Last night's motion picture was "The Cat and the Canary"(1939), an old dark house mystery featuring the standard setup: a disparate group of relatives gather at a creepy old mansion in a remote location to hear the reading of their patriarch's will. Why else would they go to such a joint, right? This time, the mansion is down in the Looz-e-anna Bayou, so they have to take swamp boats to get there. Top-billed Bob Hope arrives last, after five others: his "Aunt Susan" (Elizabeth Patterson), her companion "Cicily Young" (Nydia Westman), a twice removed cousin; handsome grandnephews "Charles Wilder" (Douglass Montgomery) and "Fred Blythe" (John Beal), and grandniece "Joyce Norman" (Paulette Goddard), all of whom hope to inherit the decedent's fortune. George Zucco is the probate lawyer. Right away, you're thinking he's gonna be the movie's culprit, after all, it was in Zucco's contract to be Evil Personified.
But he's actually the first guy who gets knocked off. After the reading of the the will, in which niece Joyce is named the sole heir (with a second heir named in a sealed envelope in case she dies), Zucco is eliminated after being pulled through a secret wall panel by an outstretched, long-nailed hand. This happens early on, and while the entire 74 minute film features grade-A productions values, steady pacing, above average "dark house" acting ("Someone just tried to murder me!" "Eek, there's a shadow on the wall"!) and plentiful Bob Hope one liners, in the middle 40 minutes there isn't much plot development to speak of. Bob and Paulette Goddard find a necklace and that's about it. There is a sexual undercurrent motif, played for laughs. The two old ladies (Aunt Susan and Cousin Cicily), frightened by a report of a murderer in the house, decide they should stay close for the rest of the night. "I think we need to sleep together," says one. This theme builds as the nights go on, to include a three way sleep-in with young nephew Charlie. Only 'cause they're spooked, dontchaknow.
We mostly remember Bob Hope as an older man, from his USO trips and his gig as an Academy Award host. Along with Johnny Carson, Hope was the best host Oscar ever had (and Billy Crystal). But what about Hope as a young man? What made him such a big schtar? For one thing, the guy was beyond smooth. You can see it in this movie. He's got a walk that's like a glide, and even the way he turns his shoulders is graceful as he utters a throwaway line. But his lines only seem throwaway; they're delayed reaction jokes, they hit you after Hope has walked (or glided) out of the room. We think of him as the ultimate one-liner stand up comic, but he was also a very good actor. Gail Sondergaard plays "Miss Lu", the caretaker of the dead patriarch's estate. She's a Morticia-esque spiritualist who talks to the ghosts in the house. They tell her what's going to happen next. If they'd tell us, too, it would make the plot a tad more interesting.
I wish it didn't drag with all that mid-film ensemble interaction. Where's the doggone murderer, already? When he (or she) does show up, it's worth the wait, but you might find your thumbs twiddling on their own in the interim. It's still an entertaining flick. Hope chimes in with witticisms that revive you. I've wanted to see the original version of this movie (based on a play) for a long time, because it was directed by Paul Leni of "Man Who Laughs" fame. His version was Silent, made in '27, but if I'm not mistaken, the horror is more accentuated.
Having said all of that, because the acting is so good, anchored by Paulette Goddard and Old Ski Nose, I've gotta give it Two Big Thumbs Up. In all other aspects except plot development it rates Two Huge. Maybe it should've been edited down to an hour, like most movies should be. Overall, it's highly recommended and the picture is razor sharp. ////
The previous night, our pal Warren Hull was back, in the first episode of a major-league chapter serial, "The Spider's Web"(1938). Why major league? Because it inspired 16 year-old Stan Lee to create Spiderman. Hull stars in triplicate, as "Richard Wentworth", a Bruce Wayne type rich guy crime fighter, whose alter ego is "The Spider", and who also makes use of a third personality, "Blinky McQuade", a one-eyed, black toothed all-purpose criminal, which allows him to infiltrate organised gangs.
There's trouble in the city, big trouble, because a megalomaniac who wears a Stay Puft all-white walrus suit and calls himself "The Octopus" (actor unrevealed), is pulling a Dr. Mabuse trip. He's trying to overthrow the government by starting an all-out crime war. His strategery is to destroy the transportation capability of the nation first, by blowing up bridges, crashing trains and planes, and bombing trucking warehouses, and he's sparing no expense on the gunpowder.
He also has a seemingly endless supply of henchmen, too. Donald Trump should be so lucky. The Octopus talks into a small circular microphone, to make his voice sound ominous. This was de rigueur for the madman in these movies.
Richard Wentworth is newly engaged when he hears about The Octopus's destruction of a train station. Wentworth was planning to retire as The Spider in honor of his pending marriage. He and his fiancee are flying home from vacation and he wants his old crime fighting life behind him, but right! at! that! moment! - OMG! Someone has put a trip wire on the runway! It damages the undercarriage of their plane, and Wentworth is forced to abort the landing. Back in the air, the plane falls apart and the two of them have to bail out. They parachute to the ground, and now all of Wentworth's plans to discontinue The Spider are put on hold. He can't allow The Octopus to take over Gotham City.
The Spider then appears in public in the middle of a warehouse takeover by the Octopi's henchmen. A humongous shootout rages as he jumps onto a high-story overhang. His entrance is striking and especially cinematic for 1938. Some effort went into this production, it's one of the best looking chapter serials we've seen so far, and we're only in the first episode. It's the '38 equivalent of today's Marvel Superhero blockbusters, and so far, we've gotta give it Two Huge Thumbs Up. The picture is razor sharp. ////
That's all for tonight. My blogging music is Traffic's debut album and "John Barleycorn Must Die". As happened with Cream a couple weeks ago, I am rediscovering Traffic, and in their case I'm kind of discovering them in depth for the first time. I had "Shootout at the Fantasy Factory" when I was 14, and played it a few times (and who wasn't drawn in by that album cover?), and I knew all their FM staple hits, but I think they were too mellow for my teenage self, or too jazzy/bluesy, but holy smokes, I started to appreciate how great Steve Winwood was when I watched that Blind Faith concert I posted, and now I am immersing myself in Traffic (live shows as well as studio albums) and my verdict is............they're as great as it gets. It took til I was almost 63 to appreciate them, but man....watch their concert from Santa Monica 1972. What a band. And Winwood shreds on guitar, which was something I didn't know. Ya learns something new every day.
My late night is Mendelssohn's Elias Oratorio. I love that kind of singing (my gig in the next life). I hope your week is going well and I send you Tons of Love as always.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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