Movie review - "Let's Be Happy" (1957) **

 Random British musical which is very American in feel including director, Henry Levin and two stars, Vera Ellen and Tony Martin. They are talented but very much B list.

The story is weak. It's Cinderella only Vera Ellen isn't that poor or suffering and has no wicked step mothers or step sisters. She has no character. Neither does tony Martin - he sells washing machines and sings and is meant to be a play boy but that's it.

They should have kept Martin singing constantly and Vera Ellen dancing constantly.  

Book review - "Joan Crawford" by Scott Eyman (2025)

 Very good book. Eyman loves to step up when redeeming maligned figures. He's sympathetic to Joan but doesn't gloss over her negative qualities. Solid research. A few too many smart ass asides.

Book review - "Deliver Me From Nowhere" by Warren Zanes

 Read this specifically to see if there was a movie in it. There isn't. Sorry. Haven't seen the movie. But it's a chapter, not a whole story. As a book it's fine because it drills down into songs and so on. But no sweeping narrative. Well written and researched. Springsteen comes out of it well.

Movie review - "The Guilt of Janet Ames" (1947) *1/2

 A film with its head up its arse. Starts alright - Rosalind Russell walks in front of a car, we wonder why, boozy journo Melvyn Douglas investigates in part because he knew her dead husband, she's got PTSD from death of her husband, she resents the survivors.

But then - ugh - Douglas asks her a bunch of questions and we go into dream sequences of meeting the people who's life her dead husband saved. They include newcomer Betsy Blair wife of some dull soldier, and Sid Caesar who does an unfunny though energetic seven minute comic routine. 

Psychology dramas work best when there's some secret and/or social point ef Suddenly Last Summer, Home of the Brave. This is just bad.

Problematic shoot Producer writer Virgina Van Upp clashed with Charles Vidor and quit, Vidor quit. 

This film was inept. 

Movie review - "The President's Lady" (1953) **

 The story of Andrew Jackson and his wife, best remembered for being bigamous.  Charlon Heston plays Jackson in his typical dogged, conscientous way. Ditto Susan Hayward as is lady love. Slavery and Indians are dealt with as you'd expect, i.e. mostly ignored - Hayward has a black maid.

The story constantly has Jackson going away, which isn't that interesting. Look, this is fine. Acting fine, treatment fine. Lacks fire.  I didn't care for the characters. Might be different for Americans with more of a connection to Jackson.

Movie review - "The Lonely Man" (1957) **

 Solid story but of a type that would become over saturated on TV - gunslinger tries to connect with long lost son despite other outlaws being on his tail. Superb villains - Neville Brand, Claude Akins - but Jack Palance is awkward as the gunslinger and never convincing for a second as Tony Perkins' son. Perkins is a lousy cowboy. (It's amazing how often he was miscast in his career.)

Moody, lots of chat. They could've livened it up with action but they don't. More typical of director Heny Levin's Columbia films.  The idea of Palance going blind had huge potential they don't do enough with it.

Movie review - "Convicted" (1950) ***

 Solid melodrama which benefits from its well-honed story, already filmed twice before. Broderick Crawford and Glenn Ford are ideally cast as a DA/warden who takes an interest in prisoner Glenn Ford.

Crawford plays a real bleeding heart - giving Ford arguments to get out of trouble, criticising Ford's lawyer, lets Ford drive his daughter around, goes above and beyond helping Ford get parole..

The relationship between Dorothy Malone and Ford is quite well done mostly because of the stars. I wish it had an extra beat/complication.

Well handled from director Henry Levin. Beautifully shot. John Ireland turned down a role - foolish. His sexiness and threat would've worked well, better than the old character actors. 

Enjoyable prison picture.