BrandoOnTheWaterfront

Just like Aunt Dicey's laundry service, "Pinky" completely whitewashes the horrors and systemic racism faced by black people in the United States - to the extent that a Caucasian woman is even portraying a light-skinned African American.

While it's commendable that Crain careers out of her safe lane by deviating from her all-American, ingénue roles, she is unquestionably out of her depth in this emotionally charged movie. Her superficial and shallow portrayal of Pinky, a young black girl who passes for white, is neither convincing nor endearing. Although you want to empathise with Pinky, it's impossible to escape the fact that the actress playing her cannot do her plight justice at all. I do not blame Crain for this - it is a casting error. Lena Horne or Dorothy Dandridge would have been better placed to take on the mantle.

The story is all over the place, and I'm not entirely clear what Kazan was trying to accomplish. The romantic subplot between Pinky and a white doctor - who knows nothing about her black heritage - is so secondary and almost forgotten until the end. It's like it's been shoehorned to make this movie not just about race, but about love. I felt "Pinky" was trying to be all things to all people and, in the end, became nothing to anyone.

However, the supporting performances by the two Ethels rescue this movie from becoming an unnavigable mess. They are terrific and thoroughly deserving of their Oscar nominations. Waters, especially, who plays Pinky's granny commands the screen with not only her physical presence, but sad eyes which, alone, bespeak the struggles, prejudices, and racism endured by black people in the United States.

I'm not sure what I expected from "Pinky" and having watched it, I still don't know what I got from it. It must be stressed that this was 1949, and Hollywood had (and still does have) a long way to go in authentic black storytelling. This movie did, and does little, to advance that cause.

Rogers and Hammerstein. Glorious Technicolor. Hit songs... It could only be another smash hit MGM musical! I thoroughly enjoyed "State Fair" - it is a story of young love, its ups and downs, and how everything will be alright in the end.

The Frake family heads to the Iowa State Fair with their prized hog Blue Boy and Mama Frake's pickles and mincemeat. Discontented with the state of their love lives, Margy (Crain) and Wayne (Haymes) find themselves entangled in whirlwind romances, but are they doomed to fail once the fair closes?

This Technicolor production is impressive for 1945 and was of course a hit with American audiences who craved a much-needed splash of colour following World War Two. The only thing matched by its exuberant screen visuals is its simple, yet catchy, music score. With memorable tunes "It's A Grand Night For Singing" and the Oscar-winning "It Might as Well Be Spring", you are catapulted to the young love scene of the 1940s.

It's so elegantly acted with Crain and Andrews' wholesome screen personas a treat for us all. Haymes and Blaine also excel. The supporting cast also delivers, especially Charles Winninger and Fay Bainter as the still-in-love Frake parents, and Donald Meek who's a scene-stealer as the eccentric pickle and mincemeat judge.

I couldn't summarise this movie better than John McCarten of "The New Yorker" who declares: "Nice, I believe, would be the word for it; I don't think you could use anything stronger." And it really is something nice!

The movie is a great entertainment and still easily watchable over 75 years on. I would highly recommend.

Katrin (Young), a small-town farmer's daughter, heads to the city to fulfil her dream of becoming a nurse. To earn her tuition after being swindled, she is hired by the political Morley family as a maid and, unexpectedly, finds herself running for office and falling for the family's congressman son, Glenn (Cotten).

The movie is superbly cast. Barrymore hogs the screen as the Morley matriarch with her cutting one-lines, mischievous grin, and pensive stare. There are parallels between Mrs. Morley and the young Katrin - both are feisty, stick to their guns, and funny when they want to be. I read Ingrid Bergman, for obvious reasons, was initially considered for the role of the Swedish-American Katrin but I don't think it would have worked. Young's china doll face and youthful demeanour are just what her character needs. She is just like a little girl experiencing her first crush, which is surprising considering she was 34 at the time of filming.

There is an excellent camaraderie between the whole cast. It is a joy to watch, and everyone looks like they are having a swell time. Charles Bickford, who plays the doting Morley butler, takes Katrin under his wing and his comedic timing is impeccable. It is a stark contrast to his more serious roles in "The Song of Bernadette" and "Johnny Belinda". The chemistry between him and Barrymore is pleasant to see, too.

There are some stand-out moments throughout the movie. The scenes where Young is giving Cotten a Swedish massage following a fall in a frozen lake is hilarious, especially as Cotton's love interest watches on green-eyed. And the scenes preceding this where the pair are skating on the lake are very sweet.

While the focus of the story is the romance that develops between Katrin and Glenn, the political subplot is quite entertaining and an early cinematic glimpse of the unscrupulous goings-on behind a political campaign.

I'd watch it again!