Winter Carnival

'Winter Carnival' is froth; enjoyable and well-made of its kind, but it won't leave you with any major memories. I took the time to view it only because it was written by Lester Cole, a major Hollywood screenwriter whose work nonetheless was extremely variable. This isn't one of Cole's best films, but it's certainly not one of his worst.

The beautiful Ann Sheridan stars as Jill Baxter, a Dartmouth alumna who was once voted that college's Snow Queen. After graduating, she married a wealthy duke, then divorced him. Now she regrets ever having married him. (This backstory makes Jill somewhat unsympathetic, but apparently the scriptwriters intended this.) A bunch of stereotypical newspaper reporters are pestering Jill; she decides to duck them by hiding in the last place they'd ever think of looking for her. Jill Backto goes baxter Dartmouth: I mean, Jill Baxter goes back to Dartmouth.

Jill Baxter's younger sister (played by Helen Parrish) is named Ann: no relation to the actress Anne Baxter. Following in her older sister's snowshoes, Ann has also decided to enrol at Darthmouth: in fact, she's just been elected this year's Snow Queen. Meanwhile, another one of those pesky European noblemen (who seem to haunt Dartmouth in large numbers) has shown up: a count, this time. The count, of course, has set his sights on Ann, and now Jill sees that her kid sister is about to repeat all of Jill's mistakes... only farther down the blue-blood scale, since a count is two notches lower than a duke.

Jill tries to talk Ann out of repeating Jill's error, but Ann (understandably) won't listen. So, Jill decides to bust up the relationship by vamping the count herself. Interestingly, there's some actual subtext here: is Jill wooing the count to save her sister, or so that she can get herself back into the aristocracy?

This is froth, with no surprises. 'Winter Carnival' was made by an independent producer (Walter Wanger), so it lacks the contingent of often-seen character actors who would have been cast in this film if it had been made by any of the major studios at this time. Robert Armstrong is proficient in a small role. Johnny Berkes (a character actor who looked like a smaller Jimmy Durante) is good in a very brief part as one of the reporters who plague Jill. Berkes gave one of his best performances teamed with Bob Hope in 'Calling All Tars'. Berkes deserves to be better known among film fans who play the game of identifying bit players.

I'll rate 'Winter Carnival' 5 out of 10. Ann Sheridan was a beautiful and talented actress who stupidly got hooked on cigarettes, and died (of cancer) much too soon. She disliked the term 'Oomph girl', which some Warners publicist hung on her, and I don't blame her for resenting it: the nickname cheapened and vulgarised Ann Sheridan's unique and special appeal. You can see her talent on display in 'Winter Carnival'.

To anyone who knows Dartmouth, the idea that the female characters in this film, which is set in the 1930s, would have been students at the college is laughable. Dartmouth did not accept women as full-time degree candidates until 1972. The film gets it right: Ann Baxter and her sister were visitors to the campus (of whom there are many during Winter Carnival) who competed to be named Queen of the Snows. That said, it's hard to believe anyone not connected with Dartmouth would find anything interesting about this film. But for those who have "the granite of New Hampshire in their muscles and their brains" (as the Alma Mater goes), it is a treat, albeit a very kitschy one.

The 1939 Dartmouth Winter Carnival Poster appears in the Train Station in a couple of scenes in the movie.

The poster features a mostly blue background with a skier flying through a hole in the background. It also has a large flag with the text Dartmouth Winter Carnival and a date of February 10, 11 1939

Its mounted on archival cloth and is in great condition.

If you are interested in an original 1939 poster, contact me. There are reproductions, but this is an original.

Be reminded of this movie all week long in your office or ski house. Own a piece of history.

Also, if you want a copy of the movie on DVD, I will include it with the poster.

Glamor girl Ann Sheridan has made excellent newspaper copy, including marrying a count and getting a divorce almost immediately. She's on her way to Dartmouth College for the Winter Carnival, and Richard Carlson; when she was Queen of the Carnival he and she were a number, and he's still nursing a grudge over being dumped. Or is it something else?

As I write this, Dartmouth is about to throw its 125 Winter Carnival. Although it's changed, with no ski jumping nor formal dance, it seems to still be a major event for the college. F. Scott Fitzgerald and Budd Schulberg were dispatched by B. P. Schulberg to head up to Hanover to pick up local color.... with a bottle of champagne, which means that Fitzgerald was canned. The result is a decent if rather unexceptional movie, enlivened by Miss Sheridan throwing herself, as usual, into her role, as well as an assortment of up-and-coming young players, like Helen Parrish, Joan Leslie, Marsha Hunt, and Peggy Moran. Robert Armstrong has a sizable part, and I spotted an uncredited Robert Walker.

I find Winter Carnival a most interesting film for many reasons, some of which have nothing whatever to do with the plot, as flimsy but sorta fun as it is. One wonders about whatever input, if any, was done by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and why did he choose to do a film about Darmouth's famed Winter Carnival. It is enjoyable to see what might well be some of the actual footage of the Carnival -- many years ago, it was shown live from the campus on TV. Then, too, it's nice watching Ann Sheridan relax through a clean, interesting role. It is also intriguing to search for Robert Walker in one of the few things he did before heading back to Manhattan to find better roles on the stage. And watching a very very young Joan Brodel is a charmer -- she is enchanting, funny, cute -- and, soon, would change her name to Joan Leslie to become a delightful comedienne and dancer and actress-of-depth, though still under-appreciated. See the film, and enjoy.