A GUY NAMED JOE (1943)

At a British air base during World War II, Spencer Tracy is a cocky pilot who disregards safety standards and good team behavior. His commanding officer (James Gleason), having had enough, sets in motion a plan to get Tracy to a different base in Scotland on reconnaissance flights and out of harm’s way, and eventually back to the States as a flight instructor. His cargo pilot girlfriend (Irene Dunne) is also unhappy, calling him a "dime store hero," but she melts when he gives her a lovely new dress from London. After a few weeks in Scotland, Dunne visits Tracy and his flying buddy (Ward Bond), and Tracy tries to talk her into going back to the States with him and taking a desk job. One night, before a routine flying assignment, Dunne gets a shiver when she looks at his plane then tells Bond that she's had a premonition that Tracy's number is up and he shouldn’t fly. Sure enough, while attacking a German aircraft carrier, his plane is hit. On Tracy's orders, his other crew members bail out but he makes one last dive toward the carrier, blowing it up but also crashing into the ocean. The next thing he knows, he's walking around in the clouds. A young pilot (Barry Nelson) takes him to see The General (Lionel Barrymore), and Tracy realizes he is in Air Corps heaven. The General assigns him to be a guardian angel to a rookie pilot down on Earth. The trick is that, though he'll be able to influence the pilot with his thoughts, no one will be able to see or hear him. He and Nelson are sent to Phoenix and Tracy works with a rich boy rookie (Van Johnson) to give him skill and confidence. Coincidentally, Johnson is sent to a base in Australia where both Dunne and Bond are stationed. Though it's been a year, Dunne has still not gotten over Tracy's death. But soon, Dunne hits it off with Johnson, and Tracy, jealous, starts to encourage Johnson to engage in hot-dogging feats. Dunne also seems to sense Tracy's presence. Eventually, Dunne agrees to marry Johnson, but when he gets a particularly dangerous mission that she thinks he's not ready for, she sneaks into the plane and flies it. Tracy joins her in an attempt to guide her like he guides Johnson, even though he knows that if she survives, he will lose her forever to Johnson.

When I first got interested in classic films back in the 1990's, this wartime romantic fantasy had a solid reputation and was shown frequently on TCM. I think over the years, it's lost some of its sheen. I had a VHS copy of this in the 90s, but it wasn't released on DVD until 2013 and has not yet made it to Blu-ray. Part of it might be due to the very MGM sentiment and gloss that made it popular in the 40s and kept it watchable for years after. Other movie afterlife fantasies of the era, such as It's a Wonderful Life, The Bishop's Wife, and A Matter of Life and Death, are still in vogue, partly because they are a bit rougher, a bit messier emotionally. Tracy and Dunne are great together, they have a strong supporting cast, and Dunne's character is a strong and independent woman, but the plot feels much more predictable than that of the other films mentioned. From the moment Tracy starts guiding Johnson, there was never a doubt in my mind what was coming next and what the outcome would be. (Spoiler alert: Dunne survives, goes off with Johnson, and Tracy leaves satisfied that she's in good hands. Oddly, the original script called for Dunne to be killed in her last flight and reunited in Heaven with Tracy, but I imagine the studio thought that might send the wrong message to grieving families, not to mention that the Production Code might see her death as a suicide.) There is use of overlapping dialogue in an early conversation scene between Tracy and Dunne which gives a nice sense of casual intimacy to their relationship. I didn't find the low energy Barrymore effective as the God figure, though he certainly returned to fine form a few years later in Wonderful Life. Miniatures used for flight scenes are pulled off pretty well, though modern audiences may not agree. At two hours, it does drag a bit in the middle, but it’s still watchable thanks to the actors, and some small grace notes, especially a sweet scene in which Johnson intercedes to help a lonely nerdy boy get in touch with his mother. There is no one named Joe in the movie; the title comes from the belief of some British children that all Americans call anyone who is a "right chap" Joe. Pictured are Dunne, Tracy and Johnson. [TCM]

MOTHER JOAN OF THE ANGELS (1961)

In a 17th century Polish village, Father Jozef stops at an inn, seeming emaciated and a bit nervous. He is joining a group of priests sent to investigate the reported demonic possession of nuns at a convent, in particular the mother superior, Mother Joan, and perform an exorcism if necessary. A local priest, Garniec, had been accused of sorcery and sexual assault and burned at the stake, though the nuns supposedly looked forward to his visits, and they have been possessed ever since. Where the other priests failed, Jozef is determined to succeed. When Jozef confronts Joan, she names the eight demons that are involved, cackling and creeping about as the other nuns frolic. (One nun, Sister Malgorzata, who is not possessed, visits the village inn frequently, and eventually leaves the convent to partner up with a traveling squire, leading to unhappiness.) When Jozef and the other priests sprinkle the nuns with holy water, they scream and contort, and Joan says that one of the demons leaves, which still leaves seven more. Eating barely enough to stay alive and inexperienced in the ways of the world, Jozef continues his battle, both spiritual and personal, with Mother Joan. She admits that she opened her soul to the demons and enjoys the feeling of being possessed. After consulting with a local rabbi, Jozef decides the only way to exorcise Joan is to take the demon on himself.

This is based on a Polish novella which was itself based on a true story that happened in France and was the basis of Aldous Huxley’s non-fiction book The Devils of Loudun. The most famous adaptation of this story is the controversial Ken Russell film The Devils which covers the confrontation between the first priest (Grandier in real life) and the nuns. This movie picks up some time after that priest’s death, and the character of Father Jozef is also based on a real person. Russell's film is full of blasphemous sexual activity and was originally rated X; this is a much more sedate affair, shot in gorgeous black and white with a fluid camera in sparse settings with imagery reminiscent of the work of Ingmar Bergman. The carrying-on of the nuns is much less explicit here but still unsettling. Lucyna Winnicka is excellent as Mother Joan, alternately seductive and innocent, and Mieczyslaw Volt every bit as good, if less showy, as the mild-mannered priest who becomes focused, determined (he practices self-flagellation), and eventually more unbalanced than the nuns. He seems doomed from the start, though the cause of his doom is not predictable. Volt also plays the rabbi in a short scene near the end. There seems to be confusion over where the film is set. Wikipedia says it takes place in the Russian village of Smolensk, some reviewers refer to it being in Loudun in France. I don't think any place names are mentioned in the movie, but with the background and the character names, Poland seems most likely. A strong feeling of fate runs through this story which falls back on psychological explanations rather than spiritual ones for the possession and its aftermath. Worth seeing, especially if you’re a fan of Russell’s earlier film. Directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz. [YouTube]

THE SAINT'S DOUBLE TROUBLE (1940)

In Cairo, a nicely dressed man (Bela Lugosi) sends a large box off to a Prof. Bitts in Philadelphia. The return address on the box is that of Simon Templar, better known as The Saint, a reformed gentleman thief who frequently helps the police even if not everyone is convinced that he has truly reformed. But if we've seen any of the previous Saint movies from RKO we know that this man is not Templar. Bitts is excited to get the box; it contains a 4,000 year old mummy that Templar had promised years ago to send to the professor. Anne, the professor's daughter, had a teenage crush on Templar but was upset by his criminal activities, and she still doesn't think well of him. That evening, Templar (George Sanders) visits the professor and takes a look at the mummy, clearly looking for something else that should be there. Ann has a mildly bitter exchange with Templar and we pick up on the fact that Templar seems a bit confused by some of her remarks. In fact, this man is not Templar at all, but a lookalike crime boss named Bates. That evening, a man is murdered right outside the professor's home, and a card left on the body puts the blame on The Saint (it's signed with a hasty sketch of a stick-figure man with a halo). As it happens, Inspector Fernack from New York, who knows Templar, is visiting Philadelphia, and he agrees to help the cops. The real Templar shows up and, though Fernack believes he's innocent, Templar must stay in hiding. Thus begins a series of incidents in which Templar is mistaken for Bates, and Bates for Templar. More deaths occur with Saint calling cards, making it hard for Fernack to stand up for Templar, but with the help of Anne, and after escaping death by drowning, Templar finally brings Bates down and justice is served.

I enjoy the Saint movies but the character never comes to life like Poirot or Perry Mason or Charlie Chan. The chief pleasure here is watching George Sanders cavort in his understated way, wryly delivering dialogue and remaining unflustered no matter what comes his way. He's fine in the dual role, though he changes not a whit of his performance between Templar and Bates, both having the same mannerisms, accent, and way of carrying themselves, though they do dress slightly differently, and Bates sometimes speaks at a slightly faster pace. Part of the fun becomes trying to keep track of who Sanders is playing at any given moment. Helen Whitney (aka Helene Reynolds) is fine as Anne, as is Jonathan Hale who returns from previous films as Fernack. But the most fun comes from Bates' two henchmen (John F. Hamilton as Limpy—guess why—and Elliott Sullivan as Monk) who are frequently confused by the doppelganger gimmick. Monk makes some amusing malapropisms, such as saying that someone is suffering from "hallelujah fascinations" instead of hallucinations. Bela Lugosi is quite good, fairly successfully putting Dracula out of our minds after his first scene. The B-movie budget shows in bland sets and a script in which some plotpoints are never explained. The bad guys are diamond smugglers but one tends to forget exactly what the MacGuffin is. Still, it's fun watching for Sanders and his dual role hijinks. Pictured are Sullivan and Sanders. [DVD]

WORKING GIRLS (1931)

Two small-town sisters, Mae and June, come to New York and get a room at Rolfe House, a boarding house for working women. Mrs. Johnstone, the house mother, tries to keep them on the straight and narrow, closing the windows and pulling the blinds when wild music and dancing start up in the next building, but the girls manage to listen and do a little dancing themselves. 19-year-old June applies for a job as assistant to academic researcher Prof. Von Schrader, but when she admits she has virtually none of the advertised requirements, he ends up hiring her sister Mae, who at least has more education. June sneaks her way into a job at a hotel telegraph office and starts dating Pat, a carefree saxophone player who plays radio gigs. Meanwhile, Mae falls in with Boyd, a handsome Harvard man turned lawyer and both dating sisters wind up barely getting home by the midnight curfew. When Von Schrader proposes to Mae, she tells him about Boyd and he lets her go, assuming she'll be getting married soon. Mae sleeps with Boyd but he leaves town on a business trip and when he returns, he's engaged to a rich girl. June goes to dinner with Von Schrader and talks him into rehiring Mae. He does, though he is now clearly smitten with June. Soon, the situation is this: Mae is pregnant, Boyd is dumped by his socialite gal, and June tries to engineer a literal shotgun wedding for Mae and Boyd, while Von Schrader pines away for June. Happy endings, anyone?

This pre-code film is an uneasy blend of melodrama and romantic comedy, and things do work out for all concerned without a gun being fired, which is not quite how I expected it to end when I was at the halfway point. It's also a blend of realism (the conditions of the working girls, the relationship between Mae and Boyd) and the unreal (the ease with which they find jobs, most of the plot involving Von Schrader) that feels awkward at times. Dorothy Arzner directed and to her credit, things don't get too sentimental or romantic. In fact, both Mae and June wind up at the end in relationships that seem more practical than happy, and I suspect the marriages will last just long enough for the sisters to build up new defenses and get back out on the streets again. They come off as more or less accidental gold-diggers with neither one seen as hardened or especially well-skilled in their use of feminine wiles. This is a B-film from Paramount which means it looks good but has second-rank stars. Two women who never got past the starlet stage play the leads: Judith Hall is June, the smarter of the two, and Dorothy Hall is Mae, the naive one. Both are fine if not standouts. Stuart Erwin is casually charming as Pat, the sax player who pops in and out of the story when needed. Charles 'Buddy' Rogers, who plays Boyd, starred in WINGS, the first film to win an Oscar for best picture, and later married Mary Pickford. Paul Lukas (Von Schrader) would go on to a long career, winning an Oscar for WATCH ON THE RHINE. You may recognize Frances Dee and Claire Dodd as other boarding house residents. One young woman, the front door keeper, is perhaps coded as a lesbian though nothing comes of it. Recommended if only for the slight subversion that the working girl romance is given. Pictured is Rogers. [Criterion Channel]

STRANGE FASCINATION (1952)

Paul Marvan (Hugo Haas) is a once-promising concert pianist whom we first see listening to a piano recital at the Carnegie Hall stage door. Dressed shabbily, we see him go to a Salvation Army hall where he plays piano for no one. In a flashback, we see Paul a few years earlier in Salzburg where he has won accolades for his performance of Chopin pieces. Rich widow Diana Fowler (Mona Barrie) thinks he could be a hit in the States and offers to sponsor a concert tour for him; he would start small (in Columbus, my home town!) and slowly build to an appearance at Carnegie Hall. Divorced from his pianist wife due to career jealousies, Paul has no ties in Salzburg so he accompanies Diana to New York City where he lives in a wing of her luxury apartment. Her children and her bitchy card playing friends don't quite approve of the arrangement but it seems rather innocently one-sided; she's clearly in love while he's focused on his piano playing. He feels bad about asking her for more favors, primarily needing money to pay for the insurance on his hands, but she never turns him down. Alone at a club one night, fussing about his table and chair, he unwittingly spoils the timing of Margo (Cleo Moore), the performing dancer. She thinks he did it on purpose and when she finds out who he is, she goes to his recital, intending to spoil it by fussing and making noises, but she becomes wrapped up in his playing and winds up getting his autograph and meeting him for drinks. One thing leads to another and, both admiring him but also sensing that he might make a good meal ticket, Margo breaks up with her dancing partner Carlo and moves in with Paul, eventually marrying him. Diana is not happy but remains faithful and continues to supply him with money when needed. After a leg of his concert tour is canceled due to weather-related disasters, his career dreams begin to fade and Margo goes back into show business in a musical that her former partner Carlo is choreographing. Driven by desperation and remembering his hand insurance, he deliberately sticks his hand in a printing press, mangling it so he can't use it. But the insurance claim is turned down when the company becomes suspicious. We return to the beginning of the film, with Paul playing in the Salvation Army hall with one hand. Could some kind of happy ending be in store for him?

Hugo Haas made a name as director, writer, and star in B-picture melodramas which usually followed the outline of this one in which he plays an older man taken advantage of by a young, sexy woman, often played by the blonde and buxom Cleo Moore (this was the first of seven films they made together). Moore's bad girl characters usually had some mildly redemptive quality, and here, Margo, though certainly a gold digger, is also truly appreciative of Paul's talent, and sticks with him longer than she needed to. She's also not the cause of his downfall. Diana is the character who is the most used; she hides her love for Paul and somewhat masochistically continues to help him out despite being largely ignored by him in the last half of the film. Some viewers on IMDb call this movie sad and depressing, but it's no more so than any generic melodrama of the era. In fact, against all odds, there is a relatively happy ending for Paul, and hope is held out that he might be able to play concerts again. The acting all around is par for the course, with Moore giving the best performance. Haas typically underplays a bit, which works in some scenes and doesn't in others. Barrie doesn't seem to understand her character and she reacts to everything with a blank, underplayed stoicism. Rick Vallin is fine as Carlo, in a role that should have been better developed. Though Diana's world is supposed to be high class, the film's low budget undercuts that with cheap sets that don't begin to suggest the world of a socialite. Otherwise, this is watchable, and highly recommended for fans of Haas, Moore, or soapy melodrama. [Criterion Channel]

MONSTROSITY aka THE ATOMIC BRAIN (1963)

"Can death be outwitted?" a narrator asks us over footage of a scientist in a hazmat suit engaging in brain transplantation experiments. Will rich old people be able to obtain young healthy bodies? So far, this scientist, Dr. Frank, has put animal brains into a drooling stitched-up thug who looks like an insane Stephen Stills (pictured) and who serves as a guard, and a lovely naked woman who walks around in a trance. All this work is being done for the bitter old Mrs. March who has a plan: she will essentially kidnap a young woman, make the woman the recipient of her will, and have her old lady brain put in the young woman's body so she can be young, sexy and rich. We learn that the doctor has a nuclear reaction switch installed in his lab so he could, if needed, blow the entire place to smithereens (I call that Chekhov's nuclear reaction switch because you know you'll see it again). Mrs. March has advertised for maids and winnowed the replies down to three lovely women: the British Bea, the Austrian Nina, and the Mexican Anita. When they arrive at the mansion, the old lady's first move is to make them turn and pose like models. This sets off mild alarm bells for the women, but not enough for them to leave. Anita is immediately rejected and is given a basement room near Dr. Frank's lab while the other two get upstairs bedrooms. The next day, the upstairs girls are told that Anita has left, but actually the mad doctor has killed the old lady's cat and put its brain into Anita, causing her to crawl and prowl and meow. Nina and Bea become suspicious, and when Bea runs across Anita perched on top of a gazebo, Anita hisses and scratches out one of Bea's eyes. With Anita and Bea out of the running, it's just a matter of time before Dr. Frank straps Nina down to prepare her for the brain transplant. This low-budget 60s horror/sci-fi flick is nothing special, though it may appeal to those who like the combination of sexy ladies, the piling on of outré incidents and cheesy special effects. My favorite moments involve Anita acting like a cat, among the best acting moments in a movie that is indifferently acted by all. Marjorie Eaton as Mrs. March seems to be giving it her all, but she turns in a rather shrill one-note performance that wore me down by the halfway point. Erika Peters, who had a fairly active career in TV shows of the 1960s, is pretty good as Nina. Frank Gerstle, a busy character actor, is adequate but a bit low-key as Dr. Frank. Everyone else feels a bit amateurish, and the post-dubbed sound doesn't help. Though only an hour long, this plods along predictably to a sort of fun final punch-line scene. Don't bother. Released to TV (and mocked on MST3K) as THE ATOMIC BRAIN. [YouTube]