The CASABLANCA - Factor

So - this is it. That was January 2012.. I promised you the CASABLANCA factor post about this month's theme "On The Run".

Just by the way - it was so much fun to see it in cinema - with some people in the audience who didn't know CASABLANCA (1942) before.. 

Can you imagine how wonderful that is when people hear those great lines for the first time? 

Especially my beloved Claude Rains made a deep impact there..

One of the connections of CASABLANCA to my On The Run Series is quite obivous: It's a film about people trying to escape from the Nazis - on their way in to a new life - the other connection is nothing to actually see: Most of the cast (and I love the cast - it causes my love for this film) actually were refugees or emigrants:

There are of course Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) and Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) - a famous resistance fighter on their way to America to go on fight against the Nazis (well.. she is more or less "just" his wife..)

~ Paul Henreid (who is one of my favourites) was really an avid anti-fascist. ~

Even Rick (Humphrey Bogart) is running away from his past - and maybe his love..

Ugarte - a criminal - is not running fast enough.. He is personated by Peter Lorre - who was a guest before on my On The Run Series - what I forgot to mention there: He also used another way to run away: he was addicted to morphine..

Conrad Veidt (another one of my favourite actors.. he played Major Strasser) fleed Germany with his then wife who was Jewish. 

Michael Curtiz who directed this film moved to Hollywood in 1926. 

The pickpocket was personated by the wonderful Curt Bois - another great comedian Germany lost because of the Nazis.

There are of course more characters on the run like a young couple trying to get enough money:  Annina (Joy Page) and Jan Brandel (Helmut Dantine)

Helmut Dantine (Jan Brandel) was born Helmut Guttman in Vienna, Austria in 1917. He lead a Anti-Nazi-youth movement there - but when Austria was annexed he was arrested - and sent to a concentration camp for three months. After that his parents made sure that he left to live in America with a friend. They themselve died in a concentration camp later..

Have Herr & Frau Leuchtag (Ludwig Stössel and Ilka Grüning both were also emigrants in real life) here in one of my favourite scenes of this film:

 

- as much as I love it - it breaks my heart. Can you imagine to leave your home, your friends, your language? I don't want to use ageism - but I can imagine that Herr & Frau Leuchtag didn't plan to leave their home (country) at the age they are now..

Back in those days AUFBAU the monthly German Jewish magazine (setted till 2004 in New York, USA - it moved then to Zurich, Switzerland) told it's readers who were in the main German Jewish imigrants (as obviously were it's writers..) not to speak German in public. So for they're home country didn't accept them as one of them anymore - in their new country they still were Germans - which was much too easily of course taken as a pseudonym for Nazi.. 

~ common sight in WWII  - this picture was taken in Germany - but does that matter at all? ~

A classic question from German journalists nowadays is to ask people who fleed the Nazis and came back later, why they returned to "the land OF the comitters". This actually made my grandfather angry whenever he heard it - and makes me still sad: So it was after all NOT the land of the ones who had to leave it? It is after all the land of the Nazis? As my grandfather used to state: "So the Nazis after all have actually won the war..". It is just a question of phrasing - I know.. but still..

And the trouble is - and I know I might sound a bit shizophrenic: If you're leaving your home you can't come back. It might be the same place - but it isn't home anymore. You have changed - and the people you knew have changed too. If you leave you'll leave forever. But that is no question which was actually to consider if you were Jewish/homosexual/or-what-ever-else-Nazis-think-is-not-good-enough-for-"their"-country  in 3rd Reich. 

I could of course go on and on with all those cast members and their connection to January's series - but I fear that January will be gone before I have finished this post.. And I fear that I might have already put some of my readers off with all those refugees talk in the end of this post..

So: thank you all for listening!

Hope to see you next month again at Rick's Café Américain - here at my blog!

Yours very well and truly

Irene

Have yourself a merry little (or great!?!) Christmas!!

 To all of you:

 A Merry Christmas!

~ Lana Turner ~

To all fans of horror films & musicals:

~ Boris Karloff & Ginger Rogers  ~

To all dog-lovers: 

~ Ava Gardner and a little pal ~

To all cat-ladies and -gentlemen 

(and my friend Kate - I'm afraid I don't know who's YOUR favourite, dear..):

~ Young Elizabeth Taylor - with an even younger friend.. ~

To Dawn: 

~ Gene Tierney - a little colour for you my noirandchickflicks - friend  ~

To Patti:

~ No sun picture - but: Bette Davis - always in the middle of attention.. ~

and to Michelle:

~ Bette Davis and a cat (!)..  Thank you for all Cat-Thursdays!! ~

To Monty:

~ Carole Lombard - with a Hungarian Christmas Wish ~

To our birthdaychildren:

 ~ It's Humphrey Bogart's birthday! Stephen Bogart and Lauren Bacall are celebrating with him.. ~

To all of you - no matter what age or species:

~ Shirley Temple and a wellbehaving little friend.. ~

And to me:

 ~ One of my favourite Christmas pictures: an actual snap shot of Marilyn Monroe at Milton Greene's house celebrating a no-publicity-Christmas with him and his family and friends.. ~

Thank you very much for listening!

And again: A Merry Christmas to you!!

Yours

Irene

And at last a really cute series of pictures - showing NOT me - but Diana Dors:

”On this block there’re lots of ‘Babes’.”

One of the things that really make me unhappy is the unfortunate habit of cutting out scenes of classic movies for the German cinema release..

Sometimes on DVD releases the missing parts are cut back in – with new (and by that different) voices or just with subtitles.

Well and of the film I am going to talk about now I apparently miss 6 minutes – which is a shame – because I really, really love this flick!

This means that I might have a different sensation about this film than you – and I might point out things which are wrong from the “original” view. I apologize for that – and hope that some day I will be able to catch those missing 6 minutes.. (I do soo hope it's just part of the credits..)

Anyway - stop the lamenting - start the talking - but first...

...have a hint:

(These are the most important accessories in this film..)

What? A telefon and firearms (apparently colt official police revolvers..) didn't help you??

Ok - how about some movie posters?

~ See? This scene in which Humphrey Bogart carries that girl – it isn’t in the film.. He only touches two women (I checked that..) – and that’s each just a gentle touch on their arm to direct them..

- Blimey!! Did they cut out the “too erotic stuff” for us demure Germans???!? Oooh.. shucks! ~

Don't you know it yet? Well.. - maybe now:

Once upon a time there was a group of organized criminals - called by the press "Murder, Inc."- what would be now known as the Kosher Nostra. In 1944 Luis "Lepke" Buchalter - one of those big mobster bosses - was electrocuted in Sing Sing after it was verified that he was guilty of murdering two persons. His partner Albert Anastasia was set free.

From this events Martin Rackin made a screen script which in 1951 would become one of the most violent films of its decade. It was directed by Bretaigne Windust for a few days - then he became seriously ill and Rauol Walsh took over - after Humphrey Bogart who was the star of the movie asked him to do so..

The film is:

THE ENFORCER

Please notice the badge saying:

"Suitable only for adults" ...

In a nutshell:

Since four years district attorney Ferguson (Humphrey Bogart) is on the hunt to prove that Alfred Mendozza (Everett Sloan) is guilty of committing several murders resp. delegating his men to commit them – and tomorrow the big trial will happen and Mendozza will for sure be on death row - because Ferguson has the perfect witness: Rico (Ted de Corsia), Mendozza's partner.

But then Rico becomes nervous - because even out of the prison Mendozza has his ways and means – and Rico dies due to a self inflicted accident..

Only one night is left to go through all files and notes to find the clue that will bring Mendozza to the electric chair..

“Ever have a tune run through your head and you can’t remember the words?”

Watch out for:

• Bob Steele (here: Robert Steele) as Herman – a stone-cold contract killer.

• Harry Wilson as B.J. – Herman’s side kick.. You’ll notice him – quite a familiar face.. - though he is hiding it in the picture above.. But at least you can spot Bob Steele..
• King Donovan - another familiar face... - as Sgt. Whitlow - and in real life married to Imogene Coca.
  
  
  
• A rather young Zero Mostel doing a really good job as Big Babe Lazick..

• The amazing performance of Ted de Corsia! He goes from scared to death back to ice cold and again back to very nervous. This, folks, is brilliancy!
  
  
  
  I might be wrong but I think he is speaking with an accent in the original version – he isn’t in the German dubbing. What I found quite ok – because an accent doesn’t matter here at all, does it? But as I said - I could be completely wrong..

• You know what: Whatch out for the whole cast! A-MA-ZING!!

Schmooze:

• This was Humphrey Bogart's last film for Warner Brothers.
  
• The German title is DER TIGER (= the tiger):
  
  
  

~ At least the German poster shows Ted de Corsia quite outstanding.. ~

• Though Raoul Walsh did the major part of directing this film he didn't want to be credited for what he felt would be Bretaigne Windust's break through.
  
• The UK title is MURDER, INC. , the Italian LA CITTÀ È SALVA (= the city is save) and the French is LA FEMME À ABATTRE (I am pretty sure this means: The woman to be killed).

You should watch this film if you...

• ... are a fan of real life crime adaptations like PUBLIC ENEMIES (2009) ~ watch that one!! Please!!! ~ or BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967).
• ... want to see Zero Mostel in a not so funny part.
  
  
• ... are fine with brutality that - compared to today's standards - is less shown than happening in your head ..

• ... are fond of tough dialogues - real snappy dialogues.. classic film noir dialogues:
  
  
  
  Babe Lazich: "Who calls him on the phone?"
  
  
  Philadelphia: "If you're a good swimmer you can ask the guy who found out. He's at the bottom of the river."

~ ouch! ~

- Philadelphia is personated by Jack Lambert - really good, too!

From real to reel..

• The language the gangsters use is based on that what the actual mobsters used: "hit" and "contract" for "victim" and "murder". Public learned those meanings during the trial of Louis "Lepke" Buchalter.
  
  
  
  He was the model for the film character Mendozza. "Lepke" is a Yiddish affectionate form for Louis - like "my little Louis" - though Buchalter was no small fish in the pond of "Murder, inc."..

• The district attorney Ferguson is based on Burton Turkus - the attorney back then during the trial - whose book was released about the same time than this film. In 1952 he hosted a TV show and became known as MR. ARSENIC.
  
  

• Rico is based on Abe "Kid Twist" Reles.
  
  
  
  Like Rico he was about to testify - but fell out of a window of the suite where he was housed by the police. He died due to that - it was never stated wether it was an accident, suicide or a murder. The news papers titled very tastefully:
  
  
  "The canary who could sing but couldn't fly."
  
  
  His nick-name "Kid Twist" is said to be related to his use of a rope to kill his victims.

Quotes corner:

"They made me kill my girl."

Michael Tolan as Duke is also awesome.. Another one who turns from "ice to puddle".. Never good to start having feelings for the victim it seems..

“If you run somebody runs after you. So walk.”

“That butcher is going out of here - a free man.”

- Everett Sloan as Mendozza -

Have a look:

It's a bit short and the quality is mediocre - but it was the best I was able to find..

I love this line: "You better take a friend with you."

Let's face the music:

• The song, which is played on the sidewalk loudspeakers is KISS ME SWEET.
  
• The originaly score was written by David Buttolph.

Murphy's law:

When Rico leaves the hide-out you can spot a member of the crew in the window of his car - the first time I saw it I thought that it must have been one of the mobsters - but in that scene they didn't were jackets - and they were on the porch..

~ This picture after they found a mass grave of the Mendozza firm's victims reminds me of the pictures I saw of the concentration camps in WWII.. all those empty shoes.. ~

This film really gets me - I watched it three times now - and still find it exciting. Most of the story is told in flashbacks - because Ferguson and his team try to find the missing proof of Mendozzas guilt - it works really fine here.

I don't think that the production was very expensive - but it really is a great bit of cinematography. And this cast.. outstanding! The story is rather modern - and I can imagine a remake of this film quite well.

~ Actually I did a list with my new cast.. - so if Hollywood calls: I am prepared.. ~

I like that Everett Sloan as Mendozza is not shown for most of the film - in the beginning they talk of him like he was the epitome of evil: "He smiles at me.. ... He'll never die! ... He's not human.."

This is obviously more of a guy-film: there are only few women in this film – and those are wives, victims or maybe they own the place where the hoodlums meet or the victims live - oh and I think I spotted a nurse somewhere...

Well, that's just what we females do: having a bit trouble, making a bit trouble, healing a bit trouble..

The End? Wait and watch!

Thank you very much for listening!

Yours (very well) and truly,

Irene, who actually is feeling horribly whenever she hurts any living thing..

“Three angels came to earth that night and all around the stars were bright.”

Sally of Flying down to Hollywood is hosting “Twelve days of Christmas Movies” and I am doing my bit with this entry about my favourite holiday’s film: Paramount’s classic of 1955 WE’RE NO ANGELS by Michael Curtiz – based on a French play by Albert Husson and brought to you in glorious Technicolor.

In a nutshell:

Christmas eve 1895, prison colony of French Guyana - Devil’s Island: The three convicts Joseph (Humphrey Bogart), Albert (Aldo Ray) and Jules (Sir Peter Ustinov) have escaped from the prison. Before they leave the island they want to rob the store of Felix Ducotel (Leo G. Carroll). But they soon find out that Felix, his wife Amelie (Joan Bennett) and their daughter (Gloria Talbott) are really decent people, who are in deep trouble when Felix’ arrogant and greedy cousin André Trochard (Basil Rathbone) arrives with his nephew Paul (John Baer). So the three convicts stay and help the Ducotel family – with a little assistance of the fourth escaped prisoner: Adolphe – a cute little viper..

Watch out for:

Humphrey Borgart wearing a pink apron – and boy: does it bring out the colour of his eyes!


Schmooze:

• The film's working title was ANGELS' COOKING which is the translation of the play's title which is LA CUISINE DES ANGES.
  
• This is the 6. and last film Humphrey Bogart an Michael Curtiz made together - one of the other movies they did together was CASABLANCA.
  
• There two other films which are based on Albert Husson's play: WE'RE NO ANGELS (1989) with Robert De Niro, Sean Penn and Demi Moore and ORE-TACHI WA TENSHI JANAI by Takashi Miike (1993).
  
• It is said that Gloria Talbott insisted that when her character passes out her head would always fell to the left because she found her profile would look best then. - I got to confess that I never look at her when she passes out. Naughty me - poor Gloria passes out so often that she could have earned my attantion..
  

A nodding acquaintance:

• John Baer played title character Terry Lee in 1953s television series: TERRY AND THE PIRATES (1953).
  
  
• Gloria Talbott played Jane Wyman's daughter in ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS (1955) and played Moneta in television series ZORRO (1957-59).
  
  
• John Smith who played medical officer Arnaud made his (uncredited) debut in GOING MY WAY (1944) as a choir member. In TV series CIMARRON CITY (1958-59) he played Deputy Lane Temple and Slim Sherman in series LARAMIE (1959-63).
  

Sing a Song:

In this film a wonderful song by Frederick Hollander is featured: “Sentimental Moments” and you can also hear “Hark! The herald angels sing”.

My favourite feature:

The shop! There’s so much to see! And the whole set of the Ducotel house is amazing. And they have gladioluses, which are one of my favourite flowers – they’re often seen in 1930ies films because they’re sooo elegant!

Scene to see

I can’t decide which one is the best or initial scene – so: Please watch the whole film. But maybe this scene will give you an impression - though the colours in this seem to be faded:


See the beauty in it:

Joan Bennett’s dresses are gorgeous. The wardrobe was designed by Mary Grant.

What the critics said:

In 2006 Time Out London found the convicts an

"ill-assorted trio of Bogart, Ray and Ustinov"

and go on with

"The lowest point comes when they all line up to croak Christmas carols."

*ouch!*

" ...it's static and laden with leaden talk, with nothing to interest the eye as recompense. ... Bogart looks particularly ill-at-ease and silly."

- sorry, they must have seen another film than I did, well the three prisoner are not the Rat Pack or Bing Crosby or some other croonin' fella but their singing is nothing to make a great point out of it. I think the trio is a perfect match and I love that Humphrey Bogart was not afraid of looking silly.

Quotes Corner :

“We came here to rob them and that’s what we’re gonna do. Beat their heads in, gorge their eyes out, cut their throats. – As soon as we wash the dishes.”

This film is hilarious. Of course there are moments when I have tears in my eyes. I am a bit sentimental, but and I think a good film touches you. So this is another plus for this movie and a good addition to extremely funny dialogues. I also like the fact that neither Adolphe nor the deaths or corpses are seen. I would have liked to see the snake but I think it is much more funny and also does not stress an animal. *yay*
I love the characters and the cast is amazing. Basil Rathbone is elegant as always in a light grey suit – and not quite so elegant wearing a nightcap. I can’t imagine how anyone could not like these four Christmas angels. I can’t make up my mind, which one of them is my favourite.

Thank you very much, Sally, for having me in your meme!

It is an honour for me. So, as I said before: Thank you.

“Right these way, please. This way to Christmas!”

The End? Wait and watch!

Yours (well and) truly

Frl. Irene Palfy