ANNOUNCING the Favorite Director Blogathon!

A few weeks ago, Quiggy from The Midnite Drive-In graciously asked me if I would like to co-host a blogathon with him on Favorite Directors. As is apparent by all the blogathon banners running down the right side of my blog, I love blogathons, so of course I said yes.

As everyone knows, directors are essential to a successful film. A film director "controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, and visualizes the script while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, production design, and the creative aspects of filmmaking." Without a good director, a film may die before it's finished or never achieve the success it might have.

There are many directors from the Golden Age of Hollywood who have become iconic and whose faces are instantly recognizable. Then there are the directors who's films are loved by many but who are only known by name. And lastly there are the ones who are never given the acclaim they deserve. That is what this blogathon is for, to honor all directors.

Here are a few simple rules:

1. Directors from the early days of film up until 1990 are fine. You can choose a single film that particularly showcases the style of that director or cover an entire career. When you've made your choice, please let me or Quiggy know in the comments below. Be sure to include the link to your blog so I can add it easily to the roster.

2. No duplicates of movies. However, if someone has chosen Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho you can still pick another film he directed or his career as a whole.

3. Since this blogathon is taking place over Memorial Day weekend, early admissions will be accepted. If you will be out of town simply publish your post ahead of time and leave the link to it in the comments below. It will be added at the appropriate time.

4. Take one of the banners below and share it on your blog to spread the word!

5. And lastly, have fun!!

Roster:

Phyllis Loves Classic Movies: The film collaborations of Frank Capra and Robert Risken

The Midnite Drive-In:  John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Caftan Woman: William Wyler's Hell's Heroes (1929) and The Big Country (1958)

Christina Wehner: William Wellman

Cinematic Scribblings: Yasujirô Ozu's Late Spring

Love Letters to Old Hollywood: Billy Wilder's The Apartment (1960)

Champagne for Lunch: Mervin LeRoy

Classic Movie Treasures: John Ford's The Quiet Man (1952)

Hamlette's Soliloquy: John Ford's The Searchers (1956)

*Whimsically Classic: Billy Wilder's The Major and the Minor (1942)

Critica Retro: Orson Welles's Othello (1952)

Cinema Cities: Overview of Billy Wilder's Films

Charlene's (Mostly) Classic Movie Reviews: Ingmar Bergman's Through A Glass Darkly (1961)

Realweedgiemidget Reviews: Ed Wood

Angelman's Place: Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby (1968)

John V's Eclectic Avenue: Jacques Tourneur's  Out of the Past  and Curse of the Demon

*Because We Have the Stars: Billy Wilder' Sunset Boulevard (1950)

LA Explorer: Preston Sturges' Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944)

*It Came from the Man Cave: Sam Raimi and Evil Dead 2 (1987)

Plot and Theme: Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove (1964)

Anybody Got a Match?: Stanley Donen's Charade (1963)

Pure Entertainment Preservation Society: The naturalness George Cukor's Films

Demanded Critical Reviews: The film-making style of Andrei Tarvosky in Solaris (1972), The Mirror (1975), and Stalker (1979)

A Viewer's Guide to Classic Films: D.W. Griffith's films Scarlet Days and Way Down East

Rio Grande (1950)

Before you start reading, press play (Ugh. I had the wrong song). Also, know that I hummed

the music probably the entire time I was writing this post.

Rio Grande (1950), if I'm pressed to choose, is my favorite John Wayne film. And if you know me you know I LOVE John Wayne. Therefore, when I learned of The John Wayne Blogathon my friend Hamlette was hosting, I decided it was time I gave this beloved film a full post.

This film was included in my 5 Movies on an Island list. Here are the reasons I gave in that post:

• It has a fantastic cast: Maureen O'Hara, Victor McLaglen, Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., and a host of other familiar "Ford" faces.
• It has a great soundtrack (yes, we have the cd): the soft, heart-stirring instrumentals, the beautiful theme of "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen" running throughout, and the melodious harmony of the Sons of the Pioneers.
• It has some of the best on-screen chemistry in the entire history of film: John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara... need I say more? The Duke really knew how to kiss a woman so that she'd never forget it and if you all alone on that island, well... you need something to never forget either.
• Lastly, everything else! The directing by John Ford, the majestic vista's, the action, suspense, romance... how could it NOT be on my list??

So now that I have given you the reasons I love the film, I will tell you more about the film itself.

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Rio Grande (1950) was made for one reason: so that John Ford could make The Quiet Man (1952). That's right, it was part of a deal - "you make this movie and we'll let you make that movie." And am I ever thankful that this deal was made!

For a long time, John Ford had wanted to make a movie in Ireland called The Quiet Man with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in the lead roles. Republic Pictures, who had promised Ford complete artistic freedom of any films he made under their banner, did not think the film would have enough box-office appeal (boy, were they ever wrong!) and told Ford that he could make the film only if he made an inexpensive Western first, using the same stars to be used in The Quiet Man. The story chosen was James Warner Bellah's "Mission with No Record." It was to be a conclusion of the Cavalry Trilogy (Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon - both based on stories by Bellah). Filming began on June 15, 1950 on location in Moab, Utah.

The film tells the story of Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke (Wayne) who is stationed on the Rio Grande to keep the Apaches. His son Jeff (Claude Jarman Jr.), whom he hasn't seen for fifteen years, shows up one day as a new recruit, who failed at West Point. He is followed soon by his mother, Yorke's estranged wife Kathleen (O'Hara) - Yorke burned down her family's ancestral home under orders when their son was only a baby, cementing the growing rift between them. Rounding out the cast is John Ford's stock company: Victor MacLaglen as Quincannon (a name used in other Ford films), Chill Wills as Dr. Wilkins, Ben Johnson as Trooper Tyree, Harry Carey Jr. as Trooper Daniel "Sandy" Boone (that name sounds kind of familiar!), and the Sons of the Pioneers as the Regimental Singers. Wayne's son Patrick also has a very small part in the picture, as he and Wayne's other children often did.

This film is different from the two previous cavalry pictures as instead of negotiating with the Indians and arguing with those above him, Yorke is simply trying to keep the peace. However, in classic John Ford style, there is a rousing fight between the soldiers and the Apaches after the Apaches attack the wagon train bringing the women and children to Fort Bliss and making off with the children, keeping them in an old church.

This was the first film that put Wayne and O'Hara together and the screen crackles with chemistry. You really do believe that they are an estranged couple who haven't seen one another for fifteen years but who still love each other deeply. They were an ideal match, both strong and independent yet complementing each other perfectly, O'Hara with her feistiness and Wayne with his quiet, commanding presence. They were believable because they respected one another and treated each other as equals. It was to be a trademark in all of their films together, cementing them as one of the greatest on-screen couples in the history of film.

Just watch the contemplative expressions of Wayne and O'Hara as they listen to "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen." You can instantly see that the song is significant to both of them, especially in the way Kathleen leans towards her husband and then moves away when he notices and in the way Kirby gazes at his wife at the end of the song.

You can sense the sexual tension even in this still image.

The O'Hara - Wayne combination was a sensation because she was the macho woman and he was the macho man.

~ Charles Fitzsimons (O'Hara's brother)

She was his (Ford's) idea of a beautiful Irish woman with spirit. Maureen was the sort of woman he would have invented.

~ Mary Loos

The other relationship in the film is between father and son. Jeff wants the father he never knew to be proud of him and Yorke, who is already proud of him, wants to make sure that he doesn't get hurt. And even though Jarman doesn't look at all like he could be the son of Wayne and O'Hara, both he and Wayne give touching performances, culminating in Yorke telling Kathleen, "Our boy did well" as he lies on a stretcher after having been shot with an Apache arrow.

The film ends with the rousing song Dixie, with Wayne smiling and O'Hara twirling her parasol, showing that all is forgiven and there are happier times ahead.

This film is a like a love letter. It is tender, poignant, stirring, and full of passion. And even though it was only made as part of a deal, it was still crafted with love and care. I could have written on and on about this film: interesting facts about the making of it and the experiences of the other actors, but love is the essence of the film, and that is the feeling I wanted to leave you with.

Saw Rio Grande. It's great. After seeing the tripe that is turned out today, it's a delightful pleasure to see a show made by the Old Master himself.

~ Telegram from Frank Capra

This has always been my favorite song and scene ~ "My Gal is Purple"

Sources:

John Ford: Hollywood's Old Master. Ronald L. Davis. Volume 10 in The Oklahoma Western Biographies. University of Oklahoma Press,1995.

Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford. Scott Eyman. Simon & Schuster, 1999.

This post is part of The John Wayne Blogathon hosted by Hamlette's Soliloquy and The Midnite Drive-In. Be sure to read all of the other posts and enter the giveaway!

Cinema Wedding Gowns: The Quiet Man (1952)

Today's wedding gown is one that will be recognizable to many. It is from John Ford's The Quiet Man (1952). Worn by Maureen O'Hara, this iconic lace gown was designed by Adele Palmer, the Wardrobe Supervisor and Costume Designer at Republic Pictures for over two decades. She also designed the costumes for other John Wayne films such as Rio Grande and Angel and the Badman.

Unlike most movie wedding gowns, this one is seen for several scenes and from all angles. We see it at the wedding reception and again when the newlyweds go home and have their first married fight.

The first look at the wedding gown is a full length shot as John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara's characters pose for a wedding portrait.

 

The demure gown features delicate crocheted lace (probably Irish) with a floral pattern. It has a high scalloped neck and long sleeves and forms a "v" pattern down the fitted bodice all the way to the waist.  

The gathered skirt has a lace insert that also forms a "v" pattern. It stops just above the floor.

 

(notice the pearl-drop necklace)

The veil is gathered around the crown of the head and falls to the back of the knee.

 

This picture appears to have a different bouquet then the small one in the film. Notice the Duke's boutonniere.

A look at where the lace sleeves meet the bodice.

TCM announced this week the auction of Maureen O'Hara's estate. You can find it by clicking here. Be sure to click on the pdf catalog instead of just scrolling through the website, as it has an introduction by Robert Osborne and photos of Maureen O'Hara wearing some of the items being auctioned! If only I was a billionaire...

Ten Movies on an Island: John Wayne

John Wayne and Judy Garland were my first favorite actor and actress when I was little, and I still love both of them. However, I have watched John Wayne far more often. The following films have been seen so many times I can quote large passages from memory and throw them into ordinary conversations.

1. Angel and the Bad Man (1947) - Gail Russell

2. Fort Apache (1948) - Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple

3. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) - Victor McLaglen

4. Rio Grande (1950) - Maureen O'Hara

5. The Quiet Man (1952) - Maureen O'Hara

6. The Searchers (1956) - Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood

7. Rio Bravo (1959) - Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson

8. North to Alaska (1960) - Stewart Granger, Capucine, Fabian

9. Donovan's Reef (1963) - Lee Marvin, Elizabeth Allen

10. McLintock (1963) - Maureen O'Hara, Patrick Wayne, Stephanie Powers

John Wayne film I will NEVER WATCH AGAIN: Wake of the Red Witch (1948) - his death at the end left me and my brothers depressed the rest of the day AND the entire next day!

Honorable Mentions: Stagecoach (1939), They Were Expendable (1945), Without Reservations (1946), Red River (1948), Blood Alley (1955), The Comancheros (1961), El Dorado (1966), The Shootist (1976).

Ten Movies on an Island: Westerns

You already know most of these are going to be John Wayne films. Basically all but three and there's two more in the honorable mentions. What can I say?

1. Stagecoach (1939) - John Wayne & Claire Trevor, Thomas Mitchell, Andy Devine

2. Angel and the Badman (1947) - John Wayne & Gail Russell

3. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) - John Wayne

4. Rio Grande (1950) - John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara

5. Broken Lance (1954) - Robert Wagner, Spencer Tracy

6. The Searchers (1956) - John Wayne

7. Rio Bravo (1959) - John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson

8. Alias Jesse James (1959) - Bob Hope

9. Cat Ballou (1965) - Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Michael Callan, Dwayne Hickman

10. The Shootist (1976) - John Wayne & Lauren Bacall, James Stewart, Ron Howard

Honorable Mentions: The Comancheros (1961), El Dorado (1966), Duel at Diablo (1966)

In case you were wondering, my favorite Westerns on the small screen are Maverick, Have Gun Will Travel, and most episodes of Bonanza (though if IS exasperating how none of the boys EVER get married).

Tomorrow, my top ten Disney films!

Ten Movies on an Island: 1950s Edition

If you thought the 30s and 40s were a time of change in Hollywood, the 1950s was off the charts. With the accessibility of Television, many people were not going out to the movies, but instead, staying home and watching family sitcoms and game shows. When the Supreme Court outlawed block booking (selling groups of five or more films combining A pictures with cheaper B pictures) in 1948, the system began to crumble. Television hastened that end.

In order to lure movie-goers back to the theaters, studios decided it was time to make movies bigger and better. This was the decade of the Epic, the Technicolor Musical, 3-D, CinemaScope, Cinerama, VistaVision. With it came the loosening of the Hays Code, allowing topics back into movies that hadn't been allowed on the screen for two decades. Up popped the Rebel and a host of teen idols.

This list not only has three of my original Five Movies on an Island List, but it is also where my "romantic/girlish pleasure" side comes out. I mean, realistically, how many "Top Ten" lists have Gidget (1959) on them? Not to mention that four of the films have John Wayne in them!

1950s:

1. Rio Grande (1950) - John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara

2. The Quiet Man (1952) - John Wayne & Maureen O'Hara

3. Roman Holiday (1953) - Audrey Hepburn & Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert

4. White Christmas (1954) - Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye & Vera-Ellen

5. Mister Roberts (1955) - Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon, William Powell, James Cagney

6. We're No Angels (1955) - Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, Aldo Ray

7. The Searchers (1956) - John Wayne

8. Tammy and the Bachelor (1957) - Debbie Reynolds & Leslie Neilson

9. Gidget (1959) - Sandra Dee & James Darren, Cliff Robertson

10. Rio Bravo (1959) - John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan

Honorable Mentions: Sunset Boulevard (1950), Strangers on a Train (1951), Son of Paleface (1952), The Robe (1953), Sabrina (1954), Until They Sail (1957), The Defiant Ones (1958), Pillow Talk (1959), Who Was That Lady? (1959).

Tomorrow, my Top Ten films of the 1960s!

Donovan's Reef (1963)

Baby, right up your alley.

That's what I thought when I heard about the "Dot" Blogathon honoring Dorothy Lamour hosted by Silver Screenings and Font and Frock. Okay, so I didn't really, but it's a good quote with which to start this post!

The quote comes from the John Ford film Donovan's Reef, which has been a favorite film of my family's for years. We lovingly refer to it as "Boolah Boolah," which are the first words of the opening song, in English, "Pearly Shells." Back before DVD's, we would listen to Mom describe this magical John Wayne movie set in Hawaii that we had never seen before. We wondered if we would ever find a copy to watch. Then one day, while visiting my mom's brother several states away, we found the old recorded VHS. Were we excited! We could hardly wait to see it! And it did not disappoint. It quickly became a favorite and we now own several copies - some things are just too hard to pass up.

"Who is in this wonderful film and what makes it so good?" you may ask. Let me tell you. As I already mentioned, this is a John Wayne film (we are huge Duke fans over here. My brothers and I grew up watching The Quiet Man most Saturday mornings). Wayne plays Michael "Guns" Donovan. He lives on the, sadly fictional, Hawaiian island Haleakaloha (Hah-lee-ah-kuh-low-ah), where he runs a saloon, Donovan's Reef. Also residing on this island paradise are Dr. William Dedham (Jack Warden) and his three children - "little half-casts," Father Cluzeot - pronounced "clue-zoh" (Marcel Dalio), the Marquis Andre de Lage, governor of this "wretched island" (Caesar Romero), and Miss LaFleur (Dorothy Lamour). Other assorted character include Mr. Eu (pronounced "you"), the always off-duty Sergeant Monk, Sister Angelique and Sister Mary Margaret, and the Australian Navy. There is just one more character to make the cast complete: Gilhooley.

Gilhooley, the kind of guy that has a woman in every port (played hilariously by Lee Marvin), and Guns Donovan fought together in the war along with the Doc. They also happen to share a birthday, Dec. 7th. Do they get together every year to celebrate together? Nope. In true John Ford fashion they have an annual birthday brawl.

Funny promo shot. The Sisters do not approve.

Gilhooley abandons the ship he is serving on and swims ashore. The women of the island greet him with kisses and leis. The men, however, are less than happy to see him, especially Fr. Cluzeot (you can see his entrance here).

He then seeks out his friend, borrowing a white suit while he's at it - "Something you can be buried in!" Miss LaFleur is very happy to see him - "You've come back to marry me!" she says as she throws her arms around him.

While the Doc is out ministering to some of the other surrounding islands, word comes that his older daughter, Amelia by his first marriage (wife died soon after childbirth) is coming to the island on a business matter. The Doc has never seen his daughter and his daughter doesn't know that he married again - to the Princess Manulani who died in childbirth. Worried at how she might react to her half-cast siblings, they decide to have the children pretend to belong to Donovan until the Doc returns so that he can tell Amelia himself. Elizabeth Allen plays the snobbish Bostonian perfectly. She turns up her nose and men like Donovan and claims that if he is an example of fathers she is glad she never knew hers. She has a change of heart however when she does meet him and sees with her own eyes all the good he has done for the people of Haleakaloha. Also during this time she falls in love with Donovan and figures out that "his kids" are really her half siblings. She welcomes them with open arms.

The cast in another promo shot.

So where else does Dorothy Lamour come in? Miss LaFleur works at Donovan's Reef. She has some of the best lines in the film.

Amelia runs into Fleur at a shop while looking for a bathing suit. Fleur is looking at a wedding gown. "Are you contemplating matrimony?" Amelia asks. "What young girl my age doesn't contemplate matrimony" Fleur shoots back (she is quite obviously in her 40s).

In another scene, Fleur is singing at the bar. When she is done, she does to sit with the Marquis. He orders her champagne. Fleur quickly says "No no no no, my voice. A slug of gin, if you please." You really have to hear her say it. Her line delivery is comedy at its best.

She also sings "Silent Night" for the Christmas pageant.

She starts singing at 2:50

There's another humorous scene at the end of the film but you'll have to watch it for yourself.

Though Lamour isn't in much of the movie, it just wouldn't be Donovan's Reef without her. I wish I could include a compilation of her clips in the movie, as my little review really doesn't do her justice, but I have no idea how to do that. It's hard to describe comedy.

A behind-the-scenes photo with the Duke.

 

Miss Lamour's contribution is slight, but she obviously

appreciates the free-and-easy spirit of the whole wacky affair.

~ NY Times

Fun Facts:

Lamour's muumuu was borrowed from John Ford's wife, cutting down on costume costs (I'm guessing the yellow one).

Donovan's Reef was filmed mostly on Kaua'i, Hawaii.  The home of the French island governor is the Allerton Estate home and former summer residence of Hawaiian Queen Emma near Poipu Beach, now a part of the National Tropical Botanical Garden (without the scenes of boats and canoes on the Wailua River, which were edited and merged with scenes filmed at the Allerton Estate). Other locations on the Island included Waimea Canyon, Hanamaulu Bay, and Ahukini Pier.

John Wayne's son, Patrick Wayne, appears briefly in two scenes, one at the bar where he breaks up a fight, and at the Christmas pageant.

The yacht in the film belonged to John Ford. It was named the 'Araner,' a name used in the film for one of the ships.

This was John Wayne and John Ford's last film together.

Don't forget to read all of the other posts on Dorothy Lamour!

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Remembering Maureen O'Hara

Photograph by Erin Finn, Hollywood Glamour.

I was deeply saddened to learn that Maureen O'Hara passed away this morning in Idaho at the age of 95. I knew this day would come one day but I had hoped it wouldn't come for a few years more. Almost one year after receiving an honorary Oscar, that fiery red-haired Irish woman, the "Queen of Technicolor," has left this world forever. However, she will never be forgotten and will live on in her films, in the films she made with John Wayne, and in the Christmas classic Miracle on 34th Street.

With two of her sisters: Margot (left) and Florrie.

She was born Maureen FitzSimons in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland on 17 Aug 1920. She was the second child in a family of six. As a child she excelled at sports, which enabled her to perform the majority of her own stunts in her films. When she was 14 she was accepted to the Abbey Theater where she studied operatic singing in addition to acting.

With her brother, James. You may recognize him as Fr. Paul in The Quiet Man.

Her brother, Charles, was also in the film as the man who gives the toast at the wedding.

Her big debut into film, after playing in two small roles under her own name, and for the first time as Maureen O'Hara, was in Alfred Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn (1939) alongside Charles Laughton, who discovered her. The Irish beauty was only 19 years old. Her next film was also with Laughton, the famous Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939). Maureen played the gypsy girl, Esmeralda.

After starring in three more films (A Bill of Divorcement; Dance Girl, Dance; and They Met in Argentina), Maureen began her long friendship with director John Ford in How Green Was My Valley (1941). She played the tragic character Angharad, the older sister of Roddy McDowell and daughter of Donald Crisp, who marries a man she doesn't love but who can afford to take her away from the horrors of a mining town.

Her next film, To the Shores of Tripoli (1942), was her first with actor John Payne, whom she would star again with in Sentimental Journey (1946) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947).

Sentimental Journey

That same year, Maureen took on the role of Lady Margaret Denby in the swashbuckling pirate film The Black Swan (1942). She took roles in several other historical films, including Against All Flags (1952) with Errol Flynn.

            

Miracle on 34th Street is probably the film most well known because of it's status of Christmas Classic (Maureen was the last cast member alive). Maureen plays Doris Walker, an employee of Macy's in charge of the famous annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. At the last minute she has to hire a new Santa Claus, who insists that he really is Kris Kringle. John Payne is the dashing young lawyer who takes Kris's case when Kris is sent to an institution. It's one of my favorite holiday movies and a "can't miss."

With Natalie Wood.

Rio Grande (1950) brought Maureen O'Hara and John Wayne together for the first time. This was followed by The Quiet Man (1952) - set and filmed in Maureen's beloved Ireland, The Wings of Eagles (1957), McLintock! (1963), and Big Jake (1971).

What girl doesn't want to be kissed like that?

Other well known films include The Parent Trap (1961) alongside Haley Mills and Brian Keith, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962) and The Rare Breed (1966) with James Stewart, and Spencer's Mountain (1963) with Henry Fonda.

With her daughter, Bronwyn. The other lady is clearly related as well (one of her sisters?).

Maureen retired from the movies in 1971 but returned from 1991 to 2000 making one film and three TV movies. (For a complete list of Maureen's films, click here.)

Maureen O'Hara singing on YouTube.

The thing Maureen O'Hara was the most proud of was being Irish and she loved that she was the most well known Irish woman in the world.

The Hollywood Reporter Article
Hail and Farewell to Maureen O'Hara - Cowboys & Indians Magazine
Maureen O'Hara's Secret to her Longevity
Funeral Held for Irish Actress Maureen O'Hara at Arlington National Cemetery

All images found via Pinterest