The Crystal Ball

The Crystal Ball (1943)

Utterly fun, snappy, well written, smartly filmed, and all round entertaining. Yes. But also dependent on a plot device or two that push credulity. It's made to be a bit mad-cap, if not true screwball, and so it's easy to look the other way. If Paulette Goddard as the leading lady (ladies, in this case) is charming and friendly (and pretty, which is her main calling card to some), she is also a bit thin, and even comedies need complexity of character. Across from her is Ray Milland who has always been an odd leading man, likable and probably handsome to some, but lacking some kind of gravity or depth or charm to make him truly leading.

So this movie has it all and yet not quite all.

Goddard became famous when she got involved (literally) with Charlie Chaplin, and starred in his fabulous "Modern Times" in 1936. She was then set for all kinds of roles including comedy spots like playing opposite Bob Hope a couple times. I find her always fun, and maybe she's perfect for movies that have no pretensions, just as much as she seems to have none. Ginger Rogers was originally intended for this role in "The Crystal Ball" but the Goddard stepped in, and you can feel (maybe) the part fitting Rogers just as well or better.

Milland, a British (Welsh) actor who still hadn't found his stride in Hollywood, is almost working too hard here. At times he pours on the cheerful energy and you see his inner playfulness, but it comes off a little intentional. He isn't, maybe, actually playful on camera, always too self aware. He is, though, a decent substitute for Charles Boyer, who would have played the part with more mystery but maybe, judging from his other films of the time, less natural humor.

And then there is the story itself, a clever, marshmallow version of a Shakespearean identity switch. The main idea, that the same woman can put a veil over half her face and fool people who already know her, is one of the conceits of the movies (seen in masquerade balls most often) and I don't buy it. You won't either. Instead you have to just enjoy the idea and the fun to be had. The additional twists of an actual swindle involving the government and, briefly, a government agent is a bit much, too, but just go with the flow.

I'm being a bit critical all along because I really liked this film and found the weaknesses unfortunate. It has the bones and the great filming style of a great one. I'd watch it again, if that's some clue. William Bendix is fun, as always, and Cecil Kellaway, the man at the carnival booth, is pretty terrific.

Director Elliott Nugent is one of those workaday standard bearers who can pull a good crew together and he does well here (in the same way as he did in "The Cat and the Canary"). Cinematographer Leo Tover, though less known that some of the legends, has a whole slew of great movies to his name ("The Day the Earth Stood Still," "The Heiress," "Dead Reckoning") and he deserves a lot of the credit for holding this all together and giving it ambiance. It's the small things like this that make this film look and feel even better than it is, all told. Give it a cheerful chance. It may surprise you.

"The Crystal Ball" is a screwball that's genuinely *hilarious* for much of its runtime. In fact, I'd venture to say this one's a good bit funnier than many critically acclaimed top-tier comedies of the period. I'm puzzled by the middling reception it's gotten over the years. Every single actor is cast perfectly and the script, courtesy of the ingenious Virginia Van Upp, remains whip-crack through its brief runtime.

In fairness to the movie's detractors, the plot really is ludicrous beyond words. Things kick off when a maid hides the emerald ring of her dizzy society dame employer, advising her to visit a fortune telling psychic who's aided in retrieving similar objects. Things just progressively wackier from there: we get to spend time at carnival shooting gallery manned by Cecil Kellaway (of all people) and watch Ray Milland get genuinely crushed in an avalanche of watermelons!

All the scenes with Gladys George in her fortune teller's tent are pure gold. I loved that she had a small arsenal of "Who's Who" books to assist in her hot readings of society matrons, somewhere near the side room where she keeps her ectoplasm handy! Paulette Goddard, who's been hired as George's assistant, affects a terrific Southern belle accent when she's in a spirit trance (her character's from Texas).

The best scene has Ray Milland bringing Goddard home to a random apartment because she doesn't want to reveal she's living with a fortune teller. It happens to be the home of a bitterly feuding alcoholic couple, with poor Paulette quickly getting caught in the fray. The wartime propaganda in this one is kept to a minimum, although there's a cute bit where Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo serve as targets at the shooting gallery. When hit in the right order, they trigger a musical number and kick each other in the rear!

I can't rave enough about this one. That "The Crystal Ball" is so good yet so comparatively unheralded is a reflection on how accomplished the Hollywood studio system was at this time. They were making so many great pictures at such a fast clip that gems like these get lost in the shuffle.

It was wonderful to see the stars at their peaks. Paulette Goddard, that attractive kitten, with Ray Milland at his most subtle best. They make a terrific pair and made several more films together (Reap The Wild Wind, Kitty and The Lady Has Plans) due to the chemistry of their screen partnership. This is a funny film about a gal from Texas, down on her luck, who gets a job helping out a Fortune Teller, Gladys George, and in the process falls for a well-to-do lawyer, Milland. Things, as always in screwball comedies, get mixed up but in the end girl gets guy and all live happily ever after. Enjoyed this very much. Four stars for the two stars Goddard and Milland.

Toni (Paulette Goddard) and Jo (Virginia Field) are both keen to pursue Brad (Ray Milland). While Brad and Jo are already acquainted, Toni sees her opportunity for an introduction with Brad by impersonating a fortune-teller Madame Zenobia (Gladys George) and telling him his fortune lies with someone else who he is about to meet who has red hair and is eating an apple (ie, herself out of her disguise). At the same time, she gives readings to Jo, encouraging her to go away! Its very funny in parts and the film follows Toni's attempts to wrestle Brad away from Jo. There is a good supporting cast including Pops (Cecil Kellaway) and Biff (William Bendix) as Brad's chauffeur. Its a comedy in which the women, in particular, are very funny.

My particular copy is taped from the TV and is too bright - I'm not sure if this is just how the film looks these days or if its something to do with the individual that I purchased it from. However, the quality of the film is a minor negative point. Its enjoyable, the cast are all likable and I'll be watching it again at a future date.

Ray Milland and Paulette Goddard star in "The Crystal Ball," a 1943 comedy. Goddard plays Toni Gerard, a Texas beauty contestant who comes to New York with no money and consults Madame Zenobia (Gladys George) about her future. Madame Zenobia is a big fake who relies on maids and social registers for her info. She doesn't know Toni's future, but since Toni's a crack shot, she sends her to her friend who runs a shooting gallery (Cecil Kellaway) who can use Toni's shooting to attract customers. She also offers Toni a room to stay in.

Toni spots attorney Brad Cavenaugh (Ray Milland) when he escorts Jo Ainsley (Virgina Field), his client, to Madame Zenobia to ask for help finding her ring (which the maid put down the drain and then tipped off Zenobia). Toni is instantly attracted to him and pursues him in her own way. Meanwhile, the widow Ainsley is doing the same thing.

This is a silly, somewhat convoluted comedy bolstered by some delightful performances from Milland, the beautiful and effervescent Goddard, William Bendix as Cavanaugh's chauffeur, Gladys George, Cecil Kellaway, and Sig Arno, who is plagued everywhere he works by problems, thanks to Toni.

See it for the performances and for Goddard's beautiful gown toward the end of the film. What a wonderful screen presence she had.