Splashing around

Get out your swimming trunks and two-piecers! With pool-side frivolity just around the bend, why don't you splash around with a tall glass of "Bathing Beauty" as your summer-time primer? The 1944 comedy drenched in Technicolor teams together vaudeville alumni Red Skelton and Olympics-bound champion swimmer Esther Williams as a pair of lovelorn characters unknowingly double-crossed by Basil Rathbone's character's greedy tactics. Subtle screwball humor abounds after a misunderstanding sends Williams's Caroline in a huff back to Victoria College to her swimming instructing roots while Skelton's Steve sacrifices all sense of decorum to relentlessly win her back. As an "interim" male student in the all-female school, Skelton's comedic timing is flawless as he pulls off physical "stunts" like twirling about in a tutu and popping in and out of a coat closet while sidestepping the wrath of a monstrous Great Dane. It won't be difficult to root for this naturally sweet character, not just for his pure whimsy or his lovesick tremors over Caroline, but for the camaraderie he unleashes among his classmates. Caroline is less winsome with her rigid attitude, but Williams's icy-tinged beauty makes for a convincingly cold-shouldered character you can't take your eyes off. 

The hysterical side characters also make this lovely musical a delight to sink into. You've got Carlos Ramirez as himself serenading a perturbed Caroline, Ethel Smith portraying a stereotypical spinster music teacher complete with goof ball expressions and Bill Goodwin playing a straight laced botany professor also enamored by the elusive swim teacher. As you near the end of the movie, you'll be treated to a tautly crafted scene that involves characters emerging out of a closet on a tandem bike and a wide-eyed girl peeking out from a blanket suspended from the ceiling. The innocent shenanigans prove that back then, directors merely relied on G-rated humor to draw out guffaws from the audience.



On top of all the clever comedy, the tightly woven music and choreography will prompt some foot tapping and head bobbing. This was the Big Band era after all, so expect several rounds of ear-shattering drumming and saxing (check out the clip above of Harry James and company belting out a tune). Be on the heels of one particular scene where a brigade of enthusiastic music students listens to the music teacher tap the keys and pedals of the organ to produce a hoppity tune that sounds comparable to the modern scores of today. And the fashion, oh the fashion! I love the students' khaki uniforms pulled together with a red kerchief and Williams's sequined black and white-striped dress that she flaunts during dinner. As expected, the directors capatilized on Esther's mermaid-like moves in the water - you'll be captivated by her diving acumen, her seamless strokes and her spotlighted performance during a choreographed nautical number. Though bathing suits were quite conservative in the 40s, Bathing Beauty will still inspire you to sculpt and tone your way to a two-piecer.


Photo Source: Wikipedia

-Dani

Billy Boy had tricks up his sleeves

"Dark Castle Entertainment" is not just any name arbitrarily stamped onto a film production company. The founding partners strategically chose this moniker to honor eccentric horror filmmaker, William Castle. Dark Castle revamped two of his heart-palpitating flicks, "House on Haunted Hill'" and "13 Ghosts" (re-spelled to "Thir13en Ghosts"), to contemporary pieces of horror. Ghoulish in expression and ominous in stature, Castle even looked like someone who was born to ingeniously direct scary movies. By today's standards, the special effects he deploys throughout his thrillers look rough-hewn, if not a bit "film school, 101." But back in the 50s and 60s, his peers and audiences considered such tricks of the trade as downright clever and convincingly frightful. Take, for example, the witch-faced housemaid "gliding" across the floor in "House on Haunted Hill," scaring the wits out of poor Nora Manning, the film's most naive character. Castle's intent is to give the appearance that the housemaid is floating in air. But her movements seem clunky and forced. A moviegoer of modern times would be inclined to speculate that the housemaid "glides" across the floor through the aid of a cooperative dolly. Nowadays, you can't help but view such a ploy as pure, campy fun, done Castle's way.

Horror movie buffs will smugly inform you that Castle's tricks took place live in the movie theaters, too. He became infamously known for incorporating gimmicks during the movie watching experience to beef up the terror factor and rev up audience participation. His novelty "tinglers" were like birthday party games for the creepy set. Compared to his film rivals, Castle was driven by quirky creativity and shock value. Over time, these movie shenanigans punctured the film budgets, prompting Castle to cut back on delivering these gimmicks per his financial backers. In "Strait Jacket", he dreamed up cost-effective tactics to keep the horrific thrills alive without sacrificing his funds: he sent star Joan Crawford on a promotional tour to theaters and carved out cardboard axes as favors to audiences. Below is a sampling of Castle's brilliant gimmicks, as directly lifted from Wikipedia. For a complete list, visit the William Castle page:

• The Tingler (1959): Filmed in "Percepto". In the film, a docile creature that lives in the spinal cord is activated by fright, and can only be destroyed by screaming. In the film's finale one of the creatures removed from the spine of a mute woman killed by it when she was unable to scream is let loose in a movie theatre. Some seats in theatres showing the Tingler were equipped with military surplus air-plane wing de-icers (consisting of vibrating motors) purchased by Castle, attached to the underside of the seats. When the Tingler in the film attacked the audience the buzzers were activated as a voice encouraged the real audience to "Scream - scream for your lives." Articles regarding this often incorrectly state the seats in the theatre were wired to give electrical jolts.
• 13 Ghosts (1960): Filmed in "Illusion-O". A hand held ghost viewer/remover with strips of red and blue cellophane was given out to use during certain segments of the film. By looking through either the red or blue cellophane the audience was able to either see or remove the ghosts if they were too frightening.
• Mr. Sardonicus (1961): In this gothic tale set in 1880 London a baron's face is frozen into a permanent grotesque hideous smile after digging up his father's grave to retrieve a lottery ticket left in the pocket of his father's jacket. The audiences were allowed to vote in a "punishment poll" during the climax of the film - Castle himself appears on screen to explain to the audience their options. Each member of the audience was given a card with a glow in the dark thumb they could hold either up or down to decide if Mr. Sardonicus would be cured or die during the end of the film. Supposedly, no audience ever offered mercy so the alternate ending was never screened.

Today, studios have interactive web sites and social media to serve as economical conduits in executing frightful tricks and priming would-be audiences for a gut-wrenching showdown. I shudder to think what kind of bone-chilling antics Castle would post on Facebook.

Photo source: The 500 Club

Agnes casts her spell

The mass of fiery red hair...eyes painted a campy blue...billowy parfait-colored dresses...You may automatically associate Agnes Moorehead with the 1960s mischievous comedy, "Bewitched," in which she portrayed the acid-tongued mother-in-law to Samantha's blubbering husband Darrin, but this seasoned actress can conjure up more than just witchcraft on the small screen. With her trademark smoldering gaze and sky-high cheekbones, this unconventional beauty has played every kind of character imaginable ranging from a haughty mystery writer in "The Bat," to her Oscar-nominated performance as a scraggly housekeeper in "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte." Even Moorehead's booming voice and unadulterated bravado landed her the role of a larger-than-life evangelist in "What's the Matter With Helen?," heard only through a spiritual radio show played during the movie. 

Thus far, I'm most enamored by Moorehead's knockabout spin as the stealthy Madge Rapf in the 1947 film noir, "Dark Passage." This stylish drama pairs legendary Hollywood couple Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall as a convicted killer on the lam and the heroine who stows him away in her home while naturally falling for his je ne sais quoi.  Moorehead's Madge is the best friend to Bacall's Irene and the former lover to Bogart's Vincent. To ward off suspicions from passersby and the police, Vincent undergoes plastic surgery to alter his face.  If you don't mind discovering the movie's "big reveal," witness this bone-chilling scene when Vincent drops into Madge's apartment to surprise her with his minty-new mug. Moorehead's drawn-out diction and dramatic facial expressions bring an authentic realism to the character's unsavory ways. I love how Madge's disposition drastically jumps from comfortably coquettish to nervously fearful in just a matter of minutes. Notice how her neck jerks the second Vincent hints around to his true identity. Now listen to her stammer and watch her recoil as she fruitlessly defends herself. The once stalwart woman turns into a vulnerable soul. And don't panic or recoil yourself: this particular clip involves some "Bewitched" antics at the end thanks to modern technology.

When the Loew's Jersey screened this movie, the host asked the audience afterwards if they thought Madge hurled herself off of the balcony intentionally or if she accidentally fell toward her demise. The moviegoers were split in their assessment.  I concluded that she adored herself too much to commit suicide. You'll have to see “Dark Passage” in full to grasp the concept of this calculating narcassist  and the brilliant way the movie tucks her into the story.  Incidentally,  the taffeta dress becomes this character.  The bold stripes and colossal hoop represent her proud and demanding personality. Even her taut bun embodies a lethal sharpness. Thank you, Agnes, for living out a character we love to loathe!

A dandy original

Starring screen legend James Cagney, Yankee Doodle Dandy is a 1942 musical film that regales the jaunty life of George Cohan, more colorfully known as "The Man Who Owns Broadway." Though I haven't seen the movie yet, I was ecstatic when Matt surprised me with this original print as I've always coveted an authentic film poster. He scored it at an auction in Armagh, PA, for a staggering $5 and later had it laminated and framed, thereby protecting its fragile texture. I love the faded blue color, lively type and collage of jovial movie scenes. Now I must see the movie to experience the full dandy effect of this classic!

-Dani