"HELPMATES" (MGM, 1931) A Hal Roach production, directed by James Parrott. Edited by
Richard Currier, dialogue by H.M. Walker. Two reels.
Are any program notes necessary on a Laurel and Hardy comedy? This is one of their better
sound comedies of the early thirties - not up to the standard of the silent "Big Business"
and "Two Tars" perhaps, but vastly superior to almost all of their first talkies. The plot
is almost classic: Hardy seeks the aid of Laurel in clearing up the devastation of a wild
party before his wife returns from a trip. Needless to say, the chaos is never disposed of
but rather is added to in no uncertain manner, as the fumbling efforts of Laurel heap
further disaster and catastrophe upon the patient head of Mr. Hardy, subjected in this film
no even more than the normal quota of pokes in the eye, falling soot, jet-propelled flights
into piles of dishes and maliciously exploding gas-ovens. The print somewhat reflects the
wear and tear of the proceedings, but like Mr. Hardy, just about manages to emerge in one
piece, battered but all there.
"LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES" (one reel)
Whatever else they may need, our members don't have to be urged to go to the movies - and thus
the propagandist element of this short can be ignored. Produced by Rko, it was the first of
a series of industry-sponsored public relations shorts, dealing with various phases of
motion picture activity. Its content is of course, superficial - it tells the "history" of
the movies in some four minutes, and then spreads out to touch on manufacture of film,
(from cotton-fields to laboratory!), on theatres throughout the world, on publicity,
distribution, and sundry other facets of the industry. En route we are treated to brief but
enjoyable chunks of Mary Pickford and Henry B. Walthall in "Hills of Old Kentucky", "The
Birth of a Nation", Jolson in "The Jazz Singer", John Barrymore in "The Show of Shows" and
so on. The 1930-1950 era seems to be represented solely by "Night Song", coincidentally an
Rko Radio production !
"BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE" (Paramount, 1938) Produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch,
screenplay by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett from the play by Alfred Savoir; photographed
by Leo Tover; art direction by Hans Dreier and Robert Usher; music by Werner Heymann.
The Cast: Nicole Loiselle (CLAUDETTE COLBERT): Michael Brandon(GARY COOPER): The
Marquis de Loiselle (EDWARD EVERETT HORTON): Albert De Regnier (DAVID NIVEN): Aunt Hedwige
(ELIZABETH PATTERSON): Monsieur Pepinard (HERMAN BING): Kid Mulligan (WARREN HYMER): Asst.
Hotel Manager (FRANKLYN PANGBORN); Professor Urganzeff (LAURENCE GRANT): Uncle Andre (TOM RICKETTS): Uncle Fernandel (BARLOWE BORLAND): M. de la Coste, President (CHARMS HALTON).
Length: Nine reels.
"Bluebeards Eighth Wife", originally a stage vehicle for Ina Claire in 1921 and two years
later screen material for Gloria Swanson under Sam Wood's direction, represents very much
of a turning point in Lubitsch's career. In many ways it was the end of the old Lubitsch,
of breezy sex farce in Paris and Monte Carlo. It was Lubitsch's last film for Paramount,
and while it was a long way below the standard of the best Chevaliers and especially the
wonderful "Trouble in Paradise", it still retained much of their flavor and certainly
their delightful use of incidental music. Admitting that the film is not top-grade
Lubitsch, one must go further and state that it was nevertheless better than almost anything
that followed.What happens to people who leave Paramount and go to work for Metro? The Marx
Brothers lost 90% of their vitality when they made the move. And Lubitsch himself,
transferring Chevalier, McDonald, Horton, Bing and company over to Metro in 1934
succeeded in making of "The Merry Widow" a rather stodgy affair. Back at Paramount again, he
moved back to his former style - only to lose it once again at Metro with "Ninotchka".
(Enjoyable though it was, its merits were those of performance and writing rather than of
direction. Though Lubitsch had good films ahead of him, none were to regain the charm and
spirit of his Paramount frolics). The basic theme of "Bluebeard" is perhaps a little
tasteless, but so sprightly is the playing and the direction that it never becomes in any
way offensive. A slick production in every way, with some wonderful trouping from Horton,
Herman Bing and others of the Lubitsch "stock company", it dates only in its over-obvious
use of back-projection. Incidentally, it was this film which established the writing
(and later writing-producing-directing) team of Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett. Earlier
Wilder had written one or two Lubitsch-type items ("Champagne Waltz" for example), and with
this film hit it off right away with Brackett. They followed up with "Midnight", and of
course "Ninotchka" which really launched their careers with a vengeance.
By the way, Ted Huff once pointed out that Sacha Guitry may be seen in this film, emerging
from a Vienna hotel in one of the process shots!
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JULY PROGRAMS: (See program notes for complete details)
July 19: Jack Pickford in TOM SAWYER (1917); Edmund Cobb in THE WOLF'S TRAIL (1927) & shorts
July 26: Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in "THE STORY OF VERNON & IRENE CASTLE" (1939) shorts
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