RICK'S REAL/REEL LIFE: Elia Kazan

Showing posts with label Elia Kazan. Show all posts

Monday, August 19, 2024

Jeanne Crain as ‘Pinky’ 1949

Jeanne Crain and Ethel Waters star in 1949's then controversial race drama, "Pinky."

Jeanne Crain as "Pinky," who "passed" up north, but feels the boundaries of race
more overtly back home in this racial drama.

I watched 1949’s Pinky for the first time recently and was surprised at how strong the race drama still played, nearly 75 years later. This was 20th Century Fox and Elia Kazan's follow up to the socially conscious Gentleman's Agreement.

I avoided this movie for years because the notion of Jeanne Crain passing for white as Pinky seemed absurd. Crain always struck me as the ultimate white bread actress. There was talk of fellow Fox star Linda Darnell as Pinky—this I could actually see. With her exotic features, and very dark eyes and hair, you could believe Darnell as passing for white. Pinky's character was a hard case, and Linda's later roles tapped into her tough side. But Fox honcho Darryl F. Zanuck didn’t like Darnell and wanted Jeanne Crain, much to director Elia Kazan's disappointment.

Among the 20th Century Fox stars, Linda Darnell
might have made a good "Pinky."

Dorothy Dandridge around '49. A possible "Pinky?"

Some people have said that Lena Horne or Dorothy Dandridge should have played Pinky. Could either actress have passed for white with movie audiences back in ‘49? Perhaps, but it’s debatable. There were other considerations, too. Lena was over 30 when Pinky was made, and the title character was fresh out of nursing school. Dorothy had only done episodic bit parts at this point—but Dandridge’s unknown status might have worked. Sadly, in some states there might have been an issue with a black actress in love scenes with a white actor. Unlike Julie in 1953’s Showboat, a role Lena Horne wanted, Pinky’s passing for white wasn’t a surprise. Still, the actress cast as Pinky had to convince audiences that she could “pass.” Would that have been the case if Horne, Hollywood’s lone black movie star, had been cast? It can be argued both ways forever.

Lena Horne in '49, who was interested in playing "Pinky."
She was in her early '30s, older than the others mentioned, and at another studio.

This all makes me think of Fredi Washington, who won acclaim for the 1934 version of Imitation of Life. She played Louise Beavers daughter Peola, who passes for white. In real life, Fredi refused to pass, even though she easily could have. Washington was proud of her ethnic background, but it cost Fredi a film career.

Fredi Washington, a mixed race actress who played a girl passing for white,
in the original "Imitation of Life," 15 years earlier than "Pinky."

I was surprised how straightforward the film and Jeanne Crain were in telling Pinky’s story. Though filmed on the Fox lot, the movie feels realistic. When Pinky returns from the north as a nursing school graduate, her southern home on the black side of town is not quaintly rustic, just ramshackle. Jeanne Crain doesn’t play movie “unglamorous,” like stars that cheated when they were “serious.” Crain's Pinky wears appropriate clothes, a pulled-back hairdo, and very simple makeup. Jeanne's acting is direct and straightforward, with no winks to the audience that she's just acting. Crain's character is defensive and ambivalent about coming back home at all. As Pinky can easily pass for white, it would be much easier for her to cheat and stay up North. But the headstrong nurse doesn't retreat.

Jeanne Crain's "Pinky" is glad to see Ethel Waters' Grandma Dicey,
but ambivalent about being back down South.

Elia Kazan wanted to make the film down south and felt that filming on the back lot lacked grit. Well, of course he's right about the authentic heat, dirt, and impoverished locales. But 1967's In the Heat of the Night was mostly made in Sparta, Illinois NOT Sparta, Mississippi, because Hollywood didn't dare go to southern locations with a black star in a race picture. How would Kazan have made Pinky down south back in 1949, with a black star like Dandridge or Horne?

A toned down Jeanne Crain as "Pinky," pondering the poverty her Grandma Dicey
lives in, with her employer Miss Em's mansion looms in the background.

Kazan took over for crusty John Ford on a weekend’s notice. The story’s power is certainly in Kazan’s style as a director. Looking back, Kazan chose to disrespect screenwriters Dudley Nichols and Phillip Dunne, who weren't exactly hacks. And I'm sure Kazan worked hard to encourage Jeanne Crain, but his quotes make it sound like he cajoled a performance out of a non-actress. That annoys me because it’s a director's oldest ego trip. Peter Bogdanovich later said the same about Cher in Mask. Both actresses worked with other talented directors and did very well, thank you. While Crain may not be ideally cast, you feel the jolt when other characters find out she's black. Jeanne does not play her character “nice,” so her detractors in the movie find her uppity. I thought she played her character straight up and intelligently. There's plenty of evidence in Hollywood’s history that you can't get a great performance from a no-talent actor. Crain was just 24 when she played Pinky, actually close to the character’s age. In real life, she had just had a baby two weeks prior to shooting, so this film wasn’t a cakewalk for Crain.

"Pinky" gets a refresher as what it's like to be black in her hometown, as part of a
police pick up over a money altercation. The look on Nina Mae McKinney, as the
local woman at left, like she's seen it all before.

Cid Ricketts Sumner’s source novel for Pinky was titled Quality. Sumner wrote another book, Tammy out of Time, which became the basis for the extremely popular Tammy series of movies and TV. What was viewed as a cop out in Pinky, aside from casting a white actress, was the more upbeat ending. In the film, Pinky turns Miss Em’s mansion into a black nursing school. In the book, Pinky does inherit the property, but local KKK retaliate by burning down the house. That grim thought actually crossed my mind when watching this, as that’s probably what would have happened in real life. It’s disappointing but understandable that the studio wanted uplift, after presenting a strong film on racial intolerance. It was still a step forward to have the mixed race character turn down a marriage proposal that required her to pass for white—no romantic ending.

One look from Ethel Waters as Grandma Dicey speaks volumes, from 1949's "Pinky."

Pinky’s supporting cast is terrific. Crain has two great Ethels to work with. Ethel Waters as grandma Dicey is warm and empathetic, but in regard to Pinky’s past about passing, Dicey is very plain-spoken. While Waters’ Aunt Dicey is respected in the community, she's still patronized by whites at the trial. Ethel Waters’ strength often shows in her stone cold silence. Ethel Barrymore, while cast in her usual grande dame screen persona, still gives the character more of an edge than usual, in this unsentimental portrayal.

"Pinky" nurses Miss Em in her final days, at Grandma Dicey's request.
The two strong-willed women forge a bond after butting heads.

As Miss Em’s cousin Melba Wooley, Evelyn Varden strongly portrays what feels like a relative of Sister Woman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof! Melba is not only racist, but she also reeks of mendacity, as Cat’s Big Daddy would bellow. For people that feel Wooley is one-dimensional, try watching some YouTube videos of modern day racists in action. Not much has changed in their self-righteous ignorance. Evelyn Varden later played another memorably named character, Monica Breedlove, the upstairs neighbor in 1956’s The Bad Seed.

"Pinky" bristles at meeting Miss Em's racist cousin by marriage, Melba Wooley.
Crain is quite good in these scenes with Evelyn Varden, who's a hissable villain.

Remember that Pinky was made nearly three quarters of a century ago and not to judge it by today’s standards. It was one of the first pictures to deal with race as a main plot, not to mention the complexity of passing. For 1949 audiences, accepting Pinky as film fare was a first step. Indeed, Pinky was 20^th Century Fox’s highest-grossing drama of the year.

Nearly a decade later, 20th Century Fox made an interracial drama, Island in the Sun. Frankly, Pinky is more powerful! Here's my look at "Island" here:

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2020/07/island-in-sun-1957.html

"Pinky" was shown with this disclaimer back in 1949.

As Jeanne Crain's "Pinky" tells her white fiancee that she is black, passing for white,
William Lundigan steps forward, creating a dark shadow over her entire face.
Intentional or coincidence?

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Tribute: 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' star Peggy Ann Garner

Peggy Ann Garner in her Oscar-winning role as Francie Dolan, 1945's 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.'

Peggy Ann Garner passed away Oct. 16 in 1984, at age 52. Garner gave a vivid, naturalistic performance as Francie Dolan in 1945’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Sadly, starring in this classic didn’t lead to greater things.

Garner as a soulful young 'Jane Eyre' in '44. With her is Sara Allgood.

Both Peggy Ann Garner and Elizabeth Taylor got noticed in 20^th Century Fox’s ’43 version of Jane Eyre. Garner was under contract with Fox, and Taylor was loaned from MGM. Garner was a plaintively emotional young Jane, contrasted by a remarkably poised Taylor as Helen, the schoolmate who dies of pneumonia. Peggy Ann and Elizabeth were both born February of 1932. They became child stars in ’45 with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and National Velvet, respectively, with critics and audiences applauding their intense performances. Garner and Taylor were natural performers, far superior to the era’s typical child actors. Garner received a special Oscar for her work, Elizabeth Taylor became Metro’s favorite child performer.

Peggy Ann Garner's heartfelt Jane Eyre and Elizabeth Taylor's sweet, sickly Helen.
Ironically, Taylor would nearly die of pneumonia twice in her life.

What’s a shame is that 20^th Century Fox continued to treat Peggy Ann Garner as just another child performer, back to playing small roles. MGM created vehicles for their similarly intense child star, Margaret O’ Brien. And with National Velvet, MGM treated Elizabeth like a prized jewel, carefully guiding her through any gawky phases. By the late ‘40s, Garner was freelancing, stuck in B-movies like Bomba, the Jungle Boy.

How do you go from winning an Oscar to 'Bomba, The Jungle Boy' in just four years? Only in Hollywood!

My review of Peggy Ann Garner's Oscar-winning role as Francie in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn here: https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2017/10/a-tree-grows-in-brooklyn-powerful-story.html

Garner with her special Oscar for 'Tree.'

Still, Garner persevered and found work as a television actress in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Peggy Ann Garner’s career ended on a high note, when her one-time TV director Robert Altman cast her in his 1978 comedy, A Wedding. Garner seemed plucky, working as a realtor during the dry spells of showbiz, weathering three failed marriages. Peggy Ann Garner died of cancer, at the Hollywood Motion & Television Country House and Hospital, survived by a daughter, who died over a decade later herself. Stardom seemed to come easily to Elizabeth Taylor, but fans know that her real life was not. And it seems that neither came easy for Peggy Ann Garner. If nothing else, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn stands as a tribute to Garner’s naturalistic talent.

FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB movie page. Check it out & join!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/

Peggy Ann Garner ended her film career on a high note in '78, in Robert Altman's 'A Wedding.'

Sunday, October 1, 2017

'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' Still Stands Tall 1945

Peggy Ann Garner and James Dunn both received Oscars as daughter and father in 'Tree.'

Whenever I think of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn—the book or movie—I think of my late pal, Alice Crosby. She was born October 2, 1922. A life-long movie fan, Alice was born the same year as one of her favorites, Doris Day.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’s slice-of-life story of a hard-working mother, hard-drinking father, and their poverty-stricken family, as told through a dreamy-eyed young girl, stuck with Alice. Also an Irish Catholic, Alice grew up in Depression-era Detroit under similar tough circumstances.

My friend Alice as a teenager.

I knew of the gist of Betty Smith’s novel and had Alice’s beat up copy for years, but never put it on my reading list until I got my MFA in creative writing a few years ago. Even though we had a love of old movies in common, Alice and I never watched 1945’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It was never intentional, but now I wish we had, to hear her thoughts on the story versus her own upbringing.

I love how someone’s personal story can affect so many different people. Director Elia Kazan’s first take on A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was that it was too sentimental. Then Kazan realized how close the story was to that of his own immigrant family. In The Glass Castle, when Jeannette Walls writes about her wild card of a drinking dad, she cites Tree as a childhood favorite. In my family, my mother suffered a similar family dynamic, a drunken father who pulled disappearing acts, except he wasn’t a good man, like Tree’s Johnny Nolan or Alice’s father.

I own this edition of 'Tree,' a gift from my friend Alice.

How ironic that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was made at 20^th Century Fox. All the studios in Hollywood’s golden era peddled nostalgia and fantasy, but Fox had the market cornered on gaudy and gooey Technicolor turn of the century musicals. While warm-hearted, the story of the Nolan family is a surprisingly straightforward look at the poor people of early 20^th century New York City. I wasn’t surprised to find that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was first written as a memoir. An editor asked author Betty Smith to rewrite it as a novel—today, with the trend toward memoirs, it would be the exact opposite story. The book still has a strong ring of truth, much like another story of a girl and her father, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Right, Joan Blondell as Sissie, in a heart to heart with Dorothy McGuire's Katie.

The cast is terrific in Tree. Dorothy McGuire, a naturally pretty actress, never minded deglamourizing herself for a role. As hardworking and increasingly hardhearted cleaning woman Katie Nolan, McGuire has one of her best roles. One of the most touching scenes is when Katie’s sister gently tells her she’s becoming hard. Carrying the burden of poverty can do that, though Alice told me her mother Della was always a gentle woman, no matter how dire their circumstances.

James Dunn's performance as the drunken dreamer dad hits close to the bone.

James Dunn was cunningly cast by director Kazan as the feckless father, Johnny Nolan. Like the character, Dunn was handsome, charming, and an alcoholic. Dunn is effortless, going from gaiety to hopelessness, as the singing waiter who loves his family but can’t help going on benders. Alice never had anything bad to say about her father, despite his drinking and disappearing—though she admitted the family was frantic when one of his benders stretched into weeks.

Joan Blondell made her segue into character parts as Katie’s sister, flirtatious Sissy. Blondell’s best qualities fit this good-hearted broad; she’s warm, natural, and appealing. The often grim story of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is given its levity from Blondell’s breezy presence.

Center, Dorothy McGuire is versatile as tough and tender Katie Nolan.

Lloyd Nolan gives a great supporting turn as McShane, the neighborhood cop with a soft spot for Katie. Nolan, with that instantly recognizable voice, was always a bracing presence on screen. As the strong cop with a sweet side, Nolan is one of those character actors who should have been given more chances as a leading man, along the lines of Bogart or Cagney.

Peggy Ann Garner in a heart-tugging moment as Francie.

Peggy Ann Garner got a well-deserved special Oscar for her heartrending turn as the sad-eyed, yet plucky girl who yearns to be a writer. Francie has a great curiosity about the world, though often bewildered by its harsh realities. Garner has the role that runs the gamut of emotions, and she hits all the right notes.

The scenes between Garner and Dunn, as daughter and father, are the film’s highlights. Johnny’s final disappearance—desperately looking for work upon finding out Katie’s pregnant—and his subsequent death, are painfully moving: the funeral, where Francie stands apart from her family; the grueling birth scene, with Francie and her mother reconciling; or when Francie graduates from the school her father helped her get in to. That bouquet scene…flowers on the daughter’s desk, delivered by Aunt Sissy, but paid for by her late father, with the card in his handwriting…sigh. Your heart would have to be made of stone not to be moved by Francie’s cathartic tears.

Throughout the movie, every time I saw Garner’s Francie reading or writing on the fire escape, I thought of Alice as a child. Alice once told me that she had to stay on her family’s front porch, where her mother or brothers could keep a protective eye on her. With a laugh, she said they did their job a little too well! Alice surely wasn’t out on the streets with her brothers, catching Christmas trees, like Francie and brother Neeley.

The wonderful cast of "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."

James Dunn and Peggy Ann Garner received Oscars, but except for a best screenplay nomination, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn received no other nods. This seems odd, since Tree was a highly anticipated movie, based on a huge bestseller. A look at the various posters shows that Fox sold the movie on the strength of the book. The movie was popular enough, yet all you have to do is look at what was tops at the box office that year and compare it to that year’s Oscar nominations. They’re pretty much one and the same—typical of the era. While the best picture nominees The Lost Weekend and Mildred Pierce still stand as classics, fluff like The Bells of St. Mary’s, Spellbound, and Anchors Away—really? And McGuire shouldn’t have had to wait until her ’47 reunion with Kazan for Gentleman’s Agreement for her first nomination. Though Joan Crawford rightly won Best Actress for Mildred Pierce, the rest of the nominees were merely popular stars in glossy vehicles. Twentieth Century Fox threw their studio votes to Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven, which compared to McGuire’s real character and acting, seems laughable today. For me, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn holds up beautifully, far more realistic than most films from the ‘40s. I just re-read the book and am again surprised by its frank look at early 1900’s NYC. Betty Smith creates a loving, but realistic look at bygone era.

As for Alice, the ‘40s and ‘50s was her heyday as a movie-goer. Late in her life, Alice told me, that as a teenager, she daydreamed of being a movie star. I was caught off-guard at the time, and remember thinking, “Thank God you didn’t!” Alice certainly had the face, figure, and personality to get into movies, but she was also far too sweet to have survived Hollywood.

Alice Crosby in one of her most memorable roles: Mother.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’s Francie is obviously based on the author, Betty Smith. Well, my pal Alice grew up to be a wife, housewife, mother, and later, a waitress. That last role is how I met her, when I first moved to Traverse City, MI, working at the same restaurant. Alice had moved up there from Detroit, after her second divorce, for a fresh start and to be near her two sons. In true movie fashion, when Alice was pulling out of Detroit with her belongings, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore was on a movie marquee.

Alice in her Lana Turner phase.

We became fast friends, though she was nearly my grandmothers’ age. And we remained the best of friends until she died. On countless evenings at her home, we talked about everything, but often family, films, and the past. A big idol from her youth was Lana Turner. Alice sometimes adopted Lana’s blonde hair, tan, and white outfits ala The Postman Always Rings Twice for Michigan summers. Alice once told me that as a young mother, she and her next door neighbor had a routine: They would clean their houses and tend their yards during the day. After getting dinner going, they’d both put on swimsuits and sun in the backyard. While their kids were playing, they’d chat and relax. Then they’d get ready for their husbands’ arrival. Alice would give the boys a bath, then she’d shower, and everyone put on fresh outfits. Dinner almost done, the husband almost home. I remembered smiling when Alice told me that she’d take a look around her house and yard, then at the boys and herself—everything and everyone looking great—and feel good about her life. It seemed kind of frivolous to me. Later, walking home, I thought about what Alice’s childhood was like. She wasn’t telling a silly story. Alice was recalling her gratitude for when life was good.

A Life magazine advertisement for 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.' The studio heavily referenced the book to sell the film.

Friday, January 20, 2017

'A Face in the Crowd' Looks at Real Issue of Media Mania: Us

'A Face in the Crowd' came out in '57, with Andy Griffith
as southern singing idol Lonesome Rhodes, a nod to Elvis!

Media pundits have had a field day over Lonesome Rhodes, from 1957’s A Face in the Crowd, claiming the charismatic creep “predicted” the rise of Donald Trump. Even religious right columnist Cal Thomas tagged Trump as Rhodes, the rags-to-riches character of Elia Kazan’s prophetic film. Yet one columnist scoffed that a more apt comparison would be of Trump to Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane—and meant it as a compliment!

Welles’ 1941 epic, Citizen Kane, is about a rich blowhard who pushes his luck with the public, and sends his empire tumbling. Like Rhodes, Kane pays the price for hubris. Kazan’s A Face in the Crowd and Welles’ Citizen Kane were tough movies that questioned the triangular love-hate relationship between the media, public figures, and their audience.

Andy Griffith, loathsome as Lonesome Rhodes: boob on the tube, audiences eat it up!

A Face in the Crowd was made in 1957, when film censorship and ‘50s conformity was past its zenith, but still in power. Still, the film is gritty, unglamorous, realistic, and packs a punch. Director Elia Kazan employs a sharp visual look but discards the glossy movie style of the era: A Face in the Crowd’s characters look sweaty, rumpled, harried, and human. Andy Griffith is eerily good, both loathsome and riveting as Lonesome, the country crooner turned super-celebrity. Patricia Neal does world weary perfectly, yet is also vulnerable as Marcia, the reporter who falls for Rhodes’ slick charm. Walter Matthau shows his dramatic side as a cynical reporter who carries the torch for Neal. And Lee Remick, in her film debut, is luminous and funny as Rhodes’ majorette bride.

Lee Remick, a majorette who thinks Lonesome is a dream, & finds out he's a nightmare.

The only letdown perhaps is when Lonesome loses his TV throne/bully pulpit after a hot mike exposes the real Rhodes on network television. Censorship of the day demanded characters pay for their sins. Today, we see inflammatory remarks, boorish behavior, and scandal rewarded with TV shows, book deals, and yes, public office.

Both A Face in the Crowd and Citizen Kane got rave reviews but were box office flops. Movies in Hollywood’s golden era were typically escapist fare and audiences didn’t flock to see grim dramas. Post-Watergate cynicism made Sidney Lumet’s Network possible as a black comedy hit, with its dire message about power, politics, and television. Network, which came out nearly two decades after A Face in the Crowd, takes washed-up TV anchor Howard Beale from a nervous breakdown on the air to a megalomaniacal media messiah.

Even worldly-wise reporters Walter Matthau & Patricia Neal can't look away!

A Face in the Crowd is an in-depth look at the impact that television has on the masses—both positive and negative. Lightening bolts like Elvis and The Beatles made their mark on pop culture when they appeared on American television. So did political phenom Joseph McCarthy, when he found himself on the other side of an investigative committee, and went down in flames on live TV. Yet, fellow Republican Richard Nixon managed to warm the public’s heart once, when he gave his infamous “Checkers” speech in the 1952. The public later cooled toward Nixon in the early ‘60s, with his shifty, sweaty looks next to all-American John Kennedy, during their presidential debates. His infamous losing comment didn’t help his image: “You won’t have Dick Nixon to kick around.” In the ‘70s, President Nixon sealed his Tricky Dick persona with the “I am not a crook” speech…which was later followed by his resignation speech!

Citizen Kane, A Face in the Crowd, and Network took a hard look at how far the media would go to manipulate the masses. Now you can add the internet to the mix. In their time, these films were a therapeutic slap in the face to audiences, to wake up from their complacency and naiveté.

Applause whets the appetite of celebrity consumers.

Here’s the difference in today’s world: We live in an age where just about any small-town person is media-wise. The change started with cable TV and later, the Internet, providing a world-wide platform for anyone with something to sell—a product, a personality, or a point of view. We have been the consumers, sitting in front of massive TV screens and computers, laptops, tablets, and cell phones. There’s been an escalating Tower of Babel built by “personalities,” pundits, and politicians. They are all vying for our favor, with louder voices, bigger promises, and no regard for the truth.

The problem is many of us want to believe the lies, despite the mass of information at our fingertips. Now, people have always preferred comforting lies to painful truths—that’s human nature. But now, we rationalize bad behavior, wallow in conspiracy theories, and defend to the death negative news that fits our world view—no matter what. Before, it was a matter of exposing lies to an unsuspecting public—Watergate, for example. Now, it seems hardly anyone cares. On a recent This American Life broadcast, Ira Glass addressed this trend in “Lies Become the Truth.” After recounting some recent political dust-ups where mud was flung, Glass noted, “It’s easier than ever to check if the fact is true, but the facts matters less than ever…”

The real "face" of celebrity isn't always pretty.

Is it because we want to cling to old beliefs, even though, deep down we know they don’t work anymore? Is it because it takes too much time to sift through the vast amounts of information out there, in our limited attention span era? Is it because we prefer to feed on a newsfeed that’s exclusively scandal over substance? Or is it all of the above?

The tune of a Lonesome Rhodes, Citizen Kane, and Howard Beale never really changes, nor do those of real-life demagogues like Huey Long, Joseph McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Donald Trump, or any of the loudmouths on MSNBC, CNN, or FOX News.

Only the face in the crowd changes, but the song remains the same. It is us who have changed. Too many people are willing to overlook the deep flaws of their idols, as long as they can continue to believe the false message.

What politicians still count on today...

FYI: I put all the movie overflow on my public FB movie page.

Check it out & join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/