Written as part of the weekly blogathon hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. Join in the fun by picking three movies that fit the week's theme and writing a bit about them!
So, the last time we talked Romantic Comedies on Thursday Movie Picks, I picked three terrible movies that, for whatever absurd reason, I love anyway. I know I can't possibly top that, so I'm gonna play it a bit safer this time around and just pick three of the All-Time Best.
The Philadelphia Story (George Cukor, 1940) Socialite divorcée Tracy Lord (the unbeatable Katharine Hepburn) is getting married again! But, sadly for her poor husband-to-be George Kittredge, not only is her lush of a former husband, C.K. Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) back, but he has brought with him an incognito reporter and photographer from Spy Magazine. As the wedding approaches, Tracy finds herself still nursing an attraction to Dexter, and finds a growing affection for the journalist Mike Connor (Jimmy Stewart). What a dilemma! Adapted from the stage play by Philip Barry, the dialogue sparkles, and the three stars form an irresistible love triangle through their considerable chemistry with each other (although originally, it was meant to be Clark Gable as Dexter and Spencer Tracy as Mike, which would have been just as delicious). Hepburn originated the role of Tracy Lord in the Broadway production, and bought the film rights for herself as a way to overcome her reputation as "box office poison". It worked: The Philadelphia Story was an instant classic, the fifth highest-grossing film of the year, and earned six Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Actress. It won two Oscars, for Best Screenplay and Best Actor, for Jimmy Stewart (in what is CLEARLY a Supporting role).
The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960) "Did you hear me, Miss Kubelik? I absolutely adore you." "Shut up and deal." Perfection. Billy Wilder's depressive romantic comedy works almost in spite of itself, solely because of the star power of its leads. Shirley Maclaine is magical as elevator operator Fran Kubelik, in a relationship with married man Fred MacMurray, who uses employee Jack Lemmon's apartment for his extra-marital assignations. I've never found Jack Lemmon attractive EXCEPT for in this movie, in which he is downright swoon-worthy as he cares for Fran's broken heart. Nominated for 10 Oscars, The Apartment actually won Best Picture, as well as Best Director and Original Screenplay.
When Harry Met Sally... (Rob Reiner, 1989) One of the greatest screenplays ever written. When Sally drives Harry to New York from Chicago after they graduate from college, Harry asserts that men and women cannot be friends, because sex always gets in the way. Sally disagrees. Over the course of the next decade, they randomly run into each other a few times, and eventually settle into a kind of friendship... that eventually turns into a kind of attraction. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan have a wholly surprising chemistry as the leads, and Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby are even better as their best friends who fall in love at first sight.
Philadelphia Story is a delight. While I love all four of the main players my true favorite in the film is Virginia Weidler as wisecracking sister Dinah, she's a hoot! I also love the musical remake High Society about equally as much. It's not so much that Jimmy Stewart's role is supporting (which it very much is) but that he was even nominated for this when The Shop Around the Corner was RIGHT THERE, not only is he better in it but it is unquestionably a lead!!!
I like The Apartment very much without loving it but Jack and Shirley are magic together. I've never found Lemmon particularly handsome either, button cute would be closer to the mark, but he exuded an aura of attractability because of his personality.
I'm not much of a Billy Crystal fan, he seems very full of himself, but he's wonderful in When Harry Met Sally. His part utilizes all those things I usually find annoying about him to advantage and Meg, pre face destruction, is captivating.
So glad you went with a Cary Grant movie, I did a mini Cary Grant theme within the theme and your choosing one I didn't backs up that he was a king of the genre!
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)-Playboy artist Richard Nugent (Cary Grant) appears before Judge Margaret Turner (Myrna Loy) for fighting at a nightclub, after a stern warning she dismisses the charge. That same day, Nugent happens to lecture at a high school, where Margaret's teenage sister, Susan (Shirley Temple), falls head-over-heels for him. Things get complicated when Susan sneaks into and is found in his apartment. Back before Judge Turner she orders him to date Susan as a way of easing her attraction. It only gets crazier from there as Richard (now Dickie) embraces his rediscovered teenhood while finding himself attracted to Margaret and vice versa. Breezy comedy (which won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar) is Shirley’s best adult film with all three stars working at top speed.
Indiscreet (1958)-Theatre star Anna Kalman (Ingrid Bergman) meets banker and diplomat Philip Adams (Cary Grant) when she’s visiting her sister and brother-in-law (Phyllis Calvert & Cecil Parker who steal every scene they’re in) in London. After a brief flirtation they fall in love but Philip is married and things seem hopeless until Anna discovers something that puts everything in a new light. Lush, charming comedy with Cary & Ingrid perfectly matched.
Houseboat (1958)-Tom Winston (Cary Grant) is struggling to raise his three children on his own after his wife's death. He meets the charming and beautiful Cinzia Zaccardi (Sophia Loren) at a concert and hires her as a live-in nanny. Unbeknownst to Tom, Cinzia is actually a European socialite on the run from her domineering father (Harry Guardino) and has absolutely no experience with cooking, cleaning or raising children. The fiery Cinzia and staid Tom butt heads until they discover a shared attraction. Cary & Sophia were seriously involved (and almost married) during filming.
I love all your picks and now I want to see them all over again! The Philadelphia Story is so witty and sophisticated and, even though Jimmy Stewart is clearly in a supporting role and should have been up for The Shop Around the Corner and won this award because he didn’t win for the year before, he still radiates lead. The Apartment is also sophisticated in the way it was directed trying to showcase the slobs who work for the elite and how the elite take advantage of them. I love her name in this movie. The last film, before Meg Ryan became a face wreck, is also sophisticated in the style with the fall colours and the jazzy score. I always liked Billy Crystal who also seems to have taken his face to a new level of ...ewwwwwww!
These are perfect! The Philadelphia Story is still one of my favorite films of all time, and just the perfect pairing in Grant and Hepburn. I truly wish Grant had won the Oscar, or at least been nominated! Stewart is wonderful, but it's lesser for him, and he isn't at the same level as Grant who was so effortless here. Possibly my favorite Grant performance.
What a fun, slyly dark comedy The Apartment is. Great pick. That's the only one I've seen here. I know, I know, I should've seen both of these ten times over by now. I'll get to them, at some point.
I actually never saw When Harry Met Sally! I know, I've gotta fix that!
ReplyDeleteLove your picks!!
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia Story is a delight. While I love all four of the main players my true favorite in the film is Virginia Weidler as wisecracking sister Dinah, she's a hoot! I also love the musical remake High Society about equally as much. It's not so much that Jimmy Stewart's role is supporting (which it very much is) but that he was even nominated for this when The Shop Around the Corner was RIGHT THERE, not only is he better in it but it is unquestionably a lead!!!
I like The Apartment very much without loving it but Jack and Shirley are magic together. I've never found Lemmon particularly handsome either, button cute would be closer to the mark, but he exuded an aura of attractability because of his personality.
I'm not much of a Billy Crystal fan, he seems very full of himself, but he's wonderful in When Harry Met Sally. His part utilizes all those things I usually find annoying about him to advantage and Meg, pre face destruction, is captivating.
So glad you went with a Cary Grant movie, I did a mini Cary Grant theme within the theme and your choosing one I didn't backs up that he was a king of the genre!
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)-Playboy artist Richard Nugent (Cary Grant) appears before Judge Margaret Turner (Myrna Loy) for fighting at a nightclub, after a stern warning she dismisses the charge. That same day, Nugent happens to lecture at a high school, where Margaret's teenage sister, Susan (Shirley Temple), falls head-over-heels for him. Things get complicated when Susan sneaks into and is found in his apartment. Back before Judge Turner she orders him to date Susan as a way of easing her attraction. It only gets crazier from there as Richard (now Dickie) embraces his rediscovered teenhood while finding himself attracted to Margaret and vice versa. Breezy comedy (which won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar) is Shirley’s best adult film with all three stars working at top speed.
Indiscreet (1958)-Theatre star Anna Kalman (Ingrid Bergman) meets banker and diplomat Philip Adams (Cary Grant) when she’s visiting her sister and brother-in-law (Phyllis Calvert & Cecil Parker who steal every scene they’re in) in London. After a brief flirtation they fall in love but Philip is married and things seem hopeless until Anna discovers something that puts everything in a new light. Lush, charming comedy with Cary & Ingrid perfectly matched.
Houseboat (1958)-Tom Winston (Cary Grant) is struggling to raise his three children on his own after his wife's death. He meets the charming and beautiful Cinzia Zaccardi (Sophia Loren) at a concert and hires her as a live-in nanny. Unbeknownst to Tom, Cinzia is actually a European socialite on the run from her domineering father (Harry Guardino) and has absolutely no experience with cooking, cleaning or raising children. The fiery Cinzia and staid Tom butt heads until they discover a shared attraction. Cary & Sophia were seriously involved (and almost married) during filming.
I enjoyed When Harry Met Sally... but The Apartment is my favourite. Absolutely loved that movie.
ReplyDeleteI liked The Apartment! I'm fairly sure I've seen When Harry Met Sally but I don't remember much about it at all.
ReplyDeleteI love all your picks and now I want to see them all over again! The Philadelphia Story is so witty and sophisticated and, even though Jimmy Stewart is clearly in a supporting role and should have been up for The Shop Around the Corner and won this award because he didn’t win for the year before, he still radiates lead. The Apartment is also sophisticated in the way it was directed trying to showcase the slobs who work for the elite and how the elite take advantage of them. I love her name in this movie. The last film, before Meg Ryan became a face wreck, is also sophisticated in the style with the fall colours and the jazzy score. I always liked Billy Crystal who also seems to have taken his face to a new level of ...ewwwwwww!
ReplyDeleteWhen Harry met Sally is such a classic! The Apartment has been on my list for ages but I've never gotten around checking it out. Sounds great, though!
ReplyDeleteI've only seen When Harry Met Sally from your picks (and it was embarrassingly recent) but it's such a good movie!
ReplyDeleteThese are perfect! The Philadelphia Story is still one of my favorite films of all time, and just the perfect pairing in Grant and Hepburn. I truly wish Grant had won the Oscar, or at least been nominated! Stewart is wonderful, but it's lesser for him, and he isn't at the same level as Grant who was so effortless here. Possibly my favorite Grant performance.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun, slyly dark comedy The Apartment is. Great pick. That's the only one I've seen here. I know, I know, I should've seen both of these ten times over by now. I'll get to them, at some point.
ReplyDelete