The Lighter Side of Ingrid Bergman

Today TCM is devoting an entire 24 hours to the incomparable Ingrid Bergman.  She is the focus today as part of the Summer Under the Stars programming and this is my contribution to the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon which is being wonderfully hosted over at Journeys on Film.

When most people think of Ingrid Bergman the first images that come to mind are usually these:

Looking passionately into Humphrey Bogart's eyes telling him she can't get on the plane in Casablanca (1942)

Trying to outwit Claude Rains with some slick key maneuvering in Notorious (1946)

Or questioning her sanity with Joseph Cotton in Gaslight (1944).

When I think of Ingrid Bergman these are the images that come to mind.  For some reason her two less dramatic and slightly silly roles have stuck with me.

Here she is cutting a rug with Walter Matthau, Goldie Hawn, and others in Cactus Flower (1969)

And navigating a relationship with Cary Grant in Indiscreet (1958)

I enjoy Ms. Bergman in these roles so much.  She is light, comical, shows broad emotions, laughs often and even dances!  She also seems a bit more human and fragile in these roles; instead of being seemingly untouchable and stoic like some of her other characters.  These roles show her well roundedness and ability as an actress.  It definitely would have been interesting if her filmography had more roles like these two.

These two movies have a great deal of similarities (other than Ms. Bergman's involvement).  They are both based on plays, both involve unconventional relationships, each film has an enjoyable dance scene, and both contain a lie that gets out of control.  I tend not to give away spoilers when I write about movies and I'm going to keep that streak alive with these two movies by not revealing too much of the plots.  Hopefully, that will encourage you to check them out for yourself.

In Cactus Flower, Bergman's character, Stephanie Dickinson, is the nurse to playboy Dentist, Dr. Julian Winston, played wonderfully by Walter Matthau.  She often goes above and beyond when it comes to her job responsibilities, but she doesn't have a social life to speak of and is extremely practical and pragmatic.

Eventually though she gets embroiled in Dr. Winston's relationship with (significantly) younger Toni, played by Goldie Hawn, and ridiculousness and hilarity ensue.  It should also be noted that this is the role that won Goldie Hawn her best supporting actress Academy Award.

This movie has a lot of heart, many funny lines and provides a great opportunity to see Ingrid Bergman try her hand and excel at light comedy.  And the dance scenes are a delightful added bonus, she invents a dance she names "The Dentist."

In Indiscreet, directed by Stanley Donen, Ingrid plays, Anna Kalman an accomplished stage actress who meets and has an immediate connection to the dashing traveling financier Phillip Adams, played by Cary Grant.

They carry on a not so discreet love affair.  Both Grant and Bergman behave like smitten young lovers.  They flirt, laugh, and have adorable phone conversations, complete with split screen that insinuates so much more.  This was done after the censors decided that having them in the same bed was too risque.

As in Cactus Flower, there is a great dance sequence.  As you can see Ingrid is extremely graceful and Cary has got some mad ups.

This role gives Ingrid a great deal to do.  There is a great sequence where she is putting together a plan to trick Cary's character.  In it she puts on a 30 second melodramatic performance.

Ingrid Bergman is often considered to be one of the best dramatic actresses and has been in beautifully romantic movies with some of the most dashing leading men, like Gary Cooper, Gregory Peck, Spencer Tracy, Joseph Cotton and various others.  She is often thought to be prim, proper and lacking humor; yet, in these two roles she has a chance to shows her silly side.  And I think it's a shame that these comedic/lighter roles don't always get the same attention as some of her other roles, so I'm doing my part to bring some awareness to them.

Well that does it for my views on Ingrid Bergman's less dramatic roles.  What are your favorite Ingrid Bergman performances?  Have you seen these two films?  Did you enjoy them?

I hope you check out Ingrid Bergman's movies on TCM today, check out the Summer Under the Stars Blogathon  for other great posts and that you check out these films of hers for a good laugh.

Cary Grant Day (Day 4 of the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival)

Day 4 was very much a Cary Grant appreciation, but let's be honest, isn't everyday Cary Grant appreciation day?  I started the 4th day off by driving my mom to the airport, because she is a good, dedicated teacher and just had to get back to work, me, on the other hand took a couple of extra days to finish up the festival.  The reason she was able to attend the festival was because it fell during Spring Break.  If that ever happens again I'm sure I'll be able to get her back out here for another film festival.

 

Alright, onward and upward, Day 4.  After driving my mom I got back in time for a screening of To Catch a Thief at Grauman's.  The movie was introduced by Ben Mankiewicz, who is always a pleasure to see bright and early in the morning.  He started off his introduction by letting us know that his goatee was contractually obligated for his first few years at TCM.  Then he talked about the making of the movie.  He told us that Cary Grant was hesitant and had trouble with the sexual content, due to the age difference.  Grant didn't want the famous lean, but they just changed the music and it ended up being ok.

Ben also told us that Cary Grant would have all these ideas and changes and he would go to Hitchcock, Hitchcock would say oh that's wonderful and then send him to the writer to get approval, but Hitch had already told the writer not to approve ANYTHING.  They would then agree to shoot the scene both ways, but Hitchcock would speak to the crew beforehand and whenever they would shoot it Hitch's way the crew would applaud. Oh Hitch, that passive aggressive manipulator.

Seeing a Hitchcock thriller on the big screen is always a pleasure and this screening was no exception.  Grace Kelly looked gorgeous in all her amazing dresses and Cary Grant was his dashing self.

 Up next was Charade at the Egyptian Theater.  This movie is high on the list of my favorite classic film, even though I do not like having definitive favorites, Charade, ah! There's just so much to love.  Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Walter Matthau, George Kennedy, James Coburn, the thrills, the spills, it's really just the best.  When I first saw it I really thought that it was a Hitchcock film and was surprised to find that it was directed by another one of my favorite directors, Stanley Donen.  And I was pleased to find that many people refer to it as "the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made," which means I wasn't the only one.

Before the movie Stanley Donen was interviewed by Robert Osborne.  They talked about the journey of getting this movie made.  They lost Cary Grant for awhile, Howard Hawks wrote a script, Cary Grant came back, Audrey Hepburn was pregnant, but somehow the timing finally worked out and they got to be in it together. Donen always gives a very straight-foward interview and likes to tell it like it is.  He commented on the current condition of movies, he feels that movies today are made for kids and not adults, I can see that. It's always great to hear him speak and it's wonderful that he is an active participant at these events, hope he's back this year!

The movie was wonderful, as usual, the movie is the perfect combination of thrilling/serious and humorous/joke-y.  During the screening I noticed a re-dub that I had never noticed before.  During the scene gelato eating scene Audrey's mouth seems to say "assassinated", but the word coming out of her mouth is "eliminated."  I did some research cause I was quite curious and it turns out that the movie was released very soon after the John F. Kennedy assassination and the studio was worried about offending and upsetting, so they did the re-dub.  The more you know!

 After this I took a break from Cary Grant to watch The Women.  This was also at the Egyptian, so after Charade I got right back in line for more. This is by far one of my favorite movies, the cast is phenomenal and the acting is superb, the script is so carry and great and who doesn't love a George Cukor directed film.

The movie was introduced by Cari Beachamp and Todd Oldham.  They talked about the costumes and overall amazingness that is this movie.  It was such a treat to get to see this on the big screen, with a fun audience.

 To close out the festival this year, I didn't go for one of the bigger movies like Annie Hall at Grauman's or The Thief of Bagdad at the Egyptian, instead I went for Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Melvyn Douglas in one of the Chinese Multiplex Theaters.  The movie was introduced by a Vanity Fair writer, Matt Tyrnauer, who commented on this film being a representation of the change going on in society at that time.  And mirrored the influx of families moving to the suburb and what it meant to have that lifestyle.  He also talked a bit about architecture and design.  While I do find those types of connections interesting and enjoy recognizing the social significance and place in history of a film, I also just kind of get a kick out of the humor in this movie.

It is also worth noting that The Money Pit (1986), starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long, is a remake of this movie.

It also has one of my favorite exchange, always cracks me up, one of my friends also quotes it on occasion.
Muriel Blandings: I want it to be a soft green, not as blue-green as a robin's egg, but not as yellow-green as daffodil buds. Now, the only sample I could get is a little too yellow, but don't let whoever does it go to the other extreme and get it too blue. It should just be a sort of grayish-yellow-green. Now, the dining room. I'd like yellow. Not just yellow; a very gay yellow. Something bright and sunshine-y. I tell you, Mr. PeDelford, if you'll send one of your men to the grocer for a pound of their best butter, and match that exactly, you can't go wrong! Now, this is the paper we're going to use in the hall. It's flowered, but I don't want the ceiling to match any of the colors of the flowers. There's some little dots in the background, and it's these dots I want you to match. Not the little greenish dot near the hollyhock leaf, but the little bluish dot between the rosebud and the delphinium blossom. Is that clear? Now the kitchen is to be white. Not a cold, antiseptic hospital white. A little warmer, but still, not to suggest any other color but white. Now for the powder room - in here - I want you to match this thread, and don't lose it. It's the only spool I have and I had an awful time finding it! As you can see, it's practically an apple red. Somewhere between a healthy winesap and an unripened Jonathan. Oh, excuse me...
Mr. PeDelford: You got that Charlie?
Charlie, Painter: Red, green, blue, yellow, white.
Mr. PeDelford: Check.

So that does it (almost 2 years late) for the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival.  As always it was a great experience, I loved having the chance to see some amazing interviews, great movies that were new to me and some that I had seen tons of times.  I also enjoyed the theme that year, Style in Film, that was represented through costume, design and architecture.  I had a great time getting to see these movies in the theater and get to share these experiences with great crowds/fans and most importantly share it with my mother.

Hope to get the rest of 2013 up soon!

"It's pronounced Fronkensteen" (Day 2 of the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival)

On to day 2 of the 2012 TCM Classic Film Festival.  It started bright and early with a screening of Cover Girl at the Chinese 6, introduced by Gene Kelly's widow, Patricia Ward Kelly and Robert Osborne.  Patricia came into the theater and introduced herself and shook hands with almost everyone in the theater.  She was very personable and seemed very excited to be there.  While walking around she mentioned that she had added 5 years to her age on their wedding license.  She also made jokes about looking like Jamie Lee Curtis and she certainly did.  She was full of energy and it was very interesting to see and hear speak.

 

 Robert Osborne said that he was most excited to see this movie and was happy to see a full house, and that he had wished that Rita Hayworth were alive to see this kind of reception.  He also mentioned that if he were able to stay and watch a whole movie at the festival that Cover Girl would be it.  He also discussed Gene Kelly's career and suggested that MGM didn't know what to do with Gene Kelly, since he wasn't taken care of or treated properly.  He also said that he had the chance to see Gene Kelly on his last day on an MGM set.  I'm a huge Gene Kelly fan and it's always a treat to see him on the big screen.

Up next was Funny Face at Grauman's Chinese.  There was an interview with Stanley Donen by Robert Osborne before the screening.  I always enjoy a nice Stanley Donen interview, he's very candid and doesn't sugar coat anything.  He means what he says and says what he means, shoots from the hip.  In regards to Funny Face he candidly told us that it was a challenge, he didn't have theater people, or show people, what he had was Audrey, Fred and Paris and the challenge was to fill the space and hold the interest, while also not going over budget. He also talked about his love of film and fascination with the screen.  He thinks of film as an elastic medium and that they can be so many different things.

They also surprised Stanley with a birthday cake!

We all sang Happy Birthday and Robert asked him if he found any significance in the piano design, Stanley immediately said the 88 keys for his 88th birthday.  There was also a wonderful video tribute to Stanley Donen.  Seeing Fred Astaire dance on the big screen is always a treat and it was fun to introduce my mom to another movie she hadn't seen before.  Her first comment after the movie, "wasn't Fred Astaire a little old for her?"  Yes mom, but that's when we suspend our disbelief and focus on the pretty costumes, music and dancing.

After this it was time to head back to the Chinese 6 for Nothing Sacred starring Carole Lombard and Fredric March, it was introduced by Deborah Nadoolman Landis.  Before the movie, Landis talked about the amazing Carole Lombard and the costumes and beautiful NY sets.  I believe this was the first technicolor film shot in New York.  I found this movie to be very humorous and a great showcase of Carole Lombard's talents.  This was a fun movie to get to see for the first time at the festival.

My mom and I then rushed back to Grauman's to catch the screening of Vertigo that was to be introduced with a Kim Novak interview.  I was very excited for this screening and interview.  I'm a HUGE fan of Hitchcock (in case you haven't noticed) and was so thrilled that Kim Novak who had been out of the spotlight for such a long time would be there to discuss both her career and work in the movie.

I found Kim Novak to be a little nervous and slightly guarded, while still kind and willing to discuss working with Alfred Hitchcock and the movie.  She was interviewed by Robert Osborne who, as always, was a very calming presence.  She said that she liked working with Hitchcock and that she was able to give up control when it was necessary.  Robert asked about the very famous suit that she wore throughout the movie and Kim said that it felt like a strait-jacket and that it didn't feel comfortable, but she used that discomfort and made it work.  She determined that it was good and right for the character.

 It was quite an experience to see this movie in Grauman's Chinese theater, every detail, every moment of suspense and intrigue was heightened.  About half way through the movie I noticed that Kim Novak was sitting about 2 rows diagonally in front of me, which was pretty much the most surreal experience I can imagine (thanks TCM Classic Film Festival).  Occasionally throughout the movie I would try to see her reactions to the film, she seemed to be enjoying it.

My final movie of the first full day of the festival was Young Frankenstein, co-written and directed by the one and only Mel Brooks.  He was also on hand for an interview before the movie.  I had the enormous pleasure of getting to see The Producers at the first TCM Film Festival and hear Mel Brooks speak before the screening and knew that I had to see him again.  He is so funny and engaging, he's what I always imagined a grandfather would be like (one of my grandfathers passed away before I was born and the other passed away when I was less than a year old).  He kept saying how ridiculous we all were for staying up late and paying to watch his little movie, in fact to quote him, " you're fans, you're nuts."  But I couldn't imagine a better way to end the day.

Mel started off the conversation by talking about having seen Frankenstein in 1931 when he was about 5 years old with his mother.  When he got home from the movie he was he was so terrified of the monster he wanted to close all the windows so the monster wouldn't come and bite him, eat him and kill him.  But his mother said that it was too hot to close all the windows in the apartment, and he explained again that he was scared the monster would come and bite him, so his mother sat him down and explained that, if the monster wanted to come and find him he'd have to take a train from Transylvania and find his way to Williamsburg, I guess humor ran his family.

The interview was equal parts entertaining and informative.  He talked about the meetings he had at Columbia and their reaction to wanting to film it in black and white (they were not thrilled).  He also talked about Gene Wilder having written the premise for Young Frankenstein, on the condition that he wouldn't also star in the movie (that did not come to pass).  And he also let us know that the movie is 1/2 comedy and 1/2 tribute to James Whale, it's always great to discover an amazing contributor to the film industry is himself a fan and wants to honor the past.

it's (almost) alive!

Having the opportunity to watch the movie in a PACKED theater (the Egyptian Theater, no doubt) was an amazing experience, the laughter was almost non-stop, the crowd was so into the movie and made the viewing experience that much better.  And what a cast! Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars, and a Gene Hackman cameo! Such a great film.

Weird to see them in color

All in all this was another fabulous day at the TCM Classic Film festival. Going back through the pictures and trying to remember everything that happened is so wonderful and makes me even more excited (if that's even possible) for the next TCMFF. 
Up next: Day 3 which includes: Auntie Mame, first thing in the morning, Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, Counsellor at Law, Singing in the Rain, and Marathon Man!

Final Installment of the Stanley Donen Mini-Film Festival

After enjoying Indiscreet I was looking forward to more Stanley Donen movies.  I decided on The Pajama Game and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in the late afternoon on Saturday, November 6th.  Unfortunately I had an exam that morning that required 3 straight hours of essay writing (it was a pain in the hand), so I couldn't make it to the earlier ones.  I had originally made plans to see at least one of the movies, with a friend of mine in the late afternoon.  But, after not hearing from said friend, I decided to just head into the city anyway and enjoy my late afternoon/evening of classic movies.  I always seem to have this problem with friends...I want to share my love of classic movies with someone, have someone to talk to before and after the movie and expose someone new to classic movies, maybe get them interested in classic movies in general.  However, it never seems to work out and I end up experiencing many of these things on my own.  I don't mind, I'm certainly not complaining, it just might be nice to turn to someone during a funny scene or recall some of our favorite parts after the movie ends.  In any case, back to Stanley Donen.

For this adventure I decided to drive into the city because I didn't want to run the risk of being late again because of the train and I had found an amazing coupon for parking near the theater ($8 for 6 hours!).  It turned out that the parking lot was much further from the theater than I had thought and, for a change, I showed up a tee tiny bit late to the 4pm movie.  I'm sure the theater employees thought I was some kind of jerk who loves to show up late to movies.  In reality, I'm usually pretty early to just about everything, I'd like to go on record and say that these instances of lateness were out of my control.  Anyway enough about my trip and personal life, onto the Stanley Donen-ness!!

The Pajama Game was a wonderful treat to see in a theater.  I have seen it before.  The music was infectious and the dancing and 'big numbers' were glorious.  It was a pleasure to see the "steam heat" number and to experience Doris Day larger than life.  The only other Doris Day movie I've seen in a theater was 'Pillow Talk' in my film class at USC, but that was many moons ago.  The only issues I had with the film was that the print that they had seemed to include the lead out and lead in portions of 2 of the 5 reels, so we got to see the numbers counting down and those color test strips from the good old days.  I'm not sure if this was due to the print that the theater had or if they didn't have two film projectors and there was a problem in the projection booth.  Overall, I'm not sure why it happened, but I think ultimately I kind of enjoyed seeing those things that we're not supposed to see as film goers.  But I really could've done without the guy behind me making the same 3 jokes every time it happened.  "I want my money back."  "Bring out Stanley."  ""I think the projector's broken."  It never got funny. 

After The Pajama Game, I went back to the box office and picked up my ticket for Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and waited in line to get back into the theater.  It was a miracle, I wasn't late for a screening :).  As I walked to my seat I saw that Stanley Donen was sitting about half way back from the screen.  It was exciting to know that he'd been watching the movie along with the rest of us.  I guess I should've expected it since he had been in the audience for the screening of Funny Face on Wednesday, but it was still exciting.  The film was wonderful.  It wasn't the best print in the world, (which Mr. Donen commented on during his Q&A) but it was still spectacular.  Seeing the barn raising scene was exhilarating.  The athleticism of the dancers was so evident and made the dancing that much more enjoyable.  After the film ended Mr Donen came up to the front of the theater and was joined by, Kent Jones (I'm not sure who he is, I shall research this).  I was wise enough, this time around, to bring a camera, however I was not wise enough to bring a pad and paper to write down all of Mr. Donen's gems.  Here are some pics:

To begin this Q&A he started out by discussing why movies like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers couldn't be made today.  He said that there isn't a garden where you could find those kinds of flowers...there aren't any more song and dance actors who are believable in those roles and you can't fake that kind of dancing.  He also said that he had a very hard time convincing the studio to let him work with the actor/dancers he wanted.  The studio insisted that he select better known actors instead and sacrifice the dancing.  But, he stuck by his choices.  He also discussed how this was Julie Newmar's first film, she was billed as Julie Newmayer (she was one of the future brides named, Dorcas, which got a few laughs during the movie).  He also discussed that the studio was concerned that widescreen format wouldn't work out, so he had to film the whole movie in standard format.  He says that there's a print of the non-widescreen version floating around that has never been shown.  In the middle of the Q&A the moderator, said that they had found the clip that they had wanted to share from Cover Girl, you may recognize the clip:

Before showing it Stanley said that this was his first directing job.  He had been 17 and was assisting Gene Kelly on the movie.  He had suggested a scene where Gene Kelly dances with his own shadow, the director of the film said that it couldn't be done.  Stanley insisted that it could, the director said again, no it can't be done, and then added if you want to do it I quit.  He quit and Stanley ended up being the director.  He believed that it was possible to accomplish and he then said, "I was the computer."

After the clip was shown, they decided to take some questions from the audience, someone asked why the studio meddled so much in movies.  Mr. Donen responded very diplomatically by saying that it's a business, the studios were investing a great deal of money and wanted to have some say, but at the same time the studios are not the ones with the artistic vision and not the ones creating the art.  So it's a tough balance.  Someone else asked what the atmosphere was like on the set and asked if the cast liked each other.  Mr. Donen didn't seem to really like the question, but he answered it, he said that everyone got along well enough.  The moderator asked if Stanley had ever considered being a film teacher and if he taught would he encourage the use of computer and CGI or try to promote more in camera and done more authentically.  Again, he didn't love the question and just kind of brushed it off by saying that he wasn't interested in being a teacher and that if you're a film lover and want to make films you don't need to go to school for that.  He then politely informed everyone that he couldn't stay much longer, he had "promised to take his lady friend to dinner."  Kind of a nice way of ending a Q&A.

I considered trying to get his autograph again, but I didn't want to keep him from dinner with his lady friend, so I made my way out of the theater and ended up on the escalator with him and just nicely smiled and tried to just enjoy the fact that I was riding on an escalator with the one, the only Stanley Donen.  I'm so grateful to the Lincoln Center film society for putting together an event like this and I'm glad I was able to make it to some of the screenings, thus ends my recap of the Stanley Donen Mini-film festival.  Thanks for tuning in!  In the next edition there should be a Joan Crawford Biography Give-Away.  Stay Tuned!