Reviews

The Greatest Show on Earth One of the oddest choices for Best Picture, The Greatest Show on Earth is not a bad film, per se; it's just not a great one. The fact that this film won Oscar's top honor just goes to show how whimsical Academy voters can be. And how difficult it may be to pick films that will stand the test of time. When looking at the films of 1952 fellow Best Picture nominees High Noon and The Quiet Man stand out as superior films and the virtually shut-out (only 2 noms) Singin' in the Rain is by far the most popular today.

So, what made Academy voters choose The Greatest Show on Earth? Well, it was the highest grossing film of the year, and it was directed and produced by sentimental favorite Cecil B. DeMille. The deciding factor, however, may well have been its neutrality as opposed to the politically charged High Noon, which should have won. And the film does provide a rare behind the scenes look at the trappings of a traveling circus. The plot is dubious at best with the cheese factor cranked up by the unnecessary voice-over narrator. DeMille wanted the circus itself to be the main character and in that he succeeded. By using real circus performers supplemented by actors whose star-power didn't overshadow the film, the action of the film becomes its driving force. One must remember that Charlton Heston was not a household name until after this film and James Stewart remained virtually unrecognizable in his clown makeup for the entire film.

The film thus focuses on the breath-taking acts that make up the circus, with a couple of love stories thrown in to keep things interesting. Perhaps the most interesting is the one between high wire daredevils Holly (Betty Hutton) and Sebastian (Cornel Wilde) as they compete for the center ring. In typical Hollywood fashion they begin as foes, always trying to one-up the other, which leads to tragedy when Sebastian takes a nasty fall, effectively ending his career. However, this only makes Holly realize she actually loves him.

Cinematographers George Barnes and J. Peverell Marley managed to create some beautiful images of acrobatics in what must have been very cramped conditions, as they did film most of the acts on location. Lighting the big tent – especially for early color film – could not have been easy either. Their hard work, which went unrecognized by the Academy, did garner them a Golden Globe.

Perhaps the most intriguing storyline is that of Buttons the clown (Stewart), a doctor who euthanizes his wife to end her suffering and uses his clown disguise to hide from the authorities. His secret is found out when the circus train crashes en route to the next show and his medical expertise is needed to save Brad (Heston). The controversial issue is treated surprisingly sympathetically in the film. Stewart apparently greatly enjoyed the role and loved the freedom the clown makeup afforded him – he didn't have to worry about facial expressions as a smile was painted on his face. His eagerness to work with DeMille lead to his acceptance of the small role and final billing "and James Stewart as Buttons, a clown." It also proved to be the second of only two Best Picture winners that Stewart appeared in. The other being You Can't Take It With You.

The film remains an oddity to me though. Historically it does capture a, what was even in 1952, fading piece of Americana; however, it remains one of the weakest, artistically, of the Best Picture winners.

You know how this movie is going to end before it starts. That's the thing about genre films: they are familiar and comfortable, like that T-shirt you still have from high school. The problem with most genre films is that they are riddled with clichés. It is a rare film that manages to fulfill all the expected conventions without slipping into soupy clichés. The Proposal is that rare film. Pete Chiarelli has crafted a script that satisfies our expectations of a romantic comedy, yet by keeping the pace up and keeping the scenario fresh and active manages to avoid the pitfall of romantic comedy schmaltz.

The film follows Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock), a top editor at a publishing house in New York, whose visa has expired and is facing deportation back to Canada. Her long-suffering assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) unwittingly provides a way for her to stay in the US and keep her job. She threatens to destroy Andrew's career if he doesn't marry her – romantic, huh? In true romantic comedy form the two can barely tolerate each other at first. Yet a weekend in Alaska at Andrew's parents' place proves to be the perfect tonic for them. As they discover genuine feelings for each other, Margaret can't go through with the sham wedding and turns herself into the suspicious USCIS officer and prepares to move back to Toronto. As you might expect, Andrew flies back to New York in time to declare his true feelings for Margaret and as the saying goes, they live happily ever after.

One of the key ingredients that makes this film work is a stellar cast headed by one-time romantic comedy queen Sandra Bullock, who is back at the top of her game after a string of forgettable roles, with perhaps her most complex characterization yet. Bullock's Margaret Tate begins the film as a staid, cold-hearted editor who everyone fears and hates. Along the way as we learned more about Margaret, we discover this is truly a lonely woman whose tough façade is just that a façade, a way of coping with the life she was dealt. Bullock manages to bring out the humane side of Margaret, so that the audience ends up on her side.

As the over-worked, under-appreciated Andrew, Ryan Reynolds is instantly likable. Despite everything, Andrew is a glass half full kind of guy. Reynolds fits the role nicely and provides an excellent straight man for Bullock to play off of. I recognized Reynolds from the TV show Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, and am glad to see that he has finally come into his own this year. I think we'll be hearing his name a lot more after the success of this film and Wolverine.

Of course no film is complete without a supporting cast and this film includes heavy hitters Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen as Andrew's parents. However, it is the indomitable Betty White as his grandmother who steals the show. White, who continues to get more funny and vivacious as the years go by, proves her comedic genius here. Some of the best moments in The Proposal belong to White. From the famous wedding dress scene where she gropes around to find Margaret's breasts amongst the overabundance of fabric, to dancing with the male stripper, to chanting in the woods Native American style, White exudes more energy than actresses half her age. All I can say is give the woman an Oscar already! The Proposal makes a valiant attempt to hearken back to the golden age of comedy when Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant ruled the silver screen. While it may not be Bringing Up Baby-good, it is certainly the best romantic comedy in recent years. This may be just the film to bring the dormant genre back. After being inundated with "bromance" comedies of late, The Proposal feels like a breath of fresh air.

I stumbled across a poster for this film several years ago, and, hailing from Walla Walla, it caught my attention. I finally found this movie on eBay – must be a pirated copy as it's never been released by the studio – and for good reason. Definitely a "B" movie, maybe even a "C," and unfortunately no mention of Walla Walla at all. The film appears to be one in a number of vehicles written specifically for its star – Judy Canova. Who? you ask – good question. Although popular in the 40s and 50s, Canova has not stood the test of time. She plays Judy in the film, a small-town farm girl tricked into joining the WACs (Women's Army Corp). If you think Hee-Haw meets Police Academy you'll have a good idea as to the caliber of this film.

The Canovas are the proud, if inept, descendants of the town's founding father. Once again the town is presumably Walla Walla although its name is never stated other than in the title. Judy's father and grandfather are proud veterans and are thoroughly disappointed when Judy is born as they were hoping for a son to carry on the military tradition.

Disaster seems to follow Judy wherever she goes; some of her incidents are too corny to believe, but others are genuinely funny. She manages to destroy the statue of her great-grandfather numerous times, in a running gag throughout the film that gets old after the first time. More genuine is Judy accidentally stumbling into a group of soldiers running a drill when she gets separated from her WAC division. The men drag her through the obstacle course mistaking her for the bumbling Private Cronkheit (played excellently by Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer).

The reason Judy actually joins the WAC is because it puts her closer to Lt. Tom Mayfield (Stephen Dunne), whom she has a crush on. Unwilling to be outdone, her rival, the much prettier Doris (June Vincent) also joins the WAC. As fate would have it, they both end up assigned to section 13 where Tom and a group of specialists are testing a top secret missile. And the missile falls into the wrong hands – of course – leaving Judy the only one able to save the day.

The acting is mediocre at best. The plot simple, the jokes inane; in other words The WAC from Walla Walla is the perfect 1950s matinée. Don't bother with the film unless you're a die-hard Judy Conova fan. One treat though is seeing Irene Ryan (as WAC Sgt. Kearns) before she became famous as Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies.

Finally available on DVD in its original widescreen format and a digital transfer that is sharp and crisp, this film looks a lot better than I remember it from when I first saw it on TV as a kid. Although not one of Presley's best, It Happened at the Word's Fair is an enjoyable, if formulaic, story set against the Seattle World's Fair. One of the first films to include the Space Needle, it provides a glimpse into Seattle's not too distant past.

The film finds Elvis as Mike Edwards, an out-of-work pilot, who finds himself stuck babysitting a young girl (Vicki Tui, now the first lady of Hawaii) at the fair. The character of Mike could be any number of characters played by Elvis – he is down on his luck, not afraid of trouble, and most importantly good with the ladies. This film tries to include something for everyone: an adorable child, Elvis, sexy women, Elvis, danger – in the wake of his partner Danny's (Gary Lockwood) gambling problems, and more Elvis. Thankfully it is still early in his film career and Elvis appears fresh and in good form – not bored to distraction with playing the same basic character as we find in his later films.

Noteworthy in this film is the steamy (okay maybe a little more schmaltzy than steamy, but it was the early sixties after all) scene early on with Yvonne Craig. The future Catwoman plays cat and mouse with Elvis while he sings the appropriately titled song "Relax." Elvis seems to have more chemistry here than he does with Joan O'Brien, the main love interest.

The music – although not as great or catchy as Blue Hawaii or Jailhouse Rock – is appropriate and not over done. The songs fit the action and those with the young girl seem natural and are the most touching. "How Would You Like to Be" is probably the best song from the set. The delightful song is sure to lift any pouting child's spirit.

With decent acting and directing, the film is quite enjoyable for Elvis fans, and quite tolerable for non fans. And, of course, the screen debut of Kurt Russell (he'd later go on to play Elvis) in which he kicks the King is worth seeing just for the irony.

"Rescued from an Eagle's Nest" provides a rare view of famed director D. W. Griffith as an actor working on-camera instead of behind it. That said there is not many other reasons to watch this film.

Unfortunately, the copy I saw was in very bad condition, but still even a sharp picture would not better this far-fetched tale.

Possible spoiler

A large bird that appears more like a chicken than an eagle snatches a baby while a distraught mother stands helplessly by. In what was probably a marvel of special effects for the time, the bird flys with the baby clutched in its claws not only forward but backward in a hideously fake and clumsy way. It arrives at a cave in a high cliff where Griffith fights to free the baby. The awkward, over-acted fight is almost as ridiculous as the flight of the bird.

Mercifully the film is only a couple of minutes long. It's hard to believe that this film is from the same man - Edwin S. Porter - who brought us the wonderful "The Great Train Robbery" in 1903. Sadly Porter climaxed with that early film, never again reaching its greatness. A must for early cinema buffs, but for everybody else one to avoid.

A family film to be sure, Hot Lead and Cold Feet provides antics to please the children and bemuse the adults. It makes attempts at being a western but is overridden by its slapstick comedy and wholesome family values.

The film focuses on a contest rigged by Jasper Bloodsky (Jim Dale), founder of the small western town of Bloodsky, to his twin sons Wild Billy and Eli (both also played by Jim Dale). The problem? Eli is a Bible-thumping preacher from the East and Wild Billy is the region's most feared outlaw.

Possible spoiler below



Despite Billy's best attempts to rig the race in his favor, Eli always manages to overcome the obstacles (such as a canoe with holes drilled in it) to be only one step behind Billy. As the race continues, the two orphans that Eli brought with him, discover that Mayor Ragsdale (Darren McGavin) plans on killing both brothers and keeping the money for himself.

So the kids - along with their pretty school teacher - go on the rescue. After many humorous mishaps they find the brothers and tell them what's going to happen to them. Several hours later, Wild Billy rides into town the victor, just as the mayor is taking off with the money. They catch the mayor, and Billy agrees to share the money with Eli; and they set forth to change the wild town into a respectable community.



end of spoiler

And - as in all good Disney films - they lived happily ever after.

It should be noted that the truly outstanding performance of Don Knotts as the sheriff made the movie. His nervous mannerisms and cocky style bring back memories of him as Barney on The Andy Griffith Show. Perhaps the best scenes in this film are the shoot-outs between the sheriff and his one-eyed nemesis Rattlesnake (Jack Elam). Something always happens on the count of three to prevent them from shooting each other.

If you are worried about the violence of today's films, pick up a copy of Hot Lead and Cold Feet, sit down with the kids and rest assured knowing the harshest language you'll hear will be `gosh darnit.' This is truly the wholesome family entertainment Disney is known for.