Swinging with a star - Jack Carson

Some of you might still remember this series - it shall bring you some more or less swinging star to start your weekend with a song..

I hope you are all able to see this clip - and that it isn't blocked in your area.. 

It's my beloved Jack Carson in a film I love: 

ROMANCE ON THE HIGH SEAS (1948) - 

singing matching the topic of the month:

Run, Run, Run

(The lyrics are by Jule Styne - and the music by Sammy Cahn - it is obviously a little clip from the German dubbed version but the song is "original Carson"..)

Thank you very much for listening!

Have a lovely weekend!

Yours

Irene

Que sera?

My very good friend Monty of ALL GOOD THINGS has started the CLASSIC MOVIE ACTOR TOURNAMENT !!- and the Silent/ 30's Era is halfway through - today it is Clark Gable vs. James Cagney and William Powell vs. Errol Flynn. - and as always I am in the hm.. how shall I call it..: "non-winning team".. *sigh* - but maybe you can help that.. ;")

Just kidding - but I'd love you to go and vote for your favourite! But stay fair and vote just one time and don't push your favourite by unfair voting, please!

(Buster Keaton seems to be a bit depressed because he is out - don't be sad, Buster! I still love you, honey!!)

This month I am also a guest at Monty's blog who will asking me some questions and tries to make a star out of me.. Gee, I am feeling a bit like Judy Garland - you think I may get socked in the night I am finally going to win the Oscar? ;") ~ I am frequently training my Thank-you-speech for that Oscar night.. you all will break out in sobs, that's nothing you can avoid. Trust me! I am just about to look for the perfect dress.. ;"p well, not really.. ~

For I am a social star I am not the only leading lady this month on Monty's blog - I share top billing with Doris Day!! Can you imagine that?! ~ I am going to faint any minute.. ~

(Gee - Doris is almost ready - I got to get my make up, too!!)

That's it for June - and now we're talking about July:

I will attend PARIS IN JULY of BOOKBATH - which means on my bookblog ALL THAT GLISTENS COULD BE OLD I will be talking about books I read, which are setted in France or from French authors or whatever else, on my blog NOT SOPHISTICATED I will post some French music and maybe some other things connected with that theme - and of course here I will concentrate on films that are setted in Paris or France at all or have French actors in it or whatever - some tiny bits and pieces I think.. ;")

And for not being too onesided and also being a good guest I will ask Monty to be my guest in return here. Then he will answer some questions and I hope that he will tell us something about his blogs.. (That man is quite engaged.) This way I think there will be some post to release you from my french fixation in July.. ;")

Well, that's it for now - you now may enjoy your week-end!

Yours (very, very well) and truly

Irene

Look, who's gone Hollywood!

When Hollywood is doing a biographical film, you can be sure that they'll put a lot Hollywood in it - and so did Daniel Fuchs and Isobel Lennart when they were writing the screenplay for LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME (1955), which was directed by Charles Vidor and is about famous 1920ies singing star Ruth Etting. Though Daniel Fuchs earned an Acadamy Award for best writing, motion picture story and a Writers Guild of America Award for best written american musical.

In a nutshell:

Chicago, 1920ies. Martin “Marty –the Gimp” Snyder (James Cagney) is a big shot in – not so clean – laundry business. He knows what he wants – and he wants ex-taxi-dancer Ruth Etting (Doris Day). Ruth knows what she wants, too: She wants a career as a singer – a real big number. In this case Marty is a great help: he gets her a job as a singer, starts her radio career, puts her into the Ziegfeld Follies and brings her Hollywood to star in the movies. And then there is Johnny (Cameron Mitchell), a pianist, who was interested in Ruth. Now he is a Hollywood conductor - and Ruth is going to work with him. What will Marty do about that?


Schmooze:

• James Cagney asked for Doris Day to do the female lead in this film - they had worked together previously on WESTPOINT STORY (1950). LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME is the only film he - as a star - accepted second billing - he thought Ruth Etting was the central character in this film and Doris Day should be payed with a top billing for her work - and he sure was right about that.
• Joe Pasternack who produced LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME has a short and uncredited cameo as a producer.
• Ruth Etting wanted Jane Powell to be in the female lead - but the studio didn't to put cute Miss Powell into a Nightclub scenery..
• You may know Harry Bellaver (Georgie) as Det. Frank Acaro from TV-series NAKED CITY (1958-63) or from ANOTHER THIN MAN (1939) from THE THIN MAN SERIES where he played "Creeps" Binder - you may remember the baby party? Sometimes I get the feeling that you could relate almost any classic film to one of the THIN MAN SERIES.. ;")
• Jane Russell was asked to do the Ruth Etting character - but she refused.
• Veda Ann Borg has an uncredited appearance as dance hall hostess.
• Doris Day wrote later that she first did not want to take this role, because of it's vulgarity. After the film-release she received many fan letters which were not so polite about her playing such a dislikeable person. She answered every letter herself and declared that there was an difference between herself and her roles. In my opinion it is commandable that she did that.
• The German titles for this film are NACHTCLUB-AFFÄREN (lit.: "Nightclub affairs") and TYRANNISCHE LIEBE (lit. "Tyrannic Love").
• MGM's favoured Ava Gardner to play Doris Day's part - but she refused, accordingly because she did not want to be dubbed again.
• Ruth Etting later stated that she never worked as a taxi-dancer.
• James Cagney said that this film would be - out of all his films - in his top five.
• According to Doris Day most of the more violent scenes between James Cangey and her were cut out.

Scene to see:

Every scene between Doris Day and James Cagney is most exquisite but to choose one: The fighting scene after the Ziegfeld show which ends in a (faded out) rape. Doris Day and James Cagney did brilliant fight scenes!!


See the beauty in it:

The blue dress Doris Day changes in after her first Ziegfeld number – the colour is amazing!

Murphy’s Law:

• The clothes and cars aren’t always true to the era.
• The Ziegfeld Follies NEVER billed any performers name over the show title.
  
  

Sing a song:

My favourite song is “10 cents a dance” – but there are several very good songs in this movie, like: “Shakin’ the blues away”, "Stay on the right sight, sister" and many more.

Here you have the real Ruth Etting singing for you:


Quotes Corner:

“I’m what make you tick. Don’t you ever forget that!”

I think this is one of the films Groucho Marx was referring to when he stated that he knew Doris Day “before she became a virgin.” ;”)
This film contains two of my all-time favourite actors: Doris Day (who I also appreciate as a truly gifted singer) and James Cagney. In my opinion Doris Day is a marvelous actress who is at her best when she gets the chance to act in a more dramatic role. James Cagney is indeed doing a thing that he was always good in: the gangster. I am feeling somewhat sorry for Marty who has the saddest part in this film’s trio. Though as a teenager I was fallen for Uncle Buck of HIGH CHAPARELL and I do like Cameron Mitchell – I think it wouldn’t have hurt the film when he was changed against any other young handsome actor. I don’t have a candidate for that on hand but I have not the feeling that he is putting something extremely special into this role – but to be fair: that would have been an enormous task to any actor opposite these two stars. ;”)

“You can put it down that I got the greatest respect for Miss Etting as an artist.”

The End? Wait and watch.

Yours (well and) truly

Frl. Irene