Thursday, January 28, 2016

The Best Movies You May Have Never Seen (January 2016)

Recommended and reviewed by Gary Cahall, MovieFanFare

Murder, He Says (1945).  This playfully macabre dark comedy is packed with homicidal hillbillies, a hidden fortune and, maybe, an NPR theme song. A sleepy Ozarks community panics over news that Bonnie Fleagle–part of a notorious local outlaw clan–has escaped prison. Picking that moment to pedal into town is Pete Marshall (Fred MacMurray), a bike-riding polling company survey-taker looking for a missing co-worker. Pete’s backwoods search lands him in the clutches of the aforementioned Fleagles: short-tempered, bullwhip-wielding matriarch Mamie (Marjorie Main, Fred's future The Egg and I co-star); her dim-witted twins Bert and Mert (Peter Whitney) and addled daughter Elany (Jean Heather); and Mamie’s latest husband, toxins expert Mr. Johnson (Porter Hall, the twitchy Macy’s psychologist in 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street).

Twins Bert and Mert (far left and right) were played by Peter Whitney.

The oddball brood's final member, bed-ridden Grandma Fleagle (Mabel Paige), is being slowly poisoned--with a substance that makes her glow in the dark--because she knows where Bonnie and her bank-robber pa stashed $70,000 before being caught. Mamie and company coerce Pete into posing as Bonnie’s boyfriend so that Grandma might confide in him before dying. She gives him a sampler whose stitched musical notes (“To them what doesn’t know the tune, sounds like the ravin’s of a loon”) offer a clue. A hitch arises when the fugitive Bonnie (Helen Walker) arrives...sort of. "Bonnie" is really the daughter of a banker wrongly convicted of aiding the Fleagles. Can she and Pete decipher the nonsensical-sounding lyrics (“Honors flysis, Income beezis, Onches nobis, Inob keesis”) Elany sings to the sampler’s melody?

Like 1940's The Ghost Breakers (which this movie mentions in one scene; both were directed by George Marshall for Paramount), Murder, He Says briskly delivers heapin' helpin's of laughs and chills. Along with a dinner which a Lazy Susan-style table and a poisoned dish turn a gastronomic Russian Roulette game, there are chases through secret passages and a climactic barnyard battle with a hay-bailing machine. The bone-riddled decor of the Fleagles’ run-down abode predates the Texas Chain Saw Massacre house, and a luminous dog–one of Hall’s test animals–running through the woods could have come from The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Helen Walker and Fred MacMurray.
The ever-versatile MacMurray easily goes from befuddled to fearful to heroic without skipping a beat. Leading lady Walker, whose career and personal life never recovered after a 1946 car crash, is a suitably spunky heroine. Main mixes Ma Kettle with Ma Barker as the conniving “poor old lady” who can kill a fly in mid-air with her whip, while shifty-eyed Hall continuously pops up from hidden doorways or tunnels. Best, though, is the hulking Whitney's dual turn as Mert/Bert (the trick photography is convincing, even by today’s standards). When MacMurray asks how you tell them apart, Main explains that Bert has “a crick in his back,” then demonstrates by slapping Whitney’s back…instantly dropping him to his knees in a contorted, immobilized heap.

Oh, and the NPR theme? Listen to Elany sing Gramdma’s song. Doesn’t it sound like the opening notes to “All Things Considered?”
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Recommended and reviewed by Silver Screenings

Scott of the Antarctic (1948).  Have you ever wanted to go on an adventure that tests you so thoroughly you don't know if you'll come through it intact?

If so, you might be interested in the 1948 British adventure flick, Scott of the Antarctic, a grim re-enactment of Robert Falcon Scott's 1911-12 expedition to the South Pole. Scott, a former naval officer, is consumed with being the first person to reach the South Pole.

As you might imagine, Scott and his team are up against it on all sides. Not only must they contend with the weather and inhospitable landscape, they're racing against another team, led by famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Amundsen is never shown in the film, but he is an ever-present monkey on Scott's back.

Much of the movie was filmed in the desolate snow of Norway. The actors pull heavy sleds through deep snow and pour tea inside cramped tents. No scenes shot in front of a green screen here; this filmmaking is about authentic as it gets.

It’s not a movie that spares you the savage realities of travelling through the Antarctic. Prior to embarking on his expedition, Scott is advised not to bring motorized sleds. Dogs are much more useful, he is told, because once "a dog is finished, he is still useful to the other dogs."

Man vs. the harsh elements.
Yikes! Now that we've almost frightened you away, let us point out that the acting in the movie is pitch-perfect. Expedition leader Scott is portrayed by the great John Mills who, as it turns out, has a passing resemblance to the real Scott.

Then there's James Robertson Justice, who plays injured team member Evans. In one scene, there is a close-up of Justice against the bitter white snow: his face reveals his determination despite his physical pain; then the realization that he is unable keep up with the others; and, finally, the knowledge that he's going to die, here, at the bottom of the world.

The legendary cinematographer Jack Cardiff has captured amazing images: penguins squirting out of the water and onto the ice; stark white icebergs resting in the ocean; sled dogs breaking out of drifts of snow after a night's sleep.

Scott of the Antarctic is a haunting movie that was the #4 box-office draw in Britain in 1948. It is arguably one of the best adventure movies made.

17 comments:

  1. Something for everyone.

    I recall seeing "Scott of the Antarctic" in my teen years and the sense of cold has stayed with me. Ruth has convinced me that the movie should not remain a memory, but a new and adventurous experience.

    Gary's selection of "Murder, He Says" has reminded me why, despite the homey vibe of "Green Acres", etc., hillbilly country is not on my travel wish list.

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    1. Yes, Scott of the Antarctic really does leave a "chilly" impression on a person. I can't watch it without putting on a sweater!

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    2. "Ghost Breakers": I like the old Hope movies and had only seen this once, long ago. Downloaded a version recently, alas the video/audio was so out of synch as to make it unwatchable. Also a shout for Red Skelton's "Whistling" movies of the same era.

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  2. Great picks....Scott of the Antarctic is a really underrated gem. In fact, almost all British classics are neglected by American film viewers, even us fans.

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    1. It really is an underrated gem, as you put it. First-rate filmmaking, as are so many British films from that era. I came across this by chance, on a "History in Film" DVD collection for $10.00!

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  3. "Murder, He Says" sounds like a terrific film, especially if it has Fred MacMurray! Thanks for this recommendation.

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    1. And thank you, Silver Screenings, for your Scott of the Antarctic review. As much as I enjoy "Man vs. Nature" adventure films, the closest I ever got to this was Monty Python's "Scott of the Sahara" sketch. I've got to check it out before all the snow in Philly is done melting.

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    2. Ha ha! Scott of the Sahara! Excellent!!

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  4. I haven't seen "Scott of the Antarctic" but really enjoyed reading Silver Screenings' post.

    "Murder, He Says" is a fun little mystery. It made me think of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" with a country bent. I thought Fred warmed up to his role especially when Helen showed up. This was an excellent choice for a best movie you may have never seen selection. Great job, Gary!

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    1. Scott of the Antarctic is a terrific film. I hope you get the chance to see it... Just be sure to have a cup of hot tea handy – you can almost feel that cold wind coming through the screen!

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    2. Thanks for the kind words, toto2. Anyone who likes mysteries like Hound of the Baskervilles or offbeat comedies like Arsenic and Old Lace should definitely give Murder, He Says a look-see.

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  5. I have never seen SCOTT OF THE ANTARCTIC, but will now be looking for it. That is an incredible cast--l'm a huge fan of John Mills, James Robertson Justice, and Christopher Lee. And I love a gripping, fact-based tale. MURDER, HE SAYS is a wonderful--slightly dark--comedy. Fred is perfectly cast and Helen Walker is immensely charming. But my favorite performance may have been Peter Whitney as the twins. He was so good that I had to look up the cast to confirm same actor was playing both Mert and Bert. That darn song was in my head for a couple of days! And it does sound like All a Things Considered!

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    1. Rick, "Scott of the Antarctic" has the perfect cast, and making this film must have been a gruelling experience for them. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on it if you do have the chance to see it! :)

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  6. I've seen neither of these, but they sound intriguing! Gotta add them to the many films on my TBV (to-be-viewed) list! :)

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    1. Yes, please add "Scott of the Antarctic". It's really worth it. I have to add "Murder, He Says" to my list! It's getting rave review in the comment section, no?

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  7. I saw "Murder, He Says" as a kid and have never forgotten it. I need to track it down and watch it again! Thanks for reminding me.

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  8. I just saw Murder, He Says last month during TCM's MacMurray tribute and it was a spry, odd little number though I preferred Pardon My Past which was another new film of his I caught last month. It was a real charmer.

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