Harv,
Re your comments:
> I love her, but she's no Jane. She was, however,
> blond in "Lady on a Train", which is my favorite
> 'screwball musical comedy murder mystery' (it's a
> very short list - what bugged me was how they
> wasted her after the first couple of movies - Bob
> Cummings as her love interest? Really?).
That film. It Started with Eve, was where I first saw her in a film, just a few weeks ago. As much as I love old films, she'd completely escaped me 'til then. What a babe!
Bob Cummings may not have been the best romantic pairing for her, but she played extraordinarily well with Charles Laughton (my Mr. Collins). Between 'em, they carry the film. And at least give Bob props for good comic timing and well-executed befuddlement.
Why wouldn't a gorgeous, wholesome, girl-next-door type who exudes sweetness and kindness be so empahtically "no Jane" as far as you're concerned?
> She could be a Lizzy, but I still prefer Diana Lynn - Deanna
> was always adorable, and I think we need Lizzy to
> have more of an edge.
It's precisely because she doesn't seem to have enough of an edge (though, in fairness, I've never seen her in that WW2-era film noir she did with Gene Kelly, Christmas Holiday; maybe she could do edgy) that I like her for Jane.
As for edge, my Lizzy, Maureen O'Hara, throws punches at Duke Wayne. How much edgier can you get?
Speacking of Christmas Holiday, what the hell was Universal thinking? They decide to make an edgy suspense thriller, based on a Somerste Mugham short story, for Pete's sake, directed by German expressionist noir specialist Robert Siodmak, but they pair up soprano Deanna Durban with song-and-dance man Gene Kelly, both known for musicals, and call the film Chirstmas Holiday!?! With those co-leads and a title like that, what did they think audiences were going to expect, for crying out loud?
Well, it grossed more than any of her other films to that point, but I bet a lot of people felt had.
JIM
Re your comments:
> I love her, but she's no Jane. She was, however,
> blond in "Lady on a Train", which is my favorite
> 'screwball musical comedy murder mystery' (it's a
> very short list - what bugged me was how they
> wasted her after the first couple of movies - Bob
> Cummings as her love interest? Really?).
That film. It Started with Eve, was where I first saw her in a film, just a few weeks ago. As much as I love old films, she'd completely escaped me 'til then. What a babe!
Bob Cummings may not have been the best romantic pairing for her, but she played extraordinarily well with Charles Laughton (my Mr. Collins). Between 'em, they carry the film. And at least give Bob props for good comic timing and well-executed befuddlement.
Why wouldn't a gorgeous, wholesome, girl-next-door type who exudes sweetness and kindness be so empahtically "no Jane" as far as you're concerned?
> She could be a Lizzy, but I still prefer Diana Lynn - Deanna
> was always adorable, and I think we need Lizzy to
> have more of an edge.
It's precisely because she doesn't seem to have enough of an edge (though, in fairness, I've never seen her in that WW2-era film noir she did with Gene Kelly, Christmas Holiday; maybe she could do edgy) that I like her for Jane.
As for edge, my Lizzy, Maureen O'Hara, throws punches at Duke Wayne. How much edgier can you get?
Speacking of Christmas Holiday, what the hell was Universal thinking? They decide to make an edgy suspense thriller, based on a Somerste Mugham short story, for Pete's sake, directed by German expressionist noir specialist Robert Siodmak, but they pair up soprano Deanna Durban with song-and-dance man Gene Kelly, both known for musicals, and call the film Chirstmas Holiday!?! With those co-leads and a title like that, what did they think audiences were going to expect, for crying out loud?
Well, it grossed more than any of her other films to that point, but I bet a lot of people felt had.
JIM