Classic Movies - Christmas Classics: It's A Wonderful Life

George Bailey (James Stewart) has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls. He has always longed to travel but never had the opportunity in order to prevent rich skinflint Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) from taking over the entire town. All that prevents him from doing so is George's modest building and loan company, which was founded by his generous father. But on Christmas Eve, George's Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell) loses the business's $8,000 while intending to deposit it in the bank. Potter finds the misplaced money and hides it from Billy. When the bank examiner discovers the shortage later that night, George realizes that he will be held responsible and sent to jail and the company will collapse, finally allowing Potter to take over the town. Thinking of his wife, Mary, (Donna Reed), their young children, and others he loves will be better off with him dead, he contemplates suicide. But the prayers of his loved ones result in a gentle angel named Clarence (Henry Travers) coming to earth to help George.

**Trivia Question for Today: For the scene in It's a Wonderful Life that required Donna Reed to throw a rock into the window of the Granville House, did she actually break the window herself?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: Danny Kaye was a last-minute replacement for Phil Davis in White Christmas. Donald O'Connor was originally cast to play the part.

Classic Movies - Fabulous Films of 1939: Gone With The Wind

Fabulous Film of 1939
Directed by Victor Fleming


Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara
and Clark Gable as Rhett Butler









Olivia de Havilland as Melanie Hamilton

Leslie Howard as Ashley Wilkes

Hattie McDaniel as Mammy







Today, let’s talk Classic Civil War Epic-GONE WITH THE WIND! We have saved the biggest and best 1939 blockbuster for last. Gone with the Wind, based on Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer Prize winning saga of Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler, was the winner of an incredible 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and nominated for several more. It is considered by many to be the greatest movie of all time and we heartily agree. It is a beautifully-filmed motion picture with fine performances by the fabulous ensemble cast of Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel, Thomas Mitchell, Butterfly McQueen, Ona Munson, Harry Davenport, and the list goes on. Victor Fleming was credited as the director of the picture although several directors, including George Cukor and Sam Wood, were involved in the making of the film. The majestic musical score, by our favorite film composer, Max Steiner, is superb and lends magnificence to this sweeping tale of the Old South.

There were, of course, many concessions made when bringing the massive novel to the screen. Many beloved characters were omitted from the film, most notably Scarlett’s other two children, Wade (fathered by Charles Hamilton) and Ella (fathered by Frank Kennedy), and Will Benteen, a one-legged soldier who stayed at Tara after the war ended, helped run the farm, and eventually married Scarlett’s sister, SueEllen (played in the film by Evelyn Keyes). Most of Will’s dialogue was given to Mammy (McDaniel) in the movie. We were disappointed by some of these omissions when we first saw Gone with the Wind, after having read the book, but now realize Sidney Howard had to make these cuts in order to move his screenplay along. We still have a problem, however, with the way the deaths of Bonnie (Cammie King) and Melanie (de Havilland) occur almost simultaneously-seemingly only days apart. It was as if the film had to be brought to an abrupt and quick end. In the book, Scarlett was actually out of town (some weeks after Bonnie’s death) when word of Melanie’s illness reached her and she hurried back to Atlanta to be with her. We just don’t understand why the two deaths had to be so rushed together.

Despite the inaccuracies with the book, Gone with the Wind is still our favorite movie and we applaud Producer David O. Selznick and Selznick Studios for even attempting to bring the Civil War epic to the silver screen. The classic love story of Scarlett O’Hara (Leigh) and Rhett Butler (Gable), set amid the turmoil of War and Reconstruction, is timeless. It is just as thrilling and romantic today as it was to audiences in 1939.

In the realm of great fictional characters, Scarlett O’Hara was indeed a formidable heroine. She saw what she had to do in order to survive and did it! For the sake of those depending on her she defied convention, took the bull by the horns, and moved forward into an uncertain future. In a day and age when women were not considered bright enough to succeed in business, she did. She paid a price for her actions and was not always liked or admired by “genteel society”. Hopefully audiences understood that she had no choice in “wearing the pants” in the O’Hara family. Once married to Rhett, she could have relinquished many of her responsibilities, but was unable to take a backseat when she was used to holding the reins. Yes, she could have been kinder in her dealings with people and in business, but that kindness fell by the wayside when she clawed her way out of war-induced poverty. She often regretted the loss of her tenderness, wanting to be more like her mother, but would not have changed a thing she had done if she could have. Like her or not, Scarlett O’Hara was a dynamic force to be reckoned with and a true woman of substance.

We highly recommend this fantastic and classic motion picture for your viewing pleasure. Better yet, read the book first to learn more about the Civil War and the interesting background stories of the minor characters. The making of the film is also interesting to read about. The “search for Scarlett O’ Hara” is Hollywood legend. We love Gone with the Wind and have ever since we first saw it in 1969 when it was only shown in theaters. We hope it is or will be one of your favorites, too.

This concludes our segment of posts about the Fabulous Films of 1939. There are still many more that we could talk about, but we’ve tried to bring you some of the very best. We hope you’ve enjoyed them and will continue to read “Let’s Talk Classic Movies” every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

**Trivia Question for Today: If British actress Vivien Leigh had not been cast as Scarlett O’Hara at the last minute, what American actress had Selznick decided to cast in the coveted role?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: The song Bette Davis sang in Dark Victory was “Oh, Give Me Time for Tenderness”. The voice of Vera Van was dubbed in for Ms. Davis.

Classic Movies - Fabulous Films of 1939: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Today, let’s talk Classic Political Comedy- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington! Released in 1939, the last of Frank Capra’s fine and funny films of the 30s took as its target nothing less than the Senate of the United States. James Stewart is the small-town boy who comes to Washington as a short-term Senator. As Jefferson Smith, Stewart’s character is wide-eyed, naïve, and dedicated to democratic ideals. When Mr. Smith discovers that his idol, Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), is a dishonest grafter, he sets out to fight him and is immediately framed by the crooked political machine of Washington, D.C. Fortunately, Mr. Smith has an experienced and politically-savvy secretary (Jean Arthur) who helps him escape expulsion through a filibuster that lasts long enough to overwhelmingly sway public opinion to his side. In the end, democracy and the young Senator triumph and the evil Senator Paine repents.

“For its time, this primitive Watergate tale was highly controversial. After a much publicized premiere in Washington’s Constitution Hall, Senator Alben Barkley assailed Mr. Smith as a “grotesque distortion” of the truth. Ambassador to Great Britain, Joseph Kennedy, said it damaged America’s reputation abroad and played into the hands of Adolf Hitler’s propaganda machine. There were even reports that major Hollywood studios, fearing industry-wide censorship, offered to pay back all costs to Columbia Pictures to have it withdrawn. On the other hand, millions agreed with Frank Nugent’s New York Times review that it was” more fun even than the Senate itself”. And to the audiences that loved it, James Stewart’s impassioned rhetoric seemed to impart a new optimism about their country and the basically decent principles for which it stood.” (Author, Paul Trent)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a thoroughly entertaining motion picture and one that we highly recommend. Jack Carson and Thomas Mitchell also co-star in this often delightful, often distressing glimpse into the political workings of U.S. government at the Senate level. All performances are top-notch, but Stewart’s “filibuster” sequence unquestionably holds some of the finest acting moments of his long, illustrious career. Take a look (or another look) at this classic film of 1939 and see for yourself. It is a real “eye-opener”.

**Trivia Question for Today: To what earlier Capra film is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington comparable and also starred Jean Arthur?

Trivia Answer for Previous Post: John Garfield appeared in the 1939 boxing classic, They Made Me a Criminal, co-starring “The Dead End Kids” and Claude Rains. Ironically, Garfield was first choice of Clifford Odets to play Joe Bonaparte in the stage production of Golden Boy, but Garfield went to Hollywood instead.