy). Georgi is still dealing with her feelings for the married Phil Mayberry (Kent Taylor), when she gets involved with Karl -- who works at a clinic for low-income patients -- and marries him. But trouble begins when Karl joins a practice that caters to the wealthy, and Georgi runs into her ex-lover, Phil, once more. Can this marriage be saved?

Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr

When I Take This Woman was first released, it came in for a mostly critical drubbing, and over the years has been considered a very bad picture starring a completely mis-matched Tracy and Lamarr. In actual truth, while the film is certainly not excellent, and at one point begins to rip off The Citadel, it is entertaining and very well-acted, with Tracy and Lamarr  playing very well together and making a very convincing romantic couple. In addition we've got some good work from Verree Teasdale as Georgi's effervescent friend, Marcesca, Kent Taylor as Phil, and Mona Barrie [Something to Sing About] as his bitter, heart-broken wife. Laraine Day, Louis Calhern, Frances Drake, and Paul Cavanagh also have notable supporting parts, along with Marjorie Main, Willie Best, Reed Hadley [Racket Squad], Don Castle [Roses are Red], and others.

I Take This Woman, alas, makes the mistake of trying to ape Frank Capra, throwing in a final scene that is sentimental in the wrong way and unconvincing. But the picture is still easy to take, Lamarr looks stunning, and the performances by both stars are quite memorable.

Verdict: Tracy and Lamarr make a better team than you might imagine. **3/4. 

THE FIREBIRD

THE FIREBIRD (1934). Director: William Dieterle.

"It's modern youth trying to grope its way through the moral chaos that's all around us!"

In Vienna Carola Pointer (the always vivid Verree Teasdale) is happily married to John (that fine actor Lionel Atwill) but she's a bit stuffy, and troubled by their daughter Mariette's (Anita Louise) fascination with modern, erotic music such as Stravinksy's Firebird (which plays over the credits and sporadically thereafter), which Carola thinks is "for savages." Carola is shocked when a neighbor, the licentious Herman Brandt (Ricardo Cortez), confesses that, in modern parlance, he has always had a thing for her. Later on, Brandt is found murdered, and there's gossip about a woman being seen sneaking into his apartment at night on a regular basis. Suspicion falls upon household staff, John's sister, Carola -- there's suspense over exactly which woman was presumably succumbing to Brandt's charms and may have dispatched him. As a mystery this may not be great shakes, but it's the excellent acting from the entire cast that puts it over. This includes C. Aubrey Smith, who plays the wise, understanding policeman assigned to the case.

Verdict: More quaint than "savage" by today's standards, but an interesting curio. **1/2.

DR. MONICA

DR. MONICA (1934). Director: William Keighley.

Now here's a sick situation. Dr. Monica Braden (Kay Francis, pictured) is a baby doctor who's unable to have a baby of her own. She officiates over the pregnancy of her friend Mary (Jean Muir), unaware that the baby's father is none other than her, Monica's, husband John (Warren William), with whom Mary had an affair! You have to take a few things -- especially the ending -- with a grain of salt, but Dr. Monica is a well turned out soaper with superlative performances and an intriguing situation. Francis is on top of things as the doctor who finds herself in a rather grotesque spot, Muir gives a sensitively drawn performance, and Verree Teasdale is sharp and snappy as their mutual friend and confidante, Anna. Warren William isn't given much of a characterization in this, but he plays as well as ever.

Verdict: Surprisingly effective if you're game. ***.

PAYMENT DEFERRED

PAYMENT DEFERRED (1932) Director: Lothar Mendes.

In spite of a couple of missteps, Charles Laughton (pictured) gives an excellent performance as a bank clerk struggling with debt who commits a murder to achieve financial relief – only the good fortune brings as many problems as it solves. Dorothy Peterson and Maureen O'Sullivan are also excellent as Laughton's wife and daughter, and there is some fine work from Verree Teasdale as a shady lady Laughton dallies with to his regret, and Ray Milland as the young victim. Mendes adds some Hitchcock-like visual touches to the picture, including the splendid moment when Laughton gives his wealthy nephew (Milland) a drink spiked with poison: the camera remains fixed on Laughton, who is marvelous, as his hand shakes so violently that he spills his own drink all over himself. The film is interesting and absorbing but it does have some problems, including an unnecessary prologue showing a man buying the house where the murder occurred. During a scene that takes place the morning after the murder, Peterson and O'Sullivan seem to have forgotten that they're facing the threat of the poor house [they are unaware of what Daddy has done], and the post-revelation scenes don't really ring true. The victim is completely forgotten without a word expressed even by Peterson as to the tragedy of his early demise. Otherwise, this is a memorable look at a mind tortured by guilt and anxiety.

Verdict: Worth a look. ***.

TOPPER TAKES A TRIP

TOPPER TAKES A TRIP (1939) Director: Norman Z. McLeod.

The first sequel to Topper is a charming and amusing film in which Roland Young as the harried banker Topper discovers that lady ghost Constance Bennett is not quite through with him, taking him to the French Riviera to win back the delightfully befuddled Mrs. Topper (Billie Burke, pictured), who has decided to divorce her Cosmo. It seems that Mrs. Topper's “friend,” Mrs. Parkhurst (Verree Teasdale), is part of a group who match young gigolos with wealthy widows and divorcees, and there's a certain baron (Alexander D'arcy) who has his eye on Cosmo Topper's millions by way of his wife. [The baron asks Mrs. Parkhurst if Clara Topper is pretty. “Well, she has scads of money,” Parkhurst replies. “She's pretty,” says the baron.] Franklin Pangborn is his usual riot as the hotel manager who is an associate of the baron's and Teasdale's, and Alan Mowbray is as excellent as ever as the wise, long-suffering Topper butler. Burke, Young, and Bennett are all in top form as well. While the movie isn't full of belly-laughs as such, it is consistently entertaining and funny. The third and final movie in the series, Topper Returns, is also worthwhile and well-acted.

Verdict: Great fun! ***.