Quote of the Day [10.27.09]
"A mug is a mug in everything."Colonel Harry Harrington (Charles Coburn), The Lady Eve
The Lady Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Originally uploaded by zadie75.
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted about Miss Stanwyck. And it’s been awhile since I’ve seen one of her films. The last was “Remember the Night” on Christmas break. I think I watched it several times then. Not as good as her turn in “The Lady Eve,” but what would be? I think I’ll catch her in “Double Indemnity” as the femme fatale with a bad wig or in “Ball of Fire” as the dame that wins Gary Cooper’s heart. Anything to get my mind off of the weather and the day.
Link of the Day [12.13.08]
Remember the Night stars Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray. It was released in 1940 a few years before the two stars made memorable cinematic pleasures with Double Indemnity. The movie was also written by Preston Sturges. If you will recall, Sturges directed and wrote The Lady Eve, one of the greatest screwball comedies, for Ms. Stanwyck. What is there not to like about watching this flick?
I haven’t seen it though. It’s one of the few Stanwyck films that I haven’t seen. You know, I think there may be a DVD version out there. I should track it down. But for today it’s being shown on TCM at 6:00 PM. I’ve set my DVR. I can’t wait.
Quote of the Day [8.19.08]
“You see Hopsi, you don’t know very much about girls. The best ones aren’t as good as you think they are and the bad ones aren’t as bad. Not nearly as bad.”
Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck), The Lady Eve
Link of the Day [8.14.08]
You Belong to Me sounds like an interesting movie. It stars Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. She’s a doctor. He’s a millionaire. They meet on vacation. I suppose wacky highjinx ensue soon turning to love.
But the movie only sounds interesting. There was never a movie with that description with those two in it. It is almost real and very similar plot points to The Lady Eve. Yet, I think it’s all fabricated.
I got this link in my google search RSS feed for Barabara Stanwyck. I read it the site. I think it’s a spam site as lately this search RSS feed has been getting hit with spam sites. I apologize now if you’re on a Windows machine and it installs some kind of malware.
I can’t believe how sophisticated these spammers are. If you read the rest of the site, you’ll see some other movies that were made in the alternate reality Hollywood of the spammers.
Quote of the Day [4.23.08]
"You're certainly a funny girl for anybody to meet who's just been up
the Amazon for a year."
Charles "Hopsie" Pike, The Lady Eve
Barbara Stanwyck Box Set
No need to get me this for Christmas. I picked it up today. I’ve exhausted Netflix of her films. Still, I get this box set, and I haven’t seen half of them. I can’t wait for some free time to pop them into the DVD player.
Here’s one final list of Miss Stanwyck films to round out celebrating her 100th and the release of this box set. It’s Kim Morgan’s top 5 (Baby Face, Forty Guns, Double Indemnity, Ball of Fire, The Lady Eve), but make sure to click through to her top 10. Anyone who ranks The Lady Eve as her best film over Ball of Fire is aces in my book. As is Miss Stanwyck.
Favorite Stanwyck Films
If you haven’t seen any of Miss Stanwyck’s films, I again ask you to check out TCM who are celebrating her birthday today with 24 hours of her films. But if you’re like me stuck at work, here’s my list of 5 favorite Barbara Stanwyck films. I liked these the most.
The Lady Eve. I find this to be her best. She’s alluring and conniving, sexy and devious, witty and charming. She received an Academy nomination the same year for Ball of Fire, but it should’ve been for this role.
Meet John Doe. A lesser Frank Capra film, but still it had Miss Stanwyck. Even with the corn that Capra dishes, Stanwyck brings the joy out. This film was released in the same year as The Lady Eve and Ball of Fire (1941). It may not be as superb as those two, it sure has a moving performance from her.
Forty Guns. Miss Stanwyck in Samuel Fuller film. ‘Nuff said. The song written about her character nails it, “She’s a high riding woman with a whip.”
Sorry, Wrong Number. Barbara as a helpless victim? She’s not convincing, but she did garner her last Academy nomination for this role. Charged with playing a dubious hypochondriac she does show in the flashbacks why she’s such a dangerous woman.
Walk on the Wildside. One of her last roles on the big screen. She’s a New Orleans madam with a wicked crush on one of her girls. She’s villainous reminding us of her femme fatale role as Phyllis Diethrichson, and also reminding us why she’s wickedly bad.
Honorable mentions: Ball of Fire. Double Indemnity. Stella Dallas. Baby Face.
"Don't let them tease you. You can tell me all about her."
As you know, I am currently keen on Barbara Stanwyck movies. Ever since I saw The Lady Eve, I have been going through her films weekly. I must have watched The Lady Eve several times already, and almost daily do I put the DVD in the player to watch a few minutes. But, there are so many classic scenes in the movie that I lose myself in it and end up watching it fully. I just dig her in it.
My favorite scene happens half way through the movie as Jean starts her ploy to ensnare Hopsie in her revenge. She poses as the Lady Eve Sidwich at a party given by Hopsie’s father in her honor. There she meets Hopsie face-to-face.
She casually and non-chalantly greets him as if they had never met.
Hopsie was incredulous and caught tongue tied. He couldn’t believe this English Lady was the same grifter he had met on the boat.
He asks, “Have we met?”
“Of course we have, your father just introduced us.”
And it goes downhill quick for Hopsie from there.
Stanwyck plays it marvelously. Her face as she lies to him does not betray one hint of recognition. She is daring him to call her bluff. He doesn’t, and she subtly mocks him for it.
It’s enough to make Hopsie fall over himself.
The scene ends with a Hopsie’s father’s toast to the Lady Eve over her wily ways.
“Well, I don’t know what she looked like, but if she looked anything like you, here’s to her.”
She looked just like her, because it was her. She and her being the same person. It’s a brilliant line that gets to the theme of the movie.
If you haven’t seen it, I recommend that you do. It’s on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 comedies. Put it in your Netflix queue.
