Carol Coombs Movies
- 1951
A pair of top 20th Century Fox contractees were loaned to Paramount as stars of The Mating Season. Gene Tierney plays globe-trotting socialite Maggie Carleton, while Thelma Ritter is cast as Ellen McNulty, the hash-slinging mother of Maggie's husband, Val (John Lund). Perceiving that her son is embarrassed by his lower-class origins, Ellen poses as a maid when she attends Maggie and Val's wedding reception. Even after Val expresses displeasure at this deception, Ellen refuses to reveal her true identity, leading to a series of funny and poignant consequences. Miriam Hopkins co-stars as Ellen's blue-blooded mother, whose third-act arrival heralds the film's inevitable "moment of truth." Rest assured, The Mating Season is never dull. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Tierney, John Lund, (more)
- 1949
Though Humphrey Bogart is the official star of Knock on Any Door, the film is essentially a showcase for Columbia's newest young male discovery John Derek. The first production of Bogart's Santana company, the film casts Bogart as attorney Andrew Morton. A product of the slums, Morton is persuaded to take the case of underprivileged teenager Nick Romano (Derek), who has been arrested on a murder charge. Through flashbacks, Morton demonstrates that Romano is more a victim of society than a natural-born killer. Though this defense strategy does not have the desired result on the jury thanks to the badgering of DA Kernan (George Macready), Morton does manage to arouse sympathy for the plight of those trapped by birth and circumstance in a dead-end existence. As Nick Romano, John Derek would never be better, nor would ever again play a character who struck so responsive a chord with the audience. Nick's oft-repeated credo--"Live fast, die young, and leave a good-looking corpse"--became the clarion call for a generation of disenfranchised youth. Director Nicholas Ray would later expand on themes touched upon in Knock on a Any Door in his juvenile delinquent "chef d'oeuvre" Rebel without a Cause. Viewers are advised to watch for future TV personalities Cara Williams and Si Melton in uncredited minor roles. Knock on Any Door spawned a belated sequel in 1960, Let No Man Write My Epitaph. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Humphrey Bogart, John Derek, (more)
- 1946
If the Perfect Marriage in this romantic comedy were truly perfect, there wouldn't be any story, would there? Outwardly an ideal couple, Maggie and Dale Williams (Loretta Young, David Niven) have grown tired of one another after 10 years. Petty squabbles lead to major battles, exacerbated by the well-meaning interference of friends and relatives. Caught in the middle is Maggie and Dale's daughter Cookie (Nona Griffith), who loves both parents equally and doesn't want to choose between them-which may very well happen if things get any worse. Leonard Spigelgass' screenplay, based on a play by Samson Raphaelson, is a lot closer to real life than most films of the period. Funny though the disagreements between the Williamses may be, there is an underlying pain and harshness to their bickering, which even the reasonably happy ending cannot altogether dissipate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Loretta Young, David Niven, (more)
- 1946
A real three-handkerchief affair, Sentimental Journey stars John Payne and Maureen O'Hara as a Broadway producer Bill and his actress-wife Julie. Unable to have children, Julie adopts orphaned girl Hitty (Connie Marshall). Shortly afterward, Julie dies of a heart attack, leaving Hitty in the care of the sullen Bill, who can't seem to "connect" with the girl. Eventually Hitty wins Bill's heart, but not without the implicit celestial intervention of the departed Julie. Much-needed comedy relief is provided by Mischa Auer and, to a lesser extent, William Bendix. Sentimental Journey was remade in 1958 as The Gift of Love, with Lauren Bacall in the Maureen O'Hara role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, (more)
- 1946
The British Woman to Woman was the third film version of the war-horse stage play by Michael Morton. Hollywood's Douglass Montgomery plays David, a Canadian officer attached to the British secret service. Unhappily married to "ice princess" socialite Sylvia (Adele Dixon), David throws himself wholeheartedly into his espionage activities. While on a life-and-death mission in Paris, he falls in love with cabaret dancer Nicolette (Joyce Howard). Forced to evacuate Paris when the Nazis march in, David is unaware that Nicolette is pregnant. Years later, David searches desperately for Nicolette and the child he never knew, unaware that both are living in London. Will a happy ending follow? Well? best to wait until the final fadeout to be sure. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Douglass Montgomery, Joyce Howard, (more)
- 1944
Dismissed by critics as corny and obvious in 1944, this overlong but sincere biopic looks pretty good when seen today, cliches notwithstanding. Fredric March, 47 at the time, convincingly plays American author Sam Clemens, aka Mark Twain, from his early 20s to his death at 75. In typical movie-biography fashion, every single incident that happens in Twain's life is an INSPIRATION: he hears the depth-indication call "Mark Twain" while working on a riverboat and his face lights up; he engages in a jumping-frog contest against Bret Harte (John Carradine) and comes up with his first popular published story; and so on. Alexis Smith is better than usual in the role of Twain's wife Olivia Langdon, even keeping a straight face while Twain courts her in Fluent Quotation ("Everybody talks about the weather but nobody ever does anything about it", he says during a Hollywood-romance cloudburst). Though the script barely touches upon the dark side of Twain's nature, we are not spared his financial reverses (brought about by bad investments and his struggle to publish Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs. The closing sequence, with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn beckoning the spirit of Mark Twain to heaven as Halley's Comet fills the skies, may seem laughable on paper, but works quite well on film; even director Irving Rapper expressed amazement at the effectiveness of this scene! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fredric March, Alexis Smith, (more)
- 1942
Not a science-fiction story despite its title, The Man Who Returned to Life is a story of how deception can lead to tragedy. John Howard stars as a man who, in order to escape an untenable situation, fakes his own death. He escapes to a small town, assumes a new identity and settles down to a happy marriage and comfortable job. One morning he picks up the paper and discovers that an old acquaintance from his past existence has been arrested for his "murder"--and is sentenced to hang. The solution to the dilemma is arrived at following the lengthy flashback that forms the bulk of Man Who Returned to Life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Howard, Lucille Fairbanks, (more)
