Tonight I watched an early Hollywood comedy called "Murder In The Private Car" (1934), starring Charles Ruggles and Una Merkel. I found this flick in my recent search for "Warner Archives" titles, and though it is an entertainment picture and strictly for fun, I found it to be a gem, another of the little known treasures I have discovered in recent weeks (like "Soldier In The Rain").
Mary Carlisle and Una Merkel are two platinum blonde cuties, 1930s style, who are stuck working the switchboard for an undisclosed company in Los Angeles. Like all '30s chicks, they can talk a blue streak but are bored silly with the job. Suddenly, the boss calls Miss Carlisle into his office. A lawyer is present. He informs her that she is the long lost daughter of the sixth wealthiest man in the country. My goodness and Holy Smokerinos, folks! She can't believe her good fortune, but the lawyer urges caution. He tells her that her father - whom she thought was dead - has arranged for her to take a train trip to New York, accompanied by the lawyer, where he will meet the two of them and introduce his daughter to her new life of wealth. She is excited to go, and takes her fun loving and vivacious pal Merkel with her.
Lurking on the sidelines is the dithering Charlie Ruggles, a mumble-mouthed double talking comedian with a style that surely must've influenced guys like the late Tim Conway and the actor who played "Hank Kimball" on "Green Acres". Ruggles is a riot, playing what you would call a competent nitwit.
He claims to be onboard the train to protect Miss Carlisle, stating his profession as a crime "deflector" rather than a detective. Ruggles and Una Merkel were comedic pros of the highest level who could talk so fast and say so many things under their breath that in this case tonight I had to hit the pause button a few times and replay a line of dialogue so I didn't miss anything.
The movie is only 63 minutes long, so I'll not give a blow-by-blow account, but I enjoyed it from start to finish. There wasn't a dull moment in the film. On one hand, it is the type of Old Hollywood Whodunit, a storyline for mystery movies that was in use during the early days when camera techniques were still being developed, and location shooting was limited. In those days, it was easier to just group everyone into a single setting, like an old mansion or a train, and then let the "whodunit" mystery play itself out. And this is what happens here. But you have a train wreck up ahead, of a circus train, that comes out of nowhere and all of a sudden our group has to deal with an escaped gorilla. So the movie has a zany aspect, where you don't know what will happen next.
There is of course a killer on board, a saboteur who wants to prevent Mary Carlisle from reuniting with her father. He makes his presence felt at random times, in ways that terrify the young ladies. The story provides us with a handful of suspects, a device that was often used in the "roomful of people" crime scenario that I described above. You may be able to guess whodunit, but it's more fun to not try, just let it play out instead. The best part of the whole movie is the last fifteen minutes, which unfolds in a spectacular way, especially considering the era in which the film was made. I don't want to reveal too much, but I did mention a saboteur (did I not?)........
So the ending will result in a very effective, suspenseful and well edited train sequence reminiscent of the movie "Speed". The reminiscence should actually be the other way around, because "Murder In A Private Car" was made sixty years earlier, and is now 85 years old.
I found myself thinking, "Boy, I'll bet that one made a lot of money", just because it was so well done from beginning to end. The goal of Early Hollywood was to entertain and get people into the theater to see and hear these new "sound" pictures. I mean, the goal has always been to entertain and sell tickets, but in the early days, the actors were often veterans of the stage, and so their performances had an immediacy, a live feel, that added excitement and energy to what was often a formulaic story. It is sometimes said that the actors of today are the best ever, because they are trained in Method and portray realistic and therefore recognizable characters, and there is some truth to that argument.
But it is also true to say that the actors of yesteryear were incredibly talented in their own right. Many, like Charlie Ruggles or Una Merkel, were professionals who began early in film but who had the comedic timing of stage actors, while others were novices who were chosen for their looks.
But they were making it up as they went along, because movies were a new thing. Even in 1934, the entire art form was only twenty or so years old, and sound films had only existed for five years.
So when you watch these early films and you see the whip-crack comedic timing and line reading, it blows you away if you are really paying attention. I know most folks would just watch as "regular audience" members and not analyse everything, which is fine. I watch all my movies the same way.
But I guess because I grew up with a Hollywood Dad who worked in the business, and then because I worked at MGM myself for a couple of years, I developed an interest in Hollywood movies that has grown over the years, and now I watch as many of the old movies as I can, and I am really appreciating the talents of the early actresses and actors.
In their way, they were equally as talented as the realistic actors of today.
But even more, they were Showbiz People who came from the stage. They knew the whole idea of projecting a performance, of "putting on a show", and in this way, they invented what it means to be a Movie Star.
I love the Movie Stars, and I say God Bless Them for their talent and what they gave to the world by telling stories and entertaining people. They are all gone now, but their movies live on. I didn't discover them until I was about 45 or so, but now I watch one almost every night.
As with classical music, I urge you to give old movies a chance. The style may be something you aren't used to, but - as with classical music - if you give it a chance you just may discover a treasure chest that, once opened, will provide years and years of meaningful pleasure. /////
That's all for tonight. I send you love and will see you in the morning. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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