Play review – “Sunday in New York” by Norman Krasna

Krasna's last real success for the stage - produced in 1961 by David Merrick, directed by Garson Kanin, starring a young Robert Redford. His plays could be a little bit racy for the time, and he always pushed it slightly forward - this one is about a virgin, Eileen, who arrives in New York after having been dumped by her fiancee for not having sex. She thinks her pilot brother is a virgin too then goes out and meets a handsome man, Mike, who she sometimes tries to seduce and other times tries not to. It's a little confusing to be honest - Krasna gets on more sure ground when the ex turns up while Eileen and Mike are in bathrobes and Mike pretends to be the brother. That isn't really a great basis for a play but it's enough to power an act. This feels a bit more "opened out" than Krasna's previous farces - there's scenes of Eileen and Mike on a bus, in a restaurant, storm sequences. Was this Kanin's influence or just Krasna working in the movies? Like most of Krasna's stuff, it's sweet and charming.

Play review – “John Loves Mary” by Norman Krasna

The success of Dear Ruth saw Krasna have another go at a comedy involving family, romance and GIs on leave; it's more of a classic farce, albeit less sweet and lovey, mainly because it's more cynical about the parents and the GI is in on the deception from the beginning. John's life was saved by a mate, Fred, in Italy - so to repay the favour he finds Fred's English ex (thought to be dead) and brings her back to the US by marrying her. This is despite the fact that John has his own girlfriend, Mary - whose father is a pompous senator - and Fred has re-married. The shenanigans which ensue are bright and fun for the most part - I wasn't wild about the extended scene where John had his pants down, but there enjoyable digs at the army, and it was a good twist to have Fred and John's old mate O'Leary pop up. The initial concept stretches credibility, but if you can accept it you'll have a good time.

Play review – “Wishful Drinking” by Carrie Fisher

Carrie Fisher seemed vagued out for a lot, and when she sings it's like watching a Carrie Fisher impersonator - but it's Carrie Fisher. She could get a show alone out of just being the child of Eddie and Debbie - throw in Star Wars, Paul Simon, writing Postcards from the Edge, drugs and shock therapy, a gay husband, a friend who died in bed next to her... and the show could have gone for twice as long. (There was no mention of Shampoo, Dan Ackroyd and the SNL crowd, etc.)
 Lots of fun, full of pain and self-deprecating humour - there's something very Aussie about Carrie Fisher. I thought I knew a fair bit about her but there was stuff unfamiliar to me - involving Eddie Fisher's other kids, her pre-Star Wars career (I didn't know she studied in London), the battles with mental issues, the relationship with Paul Simon. The second half had some real emotion - I think it was a mistake to start with a Q and A and bring up the dead friend at the beginning. Lots of classic lines rather than a true narrative, but come on, it's Carrie Fisher.
 The performance I saw had an appearance by Rufus Wainwright - which didn't really have impact because I didn't know what he looked like. She puts on the Leia wig, recites her plea to Obi-Wan and has a go at George Lucas, which surprised me. (Seen on Oct 12 at the State Theatre)

Radio review – SGT – “The Devil and Miss Jones” (1946) **1/2

Norman Krasna’s farce has been reduced to half an hour and altered so it can be a vehicle for Van Johnson, who plays the Robert Cummings part, a rare union hero. The protagonist really should be Guy Kibee (as Charles Coburn) but they dispense with the set up in a quick bit of dialogue in order to introduce Johnson; most of the action centers around the Coney Island sequence, with Kibee getting arrested for pawning a watch and Johnson coming to his rescue. Donna Reed is fine in the Jean Arthur part. 

It doesn’t quite work – the Spring Byington plot is ignored altogether – but if you’re a fan of the film you’ll find it interesting. There are bobbysoxers in the audience who scream at the presence of Johnson – and there’s a joke where Van Johnson goes “who do you think I am? Van Johnson?”

Radio review – BP#2 – “On Borrowed Time” (1946) ***

I was resistant to this at first but eventually gave in because it’s got such a great central premise – what would you do if you could keep death at bay? That’s what Grandpa does here – death gets stuck up an apple tree while coming to get gramps. He doesn’t want his orphaned grandson going over to his snobby relative. It’s a rich theme, not really developed here – the main arguments are against Grandpa's power ("you are stopping people from getting release") with not that many in favour (eg what about a child dying of cancer). At it's heart this is quite pro-euthanasia. Still, it gives you something to think about. Written by Paul Osborne and co-starring Mildred Natwick.

Play review – Dear Ruth” by Norman Krasna

Very slight but extremely sweet play, the kind of which sitcoms have made irrelevant, really – you can see them on the small screen. But of its kind it's well done, and you can see why it would have been so popular on Broadway during the war. The first act is the best, setting up a warm family environment – blustering dad, smart but loving mum, hot elder sister, feisty younger sister, handsome soldier – and they set up the initial situation, of the soldier having written to the younger sister thinking it’s the elder: a comic twist on They Knew What They Wanted (or Cyrano). But once that’s set up there’s not a lot more misunderstanding – everyone goes along with the deception because the soldier’s going overseas, there’s some minor complications when his sister turns up – but not a lot. It’s certainly not as intricate as say Bachelor Mother or Devil in Miss Jones or even the later John Loves Mary (I kept expecting another more complicating factor, eg his ex fiancée turns up or they become nationally famous) – but it does have a lot of charm.

Play review – “Rope” by Patrick Hamilton

The movie improved this in many ways, particularly with the supporting characters: in the play the young man and woman are just nitwits without any real connection to the recently deceased, and there's no auntie character. But the central concept remains and is strong - the two thrill killers, bumping off a young man and inviting his family and friends around for tea and crumpets afterwards.

The character of the professor was more vivid here - a war veteran who has an injury and is sullen and dark; a lot more interesting than James Stewart in the film (although had Cary Grant or James Mason played the part, it could have been totally different). There's also more fighting in the play with the professor fighting away with a cane. Marvellous entertainment.

(I saw this in 2010 at the Chatswood Zenith Theatre and in 2011 at the Bondi Pavilion. The latter production was superior, helped by Josh Quong Tart's brilliant performance as Rupert. Also Iain Sinclair's direction was vigorous, including an opening rape and murder in the nude, to really convey the horror of the crime. In both productions however some actors have a tendency to ham it up with accents and characterisation.)

Radio review – Lux – “Tender Comrade” (1945) **1/2

This film is best remembered because so many of it’s key filmmakers were blacklisted and it supposedly featured commie propaganda. It’s definitely socialist,with a bunch of women left at home pooling their resources while the men are away. (What did die-hard conservative Cecil B de Mille make about introducing this?) There’s faithful (if impatient) wife, a "man hungry" type, a kid whose marriage hasn’t been consummated. The look at marriage and female independence remains fresh and interesting; there’s an evil isolationist (“why should we fight for foreigners”) and a woman warns her husband away from those Australian women. Olivia de Havilland comfortably steps into Ginger Rogers’ role; June Duprez and Dennis O’Keefe are in the support cast.

TV review – “Underbelly: The Golden Mile” (2010) **1/2

Underbelly Two had a great story that wasn’t very successfully realised; this one simply doesn’t have enough story to sustain it’s running time. What might have made an entertaining four hours (maybe give at a stretch) is dragged over 14 episodes. So we have endless scenes of people walking around Kings Cross in slow motion, or those irritating photo montages. Cops do something corrupt and go out for a meal, then do something corrupt again and go out for another meal, etc etc. Emma Booth as Kim Hollingsworth is let down by men something like four times - you get sick of the character. (In the long run, a hooker turned cop isn’t that interesting.)

The series has it’s good points: Emma Booth was really good (it’s not her fault she’s in such a repetitive story), Firass Dirani is a star in the making as John Ibrahim (who comes out of this very nicely), Cheree Cassidy’s bogan whistleblower was a little different as a hero. There are some good episodes where things actually happen: like Dieter Brummer betraying his fellow cops and the final segment with DK’s boys going nuts (which feels tacked on). But there’s too little of it. And many of the cast are simply not up to the job: Brummer is too young (in a sketchy party – the Trevor Haken episode of Australian Story was a lot more interesting), Diarmind Heidenreich and Daniel Roberts are disastrously light-weight as cops (when Wil Traval joins the police force and they cut to them, it’s laughable) (NB I wasn’t that wild about Paul Tassone either but at least he has a decent moment slapping Cassidy); the characters are generally too simple (eg Trevor Haken’s wife in Australian Story sounded interesting but Natalie Bassingthwaite’s character here is just another “why are you never home” type). Underbelly are getting over-confident in their casting of soapie actors in roles – really good actors like Matt Day are wasted on the sidelines.

Radio review – Lux – “Brewster’s Millions” (1937) **1/2

Jack Benny’s persona depicted him as a great miser, so it’s a shame this classic farce wasn’t more adapted to him: he’s got to spend one million dollars in a year to inherit six million. A year is too long for a farce, although there are still some decent jokes. Mary Livingstone plays his fiancée.

Movie review – “Valentine’s Day” (2010) **

Dreadful, overlong rom com which managed to be a massive hit by virtue of it’s mega cast and title. An ensemble piece set in LA about people known to those who work in the film industry: assistants, TV producers, mail room attendants, florists, kids, their teachers, army officers you sat next to on a plane once. The stars come off well enough – Jennifer Garner and Ashton Kutcher are particularly likeable. Eric Dane's performance made me think he was a real life football star trying acting – I didn’t realise he was an actual actor. Taylor Swift gives the sort of performance where she’s obviously been given too much encouragement and praise off screen – some criticism might have helped (the two teen romance stories are heavily pro-virgin). Lots of pretty clothes and shots of the male cast with their shirts off – everyone seems to go to the same personal trainer.

Radio review - SGP - "Bachelor Mother" (1942) ***

A bright, skilled condensation of the classic farce, with Ann Southern very comfortable in the lead, and Fred MacMurray more believable as Charles Coburn's son than David Niven. Coburn is marvellous and he gets the best lines - "I don't care who the father is I'm the grandfather" and "that's the first true words that have been spoken in the last 48 hours".

Radio review – SGP – “Abroad and Two Yanks” (1944) **1/2

An alright farce but fascinating for Australian audiences as it's set in Sydney during WW2. William Bendix and Dennis O'Keefe reprise their film roles as two horny Yanks on leave who fight over a girl; O'Keefe pretends to be Bendix but the girl (here played by Marjorie Reynolds) figures it out pretty quickly, which is not good for farce. The second half is an extended drag act, which doesn't work on radio and the story just seems to end (the role of Cyril is minimised here). Lots of weird attempts at Aussie accents - cockney, English and American. Bright fun.

Radio review – TGA#5 - “Ah Wilderness” (1945) ***

A decent adaptation of Eugene O'Neil's only comedy, a fore-runner of the Hardy family series. Lots of aw shucks, supposedly hilarious drunken-ness, a wise paterfamilias, some serious subtext to do with sex (the 17year old is tempted to sleep with a hooker), romance, a happy ending. Much better than the Orson Welles version.

Radio review – TGA#75 – “Macbeth” (1947) ***1/2

A chance to hear two theatrical legends, Maurice Evans and Judith Anderson, do their stuff. They are very strong - if a little old-fashioned in their approach (i.e. bombastic rather than neurotic). Highly enjoyable to listen to - even if Orson Welles used to bitch about the praise that went Evans' way.

Radio review – Lux - “Where the Sidewalk Ends” **

A solid premise - a cop accidentally kills someone and is assigned to investigate the murder - isn't played out that interestingly. Maybe there's too much sap - the cop falls in love with the daughter of the guy who gets falsely convicted. Dana Andrews is strong as the cop - he was a better actor than he got credit for, Andrews.

Movie review – “Buried” (2010) ***1/2

I was mainly interested to see how they pulled off ninety minutes in a coffin and I've got to say they did it - so three cheers to everyone involved. After the opening few minutes I got used to being stuck in there. Sometimes the logic didn't quite work - I felt Ryan Reynolds would be calling up everyone under the sun, telling his story and explaining what was going on. But then I guess his character is stuck in a box and not thinking well. Some clever stuff involving mobile phones; Reynolds' back story could have been developed a little more I felt (eg his relationship with his wife).

Movie review – “All the Young Men” (1960) **1/2 (warning: spoilers)

Alan Ladd's films became increasingly depressing towards the end of his life, due in no small part to his own physical degradation; this one, although flawed, was at least made by someone who cared.

For starters, it has an unusual setting (snow-drenched hills of Korea during the initial American offensive of the Korean War) and a decent story (a black sergeant is promoted to be in charge of a platoon to the chagrin of his troops).

It's also got Sidney Poitier in the lead as (surprise) the black sergeant; he plays the role with his customary authority and dignity - although he threatens to shoot his men a lot! Ladd's role is undeveloped - apparently it was boosted into a co-star role and you can tell. He plays a sort-of racist, not convinced that Poitier should take over but not as evil as Paul Richards. Ladd looks puffy but he doesn't drag the film down. And he gets his leg amputated after having it run over by a tank - full on!

There's some authentic looking combat footage and an awful lot of talk. The structure is talk-talk-bang-bang-talk-talk. There's a real odd ball cast, most of whom who get a chance to chat and do schtick: there's James Darren, who sings a song; Ingemar Johansson, the boxer, who talks about a farm; comic Mort Sahl (very believable as a GI) who does comic routines. It's easy to make fun of some of the liberalism here eg Poitier giving a blood transfusion to Ladd - but it was pretty gutsy at the time.

Radio review - Lux - "People Will Talk" (1952) **1/2

Perhaps the least well-known film from Joseph Mankiewicz's incredible hot streak at 20th Century Fox. It's smart and entertaining, well played by Cary Grant and even Jeanne Crain, and touches on some interesting themes (babies out of wedlock, medical treatment). But it's kind of a weird story, not that interesting - there's two main plot strands, Grant being attacked for unconventional medicine, and romancing a woman who is unmarried and pregnant.

Radio review - Lux - "Viva Zapata" (1952) **

A chance to compare the acting talents of Charlton Heston and Marlon Brando, with Chuckles taking over the role as the famous Mexican revolutionary. Who do you think would be better? It's a normal Heston performance, all teeth and reticence. Jean Peters repeats her film performance. The story is alright - I'm sure it was a big deal at the time but there's been a few other tales like this.

Movie review - "Ten Tall Men" (1951) **

As producer, Burt Lancaster dabbled in all sorts of adventure genres: Westerns, swashbucklers, pirate movies, South Sea films. This was his foreign legion tale, and despite the colour photograph and some bright moments the result is disappointingly flat. The circumstances of filmmaking couldn't have helped - the director was sacked during production (a not un-common thing for Lancaster movies) - nor do the lousy locations (I don't mind foreign legion films shot in Hollywood but not when they're so obviously shot in Hollywood) or uninspired story (they set up a villain and female in the first act and don't do anything with it; the central idea of ten convicts going on a mission is kind of thrown away). The action is surprisingly flabby; Lancaster is so-so, but better than the guys who play his mates. Michael Pate pops up as one of the convicts who go on the mission. Robert Aldrich was a production manager on this.

Book review – “Noel Coward Diaries” by Noel Coward

Noel Coward created many fabulous performances, songs, plays, scripts, etc - but few of them matched the fabulousness of his life. A constant whirl of hard work, travel, parties, theatre going, film going, moving around the globe... This diary is an enormously entertaining account of his life from World War Two to 1969, when he found out he was going to be knighted (he died a few years later). He starts on a massive career high: the war was the time of Blithe Spirit, In Which We Serve and Brief Encounter, plus his famous tours - but when peacetime came things were a bit more difficult. There were a few flops and fizzes - but he kept banging away, working hard, turning out plays and books and stories, etc. He enjoyed massive success as a cabaret entertainer and some medium size play hits - although none of his post-war work seems to have reached his pre-war highs. He also turned down an astonishingly high number of roles in films/shows that became classics: The King and I, My Fair Lady, Dr No, Lolita, The Bridge on the River Kwai. His diary is often witty, always fascinating - like a lot of people who've worked since they were a child he was very conservative. Always interesting to read his take on other plays and films (eg he wasn't a fan of the Angry Young Men, but he did like Pinter). A delight.

Book review – “Charlton Heston Journals 1956-76” by Charlton Heston

I never really thought much of Charlton Heston until I read this book - he was just this swaggering, noble looking guy who wasn't much of an actor and showed off his teeth through a bunch of epic films. This diary reveals an intelligent, thoughtful man, very serious about his craft, always capable of taking risks. It made me revisit his performances - sorry, nope, I still don't think he was much of an actor (I went through the same thing with Mark Wahlberg after Entourage - respect him more as a person, still don't think much of him as an actor).

But he certainly had a worthy star career: he backed Orson Welles for Touch of Evil and tried to use him on other films (including Anthony and Cleopatra, which Welles wasn't available for but really should have done instead of Heston); he backed Sam Peckinpah on Major Dundee to the point of giving up salary for him; was involved in Civil Rights and went on the March to Washington; backed newbie Tom Gries for Will Penny; pushed through The War Lover; took chances on films like Pro and The Planet of the Apes (which could have been a disaster); constantly took off time to do theatre.

His film career became unexciting in the 70s when he was bogged down in too many disaster films - although successful, they were very same-y, and when the tide ran out on the cycle, Heston's career never quite recovered. 

 

(I think part of the problem was he wouldn't read a script unless it was accompanied by a firm offer - he should have looked around a bit for other parts in films by top directors.)

Very stiff and Protestant, not a barrel of laughs, Heston didn't become a big time gun-toting right-winger until after this journal, where he's still considering the Democrat Party - personally I think his primary motivation for this was because it offered him a great role. 

 

Fascinating reading - a lot more interesting than most Heston performances.

Book review – “Backstory 5” Ed Patrick McGilligan

An interesting collection of interviews, but probably the weakest in the series so far, mainly because it includes too many writers turned directors (Albert Brooks, John Hughes, Nora Ephron, John Sayles, Barry Levinson), thus their careers have already achieved decent PR - Backstory was all about shining a light on people who hadn't received enough notice. Also a lot of the interviews aren't as thorough. 

I found the most interesting interviews were with people who aren't that well known: Jean Claude Carrier, Ronald Harwood, Barbara Turner, Rudy Wurlitzer.

Radio review - Lux - "Algiers" (1941) **

Charles Boyer and Hedy Lamarr were never more perfectly cast as a doomed criminal and the beautiful girl who loves him. They're all attractive and doomed and ya ya ya. I wasn't wild about it, probably because I'd only recently listened to the Orson Welles version - not that it was so much better, but I suppose there's only so much exotic romantic tosh I can take.

Film review – "Prisoner of Zenda" (1952) ***1/2

This version of the famous swashbuckler often gets pooh-poohed because it was a shot-for-shot remake of the 1937 David O Selznick film (MGM was remake crazy in the 1950s), but I really enjoyed it. The story is great (the adaptation was very good), and this has the advantage of being in colour, with terrific sets and nice action.

Stewart Granger doesn't have the reputation as an actor that Ronald Colman does, but I thought he was good; he doesn't smell of old school tie, honour and sacrifice like Colman but he's a more of a believable action man, with a darker side to his persona (Colman could never have played Rupert of Hentzau, but Granger could have).

Deborah Kerr is pretty in a role which doesn't require much more than that; James Mason (Rupert) and Robert Douglas (Michael) are strong villains, though I wasn't wild about Louis Calhern as Sapt or Robert Coote as Fritz (C Aubrey Smith and David Niven were better); Mary Astor was also better than Jane Greer. 

Still, lots of fun and I'm not surprised it made money.

Script review – “Heat” by William Goldman

I read a copy of this at the Margaret Herrick Library - it was a shooting script. Apparently production of the film was fraught - Goldman has been sketchy on the details in his memoirs (because lawsuits are still flying, he claimed), but having seen the film it did appear to be reasonably faithful. (My memory may be playing tricks here, it's been a while since I saw the film.) The problems of the film are evident in the script: mainly, there's not enough story. I really liked the novel, Edged Weapons: it was a terrific character study about a "chaperone" in Vegas, a gambling addict who is also a ruthless fighter. The joy came in the little details and the character mixed in with the occasional outbursts of violence - for it to work it would have needed a director willing to embrace the nuance and atmosphere of it's world (Robert Altman, who was attached for a while, would have been terrific). Like all Goldman screenplays, though, it's a pleasure to read.

Radio review – Suspense – “Three Skeleton Key” (1956) ****

One of the most famous radio stories, because it perfectly suits the imagination - Vincent Price is a lighthouse keeper inundated by rats. Very spooky and atmospheric and the mind works wildly at the thought of all these rats. Price is the perfect person to do the voice, too. Some great information about the story is here.

Radio review – Suspense – “The Plan”(1946) ** (warning: spoillers)

Meat and potatoes: Claire Trevor, a husband who may be insane, small town setting, a twist about identity (it’s the husband!), another twist (she was in it all along)

Radio review – Lux – “The Philadelphia Story” (1943) **

Philip Barry's play always had things that irritated me (it's snobbishness towards rich people, that awful scene where Tracy's father blames his infidelity on his daughter, the fact Tracy should really go off with the reporter, the undercooked romance between the reporter and the photographer... gee, I've thought about this, haven't I?) - but the playing in the film version and the musical remake were of such a high quality it didn't matter. 

Here the talent is strictly B grade - Loretta Young, Robert Taylor and Robert Young. Yuck! I mean, I don't mind these actors in other roles but none of them are high comedy experts. Fascinating in a way to listen to for that reason - just not that funny.

Radio review – Lux – “Strictly Dishonorable” (1952) *

I’ve never read or seen Preston Sturges’ hit play – the one that launched his career – but I bet it’s balls were cut off by this MGM adaptation. A subsequent perusal of its synopsis after listening to this proved me correct. MGM turned this into crappy pro-virgin fluff about an opera singer who offends a hopeless student and has to fight off a scandal involving a dopey fan. No real funny lines or situations, and bad playing from Fernando Lamas (replacing Enzio Pinza, whose film career was killed off by the failure of this and Mr Imporium) and Janet Leigh, neither known for comedy.

Radio review - Lux - “Wabash Avenue” (1950) **

A remake of Coney Island (it hit cinemas only seven years after the original did - the old days weren't that original) isn't as much fun to listen to without being able to see the colour and dancing and Betty's legs. Betty is likeable enough as the singer squabbled over by some competing men, including Victor Mature - who is engaging but not as good as George Montgomery (a sort of imitation Clarke Gable type who was really good in the original). There are some songs and a comic Irishman.

Radio review – Lux - “The Pride of the Yankees” (1943) ***

The Lou Gehrig story is a remarkable one, even without Hollywood dramatization – the son of an immigrant who became one of the greatest baseball players ever, before being struck down while still playing with a disease that was named after him. Gary Cooper is aw shucks and tentative in the lead role but they liked that then. Virginia Bruce replaces Teresa Wright as his wife. The device about the sports writing best friend then wasn’t as hackneyed as it became. The final speech remains very moving - this is perhaps the most famous "guy cry" movie, weepies for men (basically about sports people who become terminally ill eg Brian's Song, The Champ, Bang the Drum Slowly.)

Radio review – Lux – “The Petrified Forest” (1937) *** (warning: spoilers)

Dreamy Margaret Sullavan is better casting than the driven Bette Davis as the dreamy girl at the diner taken over by hoods; Herbert Marshall is an okay replacement for Leslie Howard as the drifting former writer (like Howard, Marshall specialised in wet roles, but I didn’t quite warm to him here; maybe he lacks the poetic quality that Howard had. Bogart is greatly missed; he’s replayed by some guy (Eduardo or someone Something) who turns in a standard gangster performance, without any of Bogart’s humour or sense of honour. The structure is still sound, and adapts well to radio (despite some crappy machine gun sound effects at the end) – and there’s the great moment where the poet asks the gangster to kill him and the gangster complies. Was that a happy ending I heard, where Marshall lived? I wasn’t sure. A special guest appears at the break – a man who worked for National Parks at the real petrified forest; he said some interesting stuff but he goes on and on.

Radio review - Suspense - "The Name of the Beast" (1946) **1/2

Vincent Price is a lot of fun as a painter who finds that he crook who has been modelling for his painting has recently robbed a pawnshop and killed someone. Eventually Price turns murderous as well. A concept strong enough to have supported a feature, with a great star performance.

Movie review - "Cop Out" (2010) **

A bad movie, and no amount of wishing is going to make it otherwise. It's incredibly frustrating, because you can see so clearly what Kevin Smith wanted to do - make a homage to 80s buddy cop films. But it fails for two main reasons, neither of them Smith's.

Firstly, the script is wrong - the buddy films worked because they were firstly dramatic/action stories, with comedy added (eg Lethal Weapon, Running Scared, 48 Hours) - this is just a silly story with a bit of action. It lacks a decent villain, climax, ideas, etc (although I did enjoy Sean William Scott's thief).

 Secondly, Bruce Willis looks bored and disinterested through the whole film - he has zero chemistry with Tracy Morgan (who doesn't quite get his character right either, but at least seems to be trying). He also plays an unlikeable character - he clearly was a dud dad, why should we care if he pays for the wedding or not?

Watching this, I kept wishing the budget had been ten times smaller with a Smith script and Smith leads (supporting actors Sean William Scott, Adam Brody and Jason Lee all would have been better) - or twice as larger so at least that way there would have been some decent stunts.

Radio review - Lux - "Hitler's Children" (1943) *** (warning: spoilers)

A massively popular B film from RKO, it remains a decent story, more than just an interesting period piece, kind of like a Young Guns meets the Nazis. It's about various young kids who are drawn into Nazi life prior to WW2 centering around the romance between a young couple in particular. There's a powerful ending with the two of them shot to death in a courtroom!!

This sort of young-people-dealing-with-big-issues story is universal; they could remake it. Bonita Granville, Otto Kruger and Kent Smith reprise their film roles; Tim Holt doesn't (Holt was a cowboy actor who kept popping up in really important/interesting films: Magnificent Ambersons, this, Stagecoach, Treasure of Sierra Madre, His Kind of Woman).

Radio review – Lux – “My Cousin Rachel” (1952) **1/2

Richard Burton made a starry debut in the film version and it would have been great to hear his big booming voice on radio – but unfortunately we’ve got Ron Randell. Randell is an Aussie who had a Hollywood career but never reached the top rank – his voice is a bit whimpy sounding and his performance lacks fire, which perhaps explains why. This is important as the whole story revolves around the jealousy of his none-too-stable character. 

Olivia de Havilland repeats her film performance; there's nothing wrong with it, she was an excellent actor, but I always felt she was slightly miscast. I think they were going for "Oh Olivia - she's not your cliched femme fetale so it's more interesting" - but the story would have been more fun with a femme fetale. (An excellent synopsis of the novel can be found here.)

Radio review - Lux - "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1949) ***1/2

Bogie reprises his legendary film role in this enjoyable adventure tale. I'll put my hand up and admit I don't find this as sensational as some (apparently it was one of Kubrick's favourite movies) - something about it doesn't quite work... it feels a bit predictable, maybe? I can't quite put my finger on it. I like it, mind you, I just don't feel it's awesome. Bogart is very good, as is Walter Huston.

Radio review - Lux - "Hands Across the Table" (1937) ***

A high concept rom com which could be remade today - a pretty manicurist and a good looking man from an impoverished once great family both try to nab rich partners and fall in love. Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea step into parts played by Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray and do very well. Bright and fun, if not too heavy on plot. And it felt a bit yuck that Colbert dumps the wheelchair bound rich guy.

Radio review - Lux - "It Started with Eve" (1944) ***1/2

The announcer informs us that this was the first movie watched by American troops after they landed at D-Day - and I guess it was as good as any, a bit of light relief after those horrid couple of days. It was one of Deanna Durbin's best films, although she doesn't play her role - that honour goes to Susannah Foster, Universal's Durbin back up, who does her best and sings some songs prettily but is no Deanna. 

Dick Powell is a poor substitute for Bob Cummings - he just doesn't have Cummings' light touch - but Charles Laughton is excellent repeating his film role. At the end of the show Powell makes a crack about Laughton's weight and you can hear Laughton getting annoyed.

Radio review - Lux - "Adam and Evelyne" (1952) *

Why did anyone think this would make a good film? It's only interest comes from the fact it stars real-life couple Stewart Granger and Jean Simmons. Granger plays a smooth talking gambler who agrees to look after the orphaned daughter (Simmons) of his dead best friend - the first act consists of Simmons thinking that Granger is her dad. Yuck! Then she finds out the truth and acts two and three consist of Granger trying to hide from Simmons the fact he's a gambler.

That's a stupid story full of dodgy subtext and it's not very entertaining. Granger is better at comedy than I would have thought; Simmons' child bride character grates, on air at least.