Hart to Hart: Season One

“Natalie sells tickets. I sell soap.”

This is the reason that Robert Wagner gave to ABC executives for not wanting to co-star on television with his film star wife, Natalie Wood--they simply work in two different media. Although they couldn’t get the well-known female lead of Rebel Without a Cause on board, execs persisted with Wagner, asking him what sort of television show he’d like to do. Wagner mentioned his love of detective movies, particularly the Thin Man series with William Powell and Myrna Loy, and Hart to Hart was born.

Hart to Hart (1979-1984) is a detective show which follows a happily-married entrepreneur and his wife, who are also amateur sleuths in the greater Los Angeles area and beyond. It’s insane how often mysteries and murder happened wherever they go; they are proto-Jessica Fletcher. In the first season, the most frequent line from Jonathan Hart (Wagner) is: "He's dead.” Co-star Stephanie Powers plays Jennifer Hart, whose most frequent line is a scream--she’s often being kidnapped by some fiend so that Jonathan can save her in the last act. She may as well be lashed to a railroad tie as a man in black stands nearby twirling his waxed mustache. The plots are that ancient and simplistic.

Still, the Harts look gorgeous solving problems in evening attire and jewelry, so they get a pass. The rest of the country lines up for rationed gas, but the Harts fly around in their private jet to play high stakes poker in an airplane hangar in some part of the Middle East that looks suspiciously like L.A.’s backyard. Later in this season, California also doubles for Italy! But Wagner and Powers are likable--they would have to be to get away with even half of what they are asked to do.

In season one, the best all around episode, bar none, is “Downhill to Death.” It’s a location shoot outside of L.A. for once --it’s in Vail, among lovely flurries of actual snow. The costuming is tasteful as always. Casting is great. And the script--oh, that beautiful, relatively complicated script!--contains plenty of twists so that you think you know who is doing what to whom and why, but you’re absolutely wrong.

Hart is populated with many brilliant guest stars, including those from the classic movies era. Roddy McDowall and Stella Stevens are cast as villains at a health spa in the pilot episode (written and directed by Tom Mankiewicz). Jeremy Brett plays a sinister character who is after Jennifer’s antique car. It’s also great to see newer talents. Jameson Parker--who would later play one half of the title characters in Simon & Simon (1981)--makes an appearance as a college student bent on mayhem.

The first season of Hart to Hart has its good points: decent production values, stylish costumes and an amiable cast to wear them. However, one just cannot get over the run-of-the-mill scripts. (Let’s not even mention the pervasive puns.) Perhaps the plots get better in the second season. Until then, let’s distract ourselves with something positive.

Did I mention that the people look good? They do.


Written by Java, a Cafe guest contributor, who blogs regularly at Java's Journey.

Trivia Time - Part 75

Again, those who played TT last week did great, but we had a few questions left over:

Who Said This? "I am decent. I also happen to be naked." Who Said This?

Answer: Richard Dreyfus in The Goodbye Girl.

Who Are We and Which Film is This? We made our film debuts together in a movie banned from the Venice Film Festival through the influence of the US Ambassador to Italy. A Senate committee had decided it would not have positive effects on young people. Who Are We and Which Film is This?

Answer: Vic Morrow and Jamie Farr in Blackboard Jungle.

Who Said This? "Get your finger out of the end of my gun!" Who Said This?

Threatening the Sheriff
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Answer: Walter Brennan in Support Your Local Sheriff.

1. Name 4 films that Paul Newman made with Strother Martin.

Answer: Slap Shot, Harper, Cool Hand Luke, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

3. Name the three Warner Brothers films made by George Tobias and John Garfield during the 1940s.

Answer: Between Two Worlds, Air Force, and Nobody Lives Forever.

Without (too much) further ado, here is this week's TT, enjoy! And yes, we have a new Errol pic!

Who Are We? We were both born outside the United States. One was rehearsing for a Broadway production when he hired the other as a fencing instructor. The lucky instructor ended up with a role in the play and subsequently was offered a Hollywood contract, becoming a major leading man and director himself. Who Are We?

Who Said This? Person #1 "Well, I just overheard him talking to some of the guys, and he said that his... his time in the army were the best years of his life."
Person #2 "What's wrong with that? Lot of guys feel that way about the service."
Person #1 "Harry was in the army for 4 years and 3 of them were spent in a Japanese prison camp!" Who Said This?

1. Gene Tierney was not the original choice for the role of Ellen Berent in Leave Her to Heaven (which netted her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress). Name the actress who turned the role down.

2. Name the well-known leading man of the '40s and '50s who hosted a British cooking show in the early 1970s, and wrote a number of cookbooks as well.

3. Name three films that Spencer Tracy made with Hedy Lamarr.

4. This film was a remake of a Fred MacMurry vehicle made ten years earlier. The remake was set in a different country and featured Nat King Cole. Name the film and the star who played the MacMurry role in the remake.

5. This star became such a pain that the director was ready to replace him; only the intervention of two of his co-stars saved him. Name the actor, the director, the (early '60s) film and the co-stars.

6. Name two films in which James Garner and Eva Marie Saint appeared together.

From the Master of Suspense: The 39 Steps

In his 18th effort, legendary British director Alfred Hitchcock created a film that brought him to the notice of American audiences and Hollywood. The film, The 39 Steps (1935), also introduced two classic Hitchcockian themes: the MacGuffin and the average, innocent man (Robert Donat) who finds himself forced into extraordinary circumstances to prove his innocence. In addition to these two themes, the film also has another classic Hitchcock element: an icy blonde heroine (Madeline Carroll). You combine these three components with a masterfully plotted script and you have the first of many classic Hitchcock films.

The screenplay was based on John Buchan’s 1915 novel of the same name. While Charles Bennett is given the screenwriting credit, both Hitchcock and his often used dialogue writer Ian Hay (an author in his own right) also contributed to the film’s tightly-constructed script. As most Hitchcock fans know, he wanted a script that was visual in nature so his favorite directorial tool, the storyboard, could be precisely created to match the script. I once read somewhere that Hitchcock’s storyboards were so precise that he never looked through the viewfinder while directing—he didn’t need to. Even today, Hitchcock’s storyboards are something to marvel. Perhaps that is why Cinemek created a Hitchcock storyboard app for the iPhone?

The story takes place over a four-day period in both London and the Scottish highlands. As with most Hitchcock films, The 39 Steps begins innocently enough, with the film’s hero, Richard Hannay (Donat) attending a vaudeville show starring Mr. Memory (Wylie Watson). However, his life soon becomes complicated when he takes Annabella Smith (Lucie Mannheim) back to his rented room after shots are fired in the theatre. Unbeknownst to him, Ms. Smith is a secret double agent hiding from two men from an organization known as, you didn’t guess it, the 39 Steps, that want to kill her. The poor sap even jokes about it when she lets him in on her predicament. He stops laughing when she ends up with a knife in her back and two men outside his window seem like they might want to kill him, too. And, so with the knowledge that Ms. Smith was supposed to stop British military secrets from being smuggled out of the country by a spy missing the top of his little finger and who works for the 39 Steps, Hannay sets out to do her job. First step, pry the map of Scotland out of her cold, dead hand, and notice that she’s circled the town of Alt-na-Shellach. Second step, get out of the building without being noticed by two men outside. He does this by borrowing the milkman’s hat and coat and then he takes a train to Scotland.

Whilst on this train, two very important things happen. First, he learns that Ms. Smith’s body has been found and that he is the prime suspect. This leads to the other important thing: to avoid identification he pops into the compartment of our Hitchcockian icy blonde, Pamela (Carroll). Perhaps she was mad that he kissed her before a proper introduction, but once she catches her breath she alerts the police to his presence and he has to make another daring escape. Don’t worry, they’ll meet again.

Not able to make it on foot to Alt-na-Shellach before dark, Hannay finds shelter with a religious fanatic (John Laurie) and his young wife Margaret (a very young Peggy Ashcroft). Unlike Pamela, Margaret helps Hannay escape the police when her jealous and greedy husband tries to turn him in for a reward. Hannay then finds his way to the house of Professor Jordan (Godfrey Tearle), the man whom he mistakenly believes is Ms. Smith’s ally. This myth is soon dispelled when Jordan shows him his deformed little finger and shoots him point blank. Ah, thank goodness Margaret had given Hannay her husband’s coat as a disguise—it had a thick prayer book in its breast-pocket. You gotta love, Hitch!

He ends up in the local sheriff’s office recounting the events that led to his would-be murder and narrow escape. He finds himself handcuffed (but by only one wrist) and ready to be turned over to London authorities when he makes yet another escape. This time he hides out at political rally where he meets up with Pamela again. She evidently doesn’t like him, because she alerts the authorities once again. Ah, but she alerts the “wrong” authorities this time, and she finds herself being taken to the professor’s house with Hannay. Conveniently, the spies handcuff Pamela and Hannay together. And, so when he makes yet another escape she has to come along too—she’s actually drug, but that’s just semantics. Anyway, this leads to some rather interesting scenes at an inn between the warring couple. Carroll is your typical Hitchcock ice queen—eventually she melts. She and Donat do a nice job of playing off one another, and the love-hate relationship that develops between their characters is palpable.

This being a suspense film, I won’t give away the ending. All I’ll say is that it takes place at the London Palladium and it is quite circular. However, it is Hitchcock’s newfound love of the MacGuffin that makes the ending so enjoyable. What are the 39 Steps and how can the military secrets be smuggled out of the country without detection? It is, as my old friend M. Night Shyamalan would say, a twist. And, what is a good suspense fill without an even better twist? Hitchcock would use the MacGuffin device in many of his best films, such as Vertigo, The Lady Vanishes, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and, of course, Notorious.

Not my favorite Hitchcock film, that honor rests with Notorious, The 39 Steps is still an enjoyable piece of cinema. I really think this film helped shape and define Hitchcock’s style for the rest of his career.

George Maharis and Anne Francis Search for "The Satan Bug"

With its TV-quality cast and pedestrian source novel, The Satan Bug has no right to be a diverting, lively thriller. But director John Sturges works wonders with an implausible plot about a madman who steals a deadly virus from a chemical warfare research facility.

The staging of the theft is clever, but stretches credibility: The bad guys sneak into the lab by hiding in giant supply boxes. You’d think that the guards would have noticed something odd about those oversized cartons, although the boxes are delivered late on a Friday afternoon and everyone seems a little tired. In fact, the facility's head of security (John Anderson) comments ominously: "Tired men make mistakes. God help us if a mistake is made here."

Once the Satan Bug (the scientists’ nickname for the experimental virus) disappears, a game of cat-and-mouse commences. U.S. authorities tap former security expert Lee Barrett (George Maharis) to recover the lethal vials and find out who masterminded the heist.

Geroge Maharis and Anne Francis.

Sturges keeps The Satan Bug moving at a breakneck pace, which perfectly complements the time-sensitive nature of the plot. As Barrett and his companion Ann (Anne Francis) search frantically for the stolen virus, a mysterious millionaire named Charles Reynolds Ainsley threatens to release the virus unless the U.S. government destroys its chemical warfare facilities. To demonstrate his willingness to carry through on his threat, Ainsley has his cronies release a strain of botulinus (stolen along with the Satan Bug) in Florida, killing dozens of innocent people.

While the botulinus becomes harmless after eight hours, we learn that the Satan Bug is a self-perpetuating airborne virus that will kill all life in the U.S. within a week. As for an antidote, the solemn Dr. Hoffman notes: "Nothing can stop the Satan Bug."

Frank Sutton and Ed Asner as bad guys.

It won’t take you long to hone in on the identity of the villain—but that’s part of the fun. Equally entertaining is the cast of former and future TV stars. George Maharis had bolted from his hit TV series Route 66 to take a shot at big screen stardom. It didn’t work, though, and he was back on TV four years later. The villain’s henchmen include Frank Sutton (who would play Sergeant Carter on Gomer Pyle, USMC) and Edward Asner (Lou Grant on Mary Tyler Moore). Anne Francis, whose film career was fading a bit, tried her hand at TV that same year with the short-lived, private-eye series Honey West. And best of all, one of the suspicious scientists is played by Richard Basehart, who starred in my first favorite TV show, Irwin Allen’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.

Years after I first saw The Satan Bug, I found the novel at a library book sale. Knowing that author Alistair MacLean was also responsible for Where Eagles Dare and Ice Station Zebra, I was enthused about reading The Satan Bug. To my surprise, it was exceedingly dull with thin characters and trite dialogue. The film adaptation rates as a major improvement.


The soundtrack album cover--another
great score from Jerry Goldsmith.

Still, don’t expect an a top-flight suspense film along the lines of The Andromeda Strain. Keep your expectations reasonable and you'll find that The Satan Bug is an engrossing, entertaining thriller. And if you’re familiar with the TV stars in the cast, you’re certain to relish the film’s nostalgic appeal.

Brian De Palma Challenges Our Perception in “Blow Out”

Jack Terry (John Travolta) is a sound man, working post-production on a low-budget slasher film called Coed Frenzy. The director, unhappy with a victim’s scream, wants an entirely new library of sounds. That night, Jack, armed with a shotgun mic and tape recorder, is outside recording when he hears squealing tires and watches a car crash into a creek. He jumps into the water and, once seeing that the driver is dead, pulls a female passenger to safety. After Jack is interrogated by a detective at a local hospital, he learns that the driver was the governor, who had presidential aspirations. More significantly, Jack is told to forget that the lady, Sally (Nancy Allen), was even in the car.

Though he is told that the car had a blow out, Jack reviews his recording and hears a distinctive bang which he believes is a gunshot. Meanwhile, a sleazy photographer, Manny Karp (Dennis Franz), having captured the accident with a movie camera, is peddling his film to the tabloids. Jack pieces together stills from a magazine and creates a movie with his recorded sound, now convinced that the accident was an assassination. He stops Sally from leaving town, but he gets no help from the police, who write him off as a “conspiracy nut.” The plot only thickens when a mysterious man (John Lithgow) seems intent on a cover-up, destroying evidence and targeting Sally for murder.

Brian De Palma’s Blow Out (1981) is a stunning and memorable thriller. His films are always visually rich and intricate. They are typically about perspective, but in this film, he questions not only what a person sees but also what is heard (at one point, Jack is mocked for being an “ear witness”). Jack’s amateur investigation is initiated by his audio recording, and his conclusion that an unusual sound is from a gun is mere speculation. When he’s able to view the film, what he sees is not a revelation but simply confirmation of what he’s already suspected. The notion of sound truly takes a front seat in the film, and it helps an audience relate to a character working in an uncommon field.

That is not to say that De Palma’s camera isn’t telling the story. Many of his films have a cynical edge, a quiet criticism underlining the movie. In Blow Out, there are constant visual reminders of an upcoming Liberty Day celebration. This is functional for the plot, but also works against the political conspiracy throughout. It seems highly critical of politics or, more specifically, politicians themselves. Those who seek to be elected into office may speak of nationalism or promise to fight in favor of the country and/or state. Blow Out separates politics from an ideal such as patriotism. In this case, the road to an elected position has not a thing to do with a national belief and everything to do with whitewashing, secrecy and murder.


In Blow Out, as well as other De Palma films, what characters perceive is not necessarily the truth, and sometimes the two are contradictions. The film begins with a person’s point-of-view, but this already is an illusion, as it is footage from a movie in progress. Similarly, TV reporters are usually reporting what Jack (and the audience) knows isn’t true. The added political element of Blow Out furthers this notion by supplementing the idea that perception can be altered to manufacture a truth. When Jack challenges the request to disregard Sally’s presence at the scene, he says, “That is the truth, isn’t it?” The response he is given is an assertion of the film’s theme: “What difference does that make to you?” Jack spends so much of the film trying to obtain the truth, but the truth is ever-changing, an unstable concept that makes achieving it an impossibility.

Travolta and Allen, who had both starred in a previous De Palma film, Carrie (1976), are wonderful together. Travolta’s acting chops had almost been sidelined for music-laden gems such as Saturday Night Fever (1977), Grease (1978) and Urban Cowboy (1980), and Blow Out was a good opportunity to show his abilities. His performance is superbly understated, and though Jack is delving further into a conspiratorial plot, he remains believable and easily garners audience support. Allen, who was the director’s wife at the time and had a starring role in his previous film, Dressed to Kill (1980), plays Sally with a childlike vulnerability. It’s an interesting opposition to her character’s profession, as well as to her rugged, street-smart characters from the earlier De Palma movies. Though both actors are outstanding, the film’s highlight, in terms of acting, is Lithgow. He’s both fascinating and loathsome, but more than anything, he’s utterly terrifying. It’s a performance that reverberates for days.

Travolta and Allen are not the only cast members appearing in other De Palma films. Franz had been in The Fury (1978) and Dressed to Kill and would star in Body Double (1984). Lithgow had made an appearance in Obsession (1976) and would provide an impressive performance (playing multiple characters) in 1992’s Raising Cain. Additionally, composer Pino Donaggio, editor Paul Hirsch and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond had all previously worked with De Palma and would work with him again.

Blow Out was a critical champion but a disappointment at the box office. This is undoubtedly due to the ending, which is depressingly ironic and may not be to everyone’s taste. The film, however, is one of De Palma’s greatest efforts. It’s an examination of the senses, questioning what people see and hear. Such is the cinema of Brian De Palma: one cannot trust anything. The only thing that is absolutely certain is that De Palma is a director of high caliber and unparalleled skill.

Trivia Time - Part 74

Although those of you who did play TT last week did very well, we had a number of questions left over; here are the answers:

Who Am I? Of the films directed by me in the 1960s, there were two of them (approximately five years apart) in which the leads won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Who Am I?

Answer: Ralph Nelson

Who Are We and Which Film is This? We were in the supporting cast of an MGM film starring Robert Taylor. We are: an Academy Award winner, a future TV star/producer, and a future U.S. senator. Who Are We and Which Film is This?

Answers: Thomas Mitchell, Desi Arnaz and George Murphy; Bataan

1. Name the films and the actors mentioned in Who Am I?.

Answers: Charly, Cliff Robertson; Lilies of the Field, Sidney Poitier

3. This 1950s film is considered by some to be the first wide-screen "disaster" film. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, and won one. Name the film, director, and the specific wide-screen format used.

Answers: The High and the Mighty, William Wellman, Cinemascope

6. Upon seeing a film, Gary Cooper said, "I should have made this movie!" Name the film and the star.

Answers: Foreign Correspondent, Joel McCrea


7. Name one thing these films have in common: Dead End, The Women, and Test Pilot.

Answer: Marjorie Main

9. Name one thing these films have in common: Show Boat (1936), A Night at the Opera, and A Day at the Races.

Answer: Allan Jones

Because of the large number of unanswered questions last week, we decided to make this week's TT a bit shorter, although not necessarily easier. Becks, please note the "gratuitous" Errol Flynn picture....we need to keep you happy, LOL!

Who Said This? "I am decent. I also happen to be naked." Who Said This?

Who Are We and Which Film is This? We made our film debuts together in a movie banned from the Venice Film Festival through the influence of the US Ambassador to Italy. A Senate committee had decided it would not have positive effects on young people. Who Are We and Which Film is This?

Who Said This? "Get your finger out of the end of my gun!" Who Said This?

1. Name 4 films that Paul Newman made with Strother Martin.

2. Name the character played by Paul Newman, Joel McCrea, and Louis Calhern (in different films of course!).

3. Name the three Warner Brothers films made by George Tobias and John Garfield during the 1940s.

4. Randy Sparks and the New Christy Minstrels did the music for this MGM film. Name the film and the stars.

5. Name the film featuring Glenn Ford, Claude Rains, Lloyd Bridges and Cedric Hardwicke.

6. One of the actual naval pilots in this 1941 film went on to become one of the early top aces in WWII. After his death, a major U.S. airport was named for him. Name the film, the top 3 actors in order of billing, and the airport.

Sophisticated Suspense: The Thin Man

Long before glamorous millionaires Jonathan, Jennifer, and Freeway Hart solved crimes for ABC on Tuesday nights, super-glamorous millionaires Nick, Nora, and Asta Charles were wittily revealing criminals for MGM on the silver screen. The Harts had five seasons to do their worst to the world of white-collar criminals, while the Charles had only 6 feature films. Plus, they looked a billion times better doing it—one crime they didn’t have to solve was the hair and wardrobe of the 1980s! 

Born out of the creative mind of one of the greatest authors of detective novels, Dashiell Hammett, Nick (William Powell) and Nora Charles (Myrna Loy) set the bar for all other would-be married sleuths. Sophisticated, witty, and glamorous, the couple could trade rapid-fire dialogue, nonchalantly down martinis and eat caviar, while cleverly solving whatever crime came their way. And, it all started with The Thin Man (1934)—a low-budget MGM film that went on to spawn one of the studio’s most profitable film series, as well as a long-running radio serial and a short-running TV series starring Peter Lawford. The film earned four Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Powell), Best Director (W.S. Van Dyke) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, who coincidentally were married). Although it went home Oscar-less, The Thin Man did lose to a worthy adversary: It Happened One Night took home all four Oscars for which The Thin Man was nominated. I, personally, like The Thin Man more than It Happened One Night, but that’s another story for another day.

Powell and Loy made fourteen films together for a reason—they had oodles of chemistry. It started with Manhattan Melodrama in 1934(also directed by Van Dyke) and ended with The Senator Was Indiscreet in 1947. Yet, The Thin Man is their best film together (although I am also partial to The Great Ziegfeld…but why didn’t Billie Burke play herself?).

The film has way too many twists and turns to give a full synopsis. As such, I will give the abridged version. The Thin Man is inventor Clyde Wynant (Edward Ellis)—a man who has been swindled out of $50,000 in government bonds by his two-timing mistress Julia (Natalie Moorhead).  When he goes missing his daughter Dorothy (Maureen O’Sullivan) becomes worried and asks former detective Nick Charles to find him. Recently married and always inebriated, Nick and his wife Nora just want to drink, eat and be merry, but greedy rich people keep getting in their way—or dead mistresses (Julia) are discovered. Plus, Nora starts to think helping her husband solve a murder would be exciting, so she sets out to convince him to take the case.

I suppose it was pretty exciting when she opened the door to gun-wielding Joe Morelli (Edward S. Brophy)—Julia’s other lover. Or perhaps it was really exciting when Nick cold-cocked her to remove her from the line of fire? Having taken a flesh wound himself, Nick finds himself under suspicion when the police find a gun hidden in one of Nora’s drawers.  Classic line from Nora: "What's that man doing in my drawers?” And, so, after being harassed, shot, and insinuated into the case, Nick goes about finding the killer of not only Julia, but her scar-faced accomplice Nunheim (Harold Huber) and another person…but I can’t tell, or that would ruin the ending! Suffice to say, it is a delight to watch Nick put all the pieces together to solve the murders.

Besides the clever unraveling of the mystery, what makes this film such a blast is the witty dialogue. For example, when a reporter asks Nora if her husband is working on a case she responds: “A case of Scotch. Pitch in and help him.” Another example, and perhaps the best example of the repartee between husband and wife comes when Nora worries that she’s about to become a widow:

Nick: You wouldn’t be a widow for long.
Nora: You bet I wouldn’t.
Nick: Not with all your money.

The film is just too full of great lines to repeat them all, but trust me, there are many laugh-out-loud moments. 

While it’s not a hard-boiled detective story, it is a film that keeps you guessing to the very end.  I think I prefer my suspense mixed with sophisticated comedy—you get to laugh a lot while watching the mystery unfold.  Plus, beneath the mystery and hilarious barbs, the film is also about romance.  Without even really trying, it turns out to be a film that just about any viewer will enjoy.  Personally, is is one of my all-time favorite films. Plus, it has Asta!!!

Have a "Picnic" with George Duning: The Cafe's Composer of the Month

When listing the most accomplished composers of the classic film and TV era, George Duning does not immediately spring to mind. And yet, Duning--who worked on over 300 film and TV scores in some capacity--earned five Oscar nominations for Best Music Score. More importantly, he composed some of the most instantly recognizable music of the 1950s and 1960s, to include the: 
- opening song to 3:10 to Yuma (sung by Frankie Laine).
- bewitching love theme to Bell, Book and Candle.
- score for From Here to Eternity (with Morris Stoloff).
- rousing theme to TV's The Big Valley.

However, my personal favorite has to be the "Love Theme from Picnic." In my favorite scene in the movie, drifter Hal Carter (William Holden) tries to teach young Mille (Susan Strasberg) how to "set the rhythm" to a dance. Millie doesn't pick it up immediately, but her older sister Madge (Kim Novak)--who has been been observing the impromptu dance lesson--captures the beat effortlessly. She joins Hal in a dance that builds to a subtle display of romantic fireworks, where a lingering look is enough to set emotions soaring.

As you watch the clip below, listen carefully to the music. George Duning starts the scene with a quartet playing "Moonglow," a 1933 song covered by Benny Goodman and others. Then, at the two-minute mark, he overlays a full string orchestra playing the "Love Theme from Picnic." It's a magical moment that perfectly complements the loving gaze shared by Hal and Maggie as they move closer to each other--realizing their intimate embrace could be the beginning of so much more. It's a captivating convergence of music and moving image.

From Here to Eternity.

Duning received an Academy Award nomination for his Picnic score (the Oscar went to Alfred Newman for Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing). In total, Duning received five Oscar nominations in a seven-year period, with the other nominations being for: Jolson Sings Again (with Morris Stoloff); No Sad Songs for Me; From Here to Eternity; and The Eddy Duchin Story (with Stoloff).

Prior to becoming a film composer, George Duning played piano and trumpet for Kay Kyser's band and appeared on Kyser's popular "Kollege of Musical Knowledge" radio program.

In the latter part of his career, Duning served in various capacities for the American Society for Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and on the Board of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. You can learn much more about composer George Duning at http://www.georgeduning.com/index.html.

For the next few months, the Cafe interrupts its Underrated Performer of the Month feature to pay tribute to some of classic cinema's best composers.

Bunny Lake Is Missing...or is she?

Unable to find a teacher at The Little People’s Garden school, Annie Lake (Carol Lynley) asks the cook to watch over her four-year daughter Bunny. Annie explains that Bunny’s in the “First Day” room awaiting her teacher. Annie, an American recently moved to London, then rushes to her new home to meet the movers.

Olivier as Inspector Newhouse.

When Annie returns to the school, she can’t find Bunny—and no one remembers the little girl. After Annie and her brother Steven (Keir Dulla) search the grounds to no avail, they contact the police. Inspector Newhouse (Laurence Olivier) follows the routine protocol for finding missing children—but he soon realizes nothing is routine about the case. Most distressingly, he learns that, except for Annie and Steven, no one has seen Bunny. All of Bunny’s belongings are missing. There are no photographs of her. There is no proof that the little girl actually exists.

Lynley and Keir Dullea as Steven.

Director Otto Preminger’s last great film surprisingly recalls his first classic, Laura. Both films begin as conventional crime dramas dealing with kidnapping or murder. But an unexpected plot twist takes each film in a different direction. In Laura, the twist hits quickly and unexpectedly. In Bunny Lake Is Missing, it unravels slowly throughout the film. Watch the movie carefully (it warrants a second viewing after you know the plot) and you’ll see that really there’s no twist at all. Granted, Preminger is selective about what he shows the viewer, but he still plays fair.

Noel Coward and companion as a

too-friendly neighbor.

Much of the film’s effect can be attributed to the unusual suspects in Bunny’s alleged kidnapping or murder. There’s the creepy neighbor (Noel Coward), a middle-aged lecher who hits on Annie as she frets over her missing child. There’s the old lady in the apartment over the school who tapes children describing their nightmares. And finally, there are Annie and Steven, whose extremely close relationship seems more like a married couple than sister and brother.

Carol Lynley gaves a carefully nuanced performance, making us believe that she could be psychologically unbalanced or just distraught over the fate of her daughter. Keir Dullea brings a nice ambiguity to the brother, making it unclear whether he’s defending his sister or setting her up. That leaves it to Olivier to ground the film in normalcy and he does a fine job by making Inspector Newhouse a workman-like professional willing to consider all possibilities.

As with most Preminger films, the production values are flawless. Paul Glass’s evocative music score seamlessly transitions from playful to disturbing. And Saul Bass contributes another memorable title sequence with a hand tearing away black paper to reveal the film’s credits pieces by piece.

Was there a better title designer than Saul Bass?

I first saw Bunny Lake Is Missing on TV with my sister. Neither of us had heard of it and we were mesmerized from start to finish. I have subsequently watched it with my wife, nephews, and friends. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t find it intriguing, which makes me wonder why it’s never acquired a better reputation.

My 100 Favorite Films: From 90 to 81

Last month, I covered 100-91 of my favorite movies. This month, the countdown continues with a mix of suspense, comedy, horror, and romance! (An underlined title means there's a hyperlink to a full review at the Cafe.)

Gene Tierney's Ellen--so lovely
and apparently normal.

90. Leave Her to Heaven - Gene Tierney as a possessive, cold-hearted murderer? It's brilliant casting in a film with some genuine chilling moments (e.g., the drowning scene). It may be Tierney's best performance, as she slowly reveals her character’s true nature. Her most impressive feat, though, is that despite what her character has done, we never doubt that she really does love her husband.

89. A Shot in the Dark - Peter Sellers first appeared as Inspector Clouseau in a supporting role in The Pink Panther. But he perfected Clouseau in this perfect farce, which amazingly was based on a stage play without Clouseau. The scene of Clouseau bungling through a nudist camp is a comedy classic--but Sellers is just as funny trying to walk through a door. Herbert Lom is delightful as Chief Inspector Dreyfus...who would have thought he could be so funny?

88. Dracula Has Risen from the Grave - As many of you know, I'm a fan of Hammer's horror films. This fourth entry in the studio's Dracula series features well-developed characters, a lively story, interesting themes, and stunning color photography (the director was award-winning cinematographer Freddie Francis). It's not my favorite Hammer vampire film, but closely edges out Kiss of the Vampire and Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter.

Uncle Charlie and his favorite
relative.

87. Shadow of a Doubt - Alfred Hitchcock collaborated with Thorton Wilder to create this fascinating portrait of a "Merry Widow" killer hiding out with his sister's family in a small California town. Alternatingly charming and creepy, Joseph Cotten gives his finest performance, but it's the naturalness of the supporting players--especially Teresa Wright as Cotten's niece--that makes the film work. Its power, though, comes from its theme of evil laying underneath of the surface of small town Americana.

86. Enchanted April - Four British women, who desperately need a break from their monotonous lives, rent an Italian villa. During the month they spend together, they learn about each other, gain insight into themselves and their loved ones, and emerge with a new outlook on life. This uplifting film makes its points subtly and benefits from an ideal cast featuring Miranda Richardson and Joan Plowright. I love how the London scenes are photographed in drab, brownish tones, while the color seems to explode when the story shifts to Italy. As for the setting, my wife and I want to take a vacation there!

85. 12 Angry Men – I read the play in high school long before I saw the film adaptation—and yet, knowing the plot’s outcome didn’t lessen its impact at all. I’m always amused when a film critic notes that a movie adaptation of a play failed to “open it up.” To me, a movie can take place entirely in one room—as this one mostly does—and be utterly gripping. Henry Fonda shines as an Everyman forced to take a stand against the rest of a jury, but there are many superb performances in this insightful examination of our justice system.

Does her daughter Bunny
really exist?

84. Bunny Lake Is Missing – A young American woman, recently transplanted to London, claims that her daughter has been kidnapped…but no one can remember having seen the girl. Director Otto Preminger’s last great film surprisingly recalls his first classic, Laura. Both films begin as conventional crime dramas dealing with kidnapping or murder. But an unexpected plot twist takes each film in a different direction. An underrated gem.

83. A Matter of Life and Death (aka Stairway to Heaven) – Because of a Heavenly mistake, an RAF pilot (David Niven) survives a crash and falls in love. Unwilling to go to Heaven, he argues before a celestial tribunal that he should be allowed in live out his life on Earth. This perceptive, haunting fantasy from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressberger lingers long after the closing credits. The incredible set design and Powell’s use of color are justifiably famous, but it’s the performances—especially those by Niven and Roger Livesey as his friend-turned-lawyer—that give the film its heart.

Lady and the Tramp dine to the
lovely song "Bella Notte."

82. Lady and the Tramp – Disney’s canine twist on Romeo and Juliet is an animated delight, with brilliant animation, sparkling characters, and memorable songs (courtesy of Peggy Lee and Sonny Burke).  What I love most about it is the film’s “dog’s-eye view” of the world, such as the way that Tramp gets his dinner.

81. Whistle Down the Wind - In rural England, three children discover a fugitive in their barn and come to believe that he is Jesus. This unique film works as both a religious allegory and an intelligent look into the world of children. Hayley Mills and Alan Bates give powerful performances. Based on the novel by Hayley's mother, Mary Hayley Bell, who also wrote the screenplay. Andrew Lloyd Webbers transformed it into a stage musical that never made it to Broadway.

Next month, I'll count down 80-71, which will include the first of multiple list appearances by Errol Flynn, plus a made-for-TV horror film, Dirk Bogarde, and Sam Peckinpah.

Trivia Time - Part 73

Here are the answers to those questions from TT72 that are leftover from last week:

Who Am I? Although I had a brief acting career, I'm probably best known as an announcer/side kick on a 1950s/early '60s "quiz show". Who Am I?
Answer: George Fenneman

2. Name the classic '50s film that Who Am I? #2 was in, and the quiz show mentioned in the question. Why was this quiz show different from others of the period?

Answers: The Thing from Another World; You Bet Your Life, starring Groucho Marx and George Fenneman, was filmed rather than produced as a live show.

6. To what real-life tragic incident did WKRP in Cincinnati devote an episode?

Answer: Eleven people were killed and dozens injured in the crush of people trying to get into the Riverfront Coliseum in Cincinnati for a Who concert on December 3, 1979.

9. Name the Tony-award-winning actress who had a short-lived series on CBS that featured Tom Bosley before Happy Days.

Answer: Sandy Duncan

You may notice a number of questions having to do with the Academy Awards in one way or another in this week's set....we decided on an Oscar theme in tribute to the festivities at the Kodak Theater. Not that we're necessarily watching them, LOL!

Who Am I? Of the films directed by me in the 1960s, there were two of them (approximately five years apart) in which the leads won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Who Am I?

Who Said This? Person #1 "What if my parachute doesn't open?" Person #2 "Then you'll be the first one on the ground" Who Said This?

Who Are We and Which Film is This? We were in the supporting cast of an MGM film starring Robert Taylor. We are: an Academy Award winner, a future TV star/producer, and a future U.S. senator. Who Are We and Which Film is This?

Who Said This? "That guy could go to sleep on a clothesline." Who Said This?

1. Name the films and the actors mentioned in Who Am I?

2. This Oscar-winning film featured Robert Wagner, Thelma Ritter, and Richard Basehart, among others. Name the film and the stars. What was the Oscar for?

3. This 1950s film is considered by some to be the first wide-screen "disaster" film. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards, and won one. Name the film, director, and the specific wide-screen format used.

4. Name two films from the 1950s featuring two actresses in the same movie who competed against each other for Best Actress.

5. Name five films from the 1950s featuring two actresses in the same movie who competed against each other for Best Supporting Actress.

6. Upon seeing a film, Gary Cooper said, "I should have made this movie!" Name the film and the star.

7. Name one thing these films have in common: Dead End,
The Women, and Test Pilot.

8. This film earned Walter Brennan his first Best Supporting Actor Oscar. One director began the film, and another finished it. Name the two directors and the film in question.

9. Name one thing these films have in common: Show Boat (1936), A Night at the Opera, and A Day at the Races.

10. In the film Captains Courageous, who received top billing?

11. What do Cary Grant, Errol Flynn, Peter O'Toole and Barbara Stanwyck all have in common?

The Black Cat (1934)

Without a doubt the most unusual horror film to come out of Hollywood in the 1930s was Universal Studio's’ The Black Cat (1934). How does one go about creating such a unique film? You take two renowned horror stars (Dracula himself, Bela Lugosi, and Frankenstein’s monster, Boris Karloff—in the first of seven films they would appear in together), add a dash of a director (Edgar G. Ulmer) heavily influenced by German expressionism, and then you mix in some strange amalgamation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” with necrophilia and satanism, and , finally, you top it off with an an eye-catching art deco set design by Charles D. Hall. Never mind that the story is difficult to understand (Universal ordered massive changes to the original cut due to its risqué plot),this is just too bizarre a film to miss.

Predating The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) by more than 40-years, The Black Cat finds two young lovers caught in the middle of a sadistic chess match between a mad architect/scientist and a depressed doctor. Dr. Vitus Werdegast (Lugosi) is returning home to Vizhegrad (Hungary) after spending the last 15 years in a Russian prison camp (Kurgaal). On the Orient Express (no Poirot doesn’t show up), Dr. Werdegast meets Joan (Jacqueline Wells) and Peter (David Manners) and immediately notices that Joan looks a lot like his lost wife. He tells them that he is on his way to visit an old friend, famed architect Hjalmar Poelzig (Karloff), at his mansion, which just happens to be built on a cliff overlooking the “greatest graveyard in the world” at Fort Marmorus. Really? Could there be a more ominous setting?

Later, when the bus they are travelling on crashes into a ravine, Joan is injured and it is determined that the couple should accompany Dr. Werdegast and his servant Thamal (Harry Cording) to the mansion. And this brings us to the best part of the film—the set design of Poelzig’s digs. Everything is ultra-modern, from the lighting (entire walls light up) to the super-sleek curved staircase.  Photographer John J. Mescall uses every inch of the set design and beyond-clever lighting to create some outstanding visual elements—you have to see it to truly appreciate it.

In a rather strange poke at Dracula (and Lugosi?), Poelzig is first introduced to the audience rising rigidly from his bed.  With a widow’s peak and dramatic sense of style (he wears a priest’s robe), Poelzig looks like the kind of man who would commune with the devil. It soon becomes apparent that Werdegast and Poelzig aren’t really BFF’s. Evidently Poelzig betrayed his countrymen in WWI and ran off when the Russians came. What Werdegast really wants is to find his wife (Karen) and daughter, and he thinks Poelzig might know where they are. Well, yeah, he does—he married Karen after telling her Werdegast was dead. Ah, the plot thickens…

As if this news wasn’t enough, Werdegast must deal with a reappearing black cat. For a normal person this wouldn’t be a big deal, but Werdegast is deathly afraid of them—did I mention he’s a psychiatrist…yeah, you’d think he could engage in some self-analysis to overcome this fear. Nope…instead he chooses to regard them as, and I quote, “the living embodiment of evil.” Ah, Werdegast, there are eviler things in the world—just ask Poelzig, who has a cellar full of dead women encased in glass. One of these women happens to be Karen (Lucille Lund) and when Poelzig reintroduces the “couple” it is not a happy time. Werdegast attempts to shoot Poelzig, but before he can pull the trigger another black cat saunters in and immobilizes the doctor.

Later, we learn that the doctor’s daughter, Karen (Lucille Lund…yeah, just go with it) is now Poelzig’s wife…a secret he chooses to keep from the doctor. One secret he doesn’t have a problem sharing, though, is that he plans to use Joan in a satanic black mass ritual. Of course, he is willing to challenge the doctor to a game of chess for Joan’s soul. Too bad for Joan that the doctor isn’t Bobby Fisher… Ah, and so let the Bach toccatas begin—really, Poelzig plays them on his creepy organ right before he kills Karen for sassing him. And, then the fun really begins!

Although it isn’t Halloween, Poelzig decides to host a satanic cult party at the fortress and Joan is the guest of honor. Organ music, broken Latin, black-tie attire, and a human sacrifice as the ultimate party game—who’d want to miss out on that! Well, Joan for one…I won’t spoil the ending for you, but lets just say it is a blast.

Unique in every sense, The Black Cat is high camp without being a camp film (is that possible?). Lugosi and Karloff play well off one another, but I wasn’t shocked to learn that neither received an Academy Award nomination for their performances in this film.  Still, I was a bit miffed that neither Charles D. Hall or John J. Mescall were recognized for their outstanding set design and photography.

Remington Steele -- A Timeless Dramedy

The Premise

Remington Steele (1982-1987) stars Stephanie Zimbalist as private investigator, Laura Holt, who cannot draw clients until she invents a masculine superior for her letterhead. Enter Peirce Brosnan as a mystery man who assumes the fictional Steele’s identity, joins the firm and seduces Laura. Together, the pair battle crime and their feelings for each other.

Even though the premise of a woman who cannot get clients solely due to her gender wouldn’t play today, Steele ages well because, mercifully, most of the episodes do not dwell on Laura as a stranger in her profession; the writers treat this character as a competent detective who gets on with the business at hand--solving cases.

A Drama With a Sense of Humor

The show is revolutionary in another way as well--it is an hour long detective show that dares to include humor and yet retains dramatic lighting (as opposed to the stark, shadowless lighting of sitcoms). The executives at MTM Enterprises, who produced the show, wanted to take out the humor. Blending drama and comedy in an hour long show was a fairly new concept. It had been done before with Hart to Hart (1979-1984), and would be done again with Moonlighting (1984-1989), but these shows were on a competing network. It had never been done at Steele‘s network: NBC; executives were worried about the new approach.

Another concern was the fact that the two leads were theater-trained actors, not TV stars, who had performed only in drama, never in comedy. Executive producer and co-creator Michael Gleason notes that at the time he assumed that if you’re a good actor you can do comedy, which is not always the case. Gleason states that he “lucked out” in casting two stars who have instinctive comic timing.

The heartfelt drama when Steele occasionally opens up his past to Laura, their work as a team and the actors’ sincerity keep the show from becoming too hammy or too much of a farce. The brilliant writing, elegant cinematography and tasteful costumes (Brosnan wears a tuxedo a lot, foreshadowing his shaken, but not stirred, performances) also help to make Remington Steele a timeless dramatic comedy.

Written by Java, a Cafe guest contributor, who blogs regularly at Java's Journey.

Bond Is Forever: “For Your Eyes Only”

When a British communications device, ATAC (Automatic Target Attack Communicator), is lost at sea, a marine archaeologist, commissioned to help in locating the device, is assassinated. MI6 agent James Bond (Roger Moore), assigned to recover the ATAC, tracks down the assassin but is unable to speak to the man before he is killed by Melina (Carole Bouquet), the marine archaeologist’s daughter. Seeking the man responsible for the hit, both Bond and Melina are led to Cortina in Italy’s Dolomites, where the two must elude various hitmen. A Greek contact/informant, Ari Kristatos (Julian Glover), tells 007 that the man most likely responsible for the theft of the ATAC is Milos Columbo (Topol), who in turn points the finger at Kristatos. Everything comes to a head at a monastery high in the mountains, where Bond and his allies attempt to keep the ATAC from being turned over to the KGB.

For Your Eyes Only (1981) was the cinematic debut for director John Glen, who’d worked in the capacity of editor and second unit director on previous Bond films and would continue as director for the next four films in the 007 series (to include the remaining films with Moore and both films with Timothy Dalton). The film, a vast improvement over the preceding Bond effort, Moonraker (1979), has a pleasant sense of humor and entertaining action sequences. Interestingly, a skiing scene that leads to a bobsled track is reminiscent of 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, on which Glen worked as editor/second unit director. Moore, who has always been memorable in his portrayal of 007, is unmistakably comfortable in the role, and his scenes with Bouquet are highlights, as the couple works well together. Bouquet’s Melina is one of the best Bond Girls: independent, athletic, and unparalleled, all of her qualities exemplified by her chic weapon of choice, a crossbow.


One of the film’s best sequences is when Bond and Melina are tied together and keelhauled (dragged underwater by ship, with marine growth causing serious injury and/or blood in the water and movement attracting sharks). This scene was likely inspired by Ian Fleming’s novel, Live and Let Die, in which Mr. Big dispatches similar punishment to Bond and Solitaire. The sequence in For Your Eyes Only is not only superbly filmed, but it also allows for a terrific line: “Hold tight,” Bond says to Melina, as the line wanes and the two are yanked from the ship’s deck into the water.

Perhaps more importantly, the keelhauling sequence is an expression of Bond’s self-reliance in the film, as he is not dependent upon gadgets. Bond effects escapes and dodges assassination attempts with his skill and cunning. Even Bond’s car, a Lotus Esprit which viewers can assume is armed to the teeth, has not a chance to display its equipment, as a villain tries to gain entrance by smashing a window and detonates the car and himself. Bond must then evade the bad guys in Melina’s Citroën 2CV, a standard, unfurnished vehicle (though it does prove versatile). When the spy goes to see Q (the always charming Desmond Llewelyn), he receives no gadgets, as he and Q utilize the Identigraph to help identify a potential lead. Bond is supplied with another Lotus, but, like the first one, its presumed accessories are never shown.

The pre-credit sequence features Bond’s nemesis, Blofeld, his face once again unseen, like in the films preceding You Only Live Twice (1967). The scene also features a reference to Bond’s love, Tracy, from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. This would be a final farewell to Blofeld, who would not appear in further 007 movies.

Australian actress Cassandra Harris has a small role as a countess and Columbo’s mistress. At the time of filming For Your Eyes Only, Harris was married to actor Pierce Brosnan, who producers hoped would follow Moore as 007. However, Brosnan’s TV series, Remington Steele, conflicted, and the role ultimately went to Dalton. Harris and Brosnan were married until the actress’ death from cancer in 1991. Four years later, Brosnan would finally take over as Bond in GoldenEye.

Lynn-Holly Johnson plays Bibi, an accomplished ice skater and Olympic hopeful sponsored by Kristatos. Johnson was a professional figure skater (her ability is displayed in the film) who made her film debut in Ice Castles (1978), in which she played a young skater who overcomes a debilitating accident that renders her blind. In For Your Eyes Only, Bibi is undoubtedly quite young, so much that when she attempts to seduce 007, it’s more than a little disturbing (and a relief when Bond is clearly neither interested nor tempted). Despite playing a juvenile character, Johnson was in actuality only about a year-and-a-half younger than French actress Bouquet, who was Bond’s romantic interest. Bouquet had a successful film career in her native country, winning a César (the French equivalent of an Oscar) for Best Actress for the 1989 movie, Trop belle pour toi (Too Beautiful for You).

Aside from Bond alumni Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny, Geoffrey Keen as the Minister of Defence, Walter Gotell as KGB head General Gogol, and Llewelyn as Q, there are a number of familiar faces in For Your Eyes Only. Glover has had the distinction of appearing in two additional series which were popular with audiences, as Walter Donovan, the antagonist in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and General Maximilian Veers in The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Star Wars fans may also recognize Paul Brooke, playing a man who loses to Bond at the casino table: he was Malakili in Return of the Jedi (1983), keeper of Rancor, the creature whom Luke Skywalker faces in Jabba the Hutt’s pit. Likewise, Jack Klaff, a notable villain in For Your Eyes Only, was a pilot for the Rebel Alliance, call sign Red Four, in 1977’s Star Wars (or, for the purists, Episode IV: A New Hope). Chaim Topol, typically credited as Topol, was Tevye in the award-winning Fiddler on the Roof (1971) and also played Zarkov in the campy Flash Gordon (1980), which has since garnered a cult following.

Bernard Lee, who had played MI6 head, M, in every Bond film up to and including Moonraker, died from cancer in January 1981. In the film, M is on leave, and Bond receives his orders from both the Minister of Defence and M’s Chief of Staff (James Villiers). Robert Brown would debut as M in the subsequent Bond film, Octopussy (1983).

Following the disastrous box office results of Heaven’s Gate (1980), United Artists was essentially bankrupt. For Your Eyes Only was financially successful and helped save the company from bankruptcy, though United Artists was purchased by MGM and future Bond releases would be distributed by MGM/UA and/or would be a co-production.

The film’s title song, written by composer Bill Conti and lyricist Michael Leeson, was performed by Sheena Easton, who, for whatever reason, appears in the opening credits sequence. American rock band Blondie had written a version of “For Your Eyes Only,” but reportedly declined an offer to record the song written by Conti and Leeson. The Blondie song appears on the band’s 1982 album, The Hunter.

For Your Eyes Only is my favorite Bond film with Roger Moore. It is a favorite for my wife as well, although she must suffer through my seemingly nonstop renditions of the title song for a week or two after each viewing. The film boasts reliable characters and story, and action scenes that are profound and, best of all, unadulterated fun. What does everyone else think of Moore’s fifth go-round as James Bond?

Bond Is Forever will return next month with Casino Royale (2006).