Happy 100th Birthday John Garfield!

"Julie" has been in my top echelon of favorite actors pretty much since the very first film I ever saw him in, that being "Gentleman's Agreement", a film he promptly stole from his co-stars with only a few scenes. My interest started when I was watching Martin Scorses's classic "Mean Streets" and at one point while toasting a friend on his way to "Nam" Harvey Keitel says: "In the words of the immortal John Garfield, get 'em in the eyes, get 'em in the eyes"...I wanted to know why Scorsese was quoting some actor I had barely heard of and after seeing just a few of his films, I understood! He left us way too soon but he sure did some fine work while he was here and certainly set a precedent for guys like Brando and Dean. Here's to ya Julie!

Remembering John Garfield

March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952

John Garfield is, and has been for many years, one of my most favorite actors - right up there with Cagney, Kirk, Burt, DeNiro and The Duke! If someone were to ask me, who's this guy John Garfield, whats he all about? I'd first show them the picture above because it so totally captures his onscreen persona...I wish I knew the name of the photographer!

A still from "Force of Evil" 1948, arguably John Garfield's greatest performance, but certainly one of them! This is one of those films that the more times you see it the more you get from it thanks to the incredible screenplay and direction from the then soon-to-be-blacklisted Abraham Polonsky, stunning cinematography by George barnes, a great score by David Raskin and stellar performaces from every cast member, but especially Garfield and Thomas Gomez! My interest in this film started with my interest in Martin Scorsese and he so often referred to this film in interviews and discussions and since I had already started being interested in Garfields work, well I just had to see it and have seen it many times since!

Garfield was perfectly cast as wanderer Frank Chambers in MGM's slick 1946 production of "The Postman Always Rings Twice". Lana Turner was also perfectly cast, I mean seriously, who WOULDNT kill Cecil Kellaway for her?

I have been collecting John Garfield memorablilia for many years now and probably have more material on him than almost anyone else. A vintage one-sheet poster for 1938's "Blackwells Island" hangs right near my TV. That was only his second film and WB threw that into production right after "Four Daughters" wrapped up, but after that film was released and Garfield caused such a sensation they went back and reshot many scenes trying to elevate it's B level production. The result is a fun and silly "tough guy" picture but certainly far beneath his abilities.

My vintage one-sheet poster for "Saturday's Children" 1940, a film Garfield very much wanted to do because it would give him a chance to stretch and play a wilbur milquetoast type guy. The film did mediocre box-office which was all WB needed to throw him right back into the same brooding tough guy roles he had been playing for 2 years non stop.

I thought my blinds looked boring so I hung a half sheet in each window, this one for WB 1946 production of "Nobody Lives Forever" directed by Jean Negulesco, one of my favorite post war directors. I also have several Lobby Cards and a One-Sheet from that film. I NEVER open those blinds....sunlight....BAD for artwork and old cheaply printed movie posters!

Hanging on the door to my art studio is a 1953 re-release insert style poster for Garfield's boxing noir "Body and Soul" 1947 - absolutely one of his greatest performances and just a great must-see film overall with an incredible cast, a beautifully written screenplay by Abraham Polonsky and solid direction from Robert Rossen. It was the only time John Garfield ever received an oscar nomination for best actor but he lost out to Ronald Coleman in "A Double Life".

On the wall of the stairway leading to the Art studio loft is a One-Sheet poster for "Humoresque" 1946, another absolute must-see John Garfield film and in my opinion Joan Crawford's finest hour. Jean Negulesco was director on this one too

Below are 4 Lobby Cards from "Castle on the Hudson" 1940 which was a remake of "20,000 Years in Sing Sing" which starred Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis. These are on that weird "linen" paper that WB sometimes used.

Below is a Lobby Card for "The Breaking Point" which was a remake of "To Have and Have Not" but apparently more faithful to the original Hemingway story. Co-star Patricia Neal was on TCM talking about this film...I guess Garfield was discussing her character with her and he says "You know...you're a whore...know what I mean?" laughing she says "Yeah i knew what he meant!". Directed by Michael Curtiz and with a great supporting cast, I recommend this film highly!

Yet another great John Garfield performance can be seen in WB 1945 production of "Pride of the Marines", believe me, a far cry from the patriotic flag-waving war films of the previous few years! This was the 2nd of his films I ever saw (The first being "Gentleman's Agreement", which, no disrespect intended, he promptly stole from his co-stars with just a few scenes) and I was really impressed with his interpretation of real life Marine Al Schmidt, who was blinded in combat and trying to cope with life after he gets back home. Its heavy stuff with some of the most intense "battle scenes" (all experienced from a foxhole in Guadalcanal) ever. Co-star Dane Calrk gave his career best performance in that film.

"Get 'em in the eyes, get 'em RIGHT in the eyes!"

One of 2 vintage Lobby Cards I have for that film. I also have a One Sheet which gets my top prize for most misleading movie poster ever... it pictures John Garfield, Eleanor Parker and Dane Clark all smiling and holding hands and off to the side a close up of Garfield and Parker together, smiling and rosie cheeked - one would instantly think its a fun-filled musical like "Yankee Doodle Dandy"or silly war-time farce like "Pillow to Post"! HARDLY!

Lobby Card for "We Were Strangers" directed by John Huston. Very good film, with one of the best roles for the always excellent Gilbert Roland!

The prize of my John Garfield collection, a vintage (is there any other kind?) autograph matted up with a still photo. I found it many years ago at an antique paper show, poorly matted, so upon taking it apart I found on the reverse side, another peice of paper signed by WB actor Dane Clark who co-starred in 2 films with Garfield! That helped soften the sting of what I had to pay haha!

Another fave still photo of John Garfield taken by the great George Hurrell - who is he running from?....probably himself....

edit: I am linking this post to the John Garfield 100th birthday blogathon at "They Dont Make 'Em Like They Used To"

We Were Strangers...

I dont usually zero in on one particular film but, oh well, the times they are-a-changin'!

I'm a huge John Garfield fan and I've had this vintage Lobby Card in my collection for about 10 years but never saw this film until tonight! It's quite bleak and grim as hell but John Huston's direction and excellent performances from the entire cast make it a winner! The story deals with the times just before the Cuban revolution circa late 1930's while at the same time weaving in a love story, of course!

Russell Metty contributed some beautiful black and white cinematography to the picture. There were several incredible shots of Jennifer Jones and John Garfield. My only complaint was there was a truly excessive use of rear-screen shots in the outdoor scenes, so much so that even someone like Hithccock might say "Doooon't you think you used toooo many of thooooose?"

The always excellent Gilbert Roland (far left) nearly stole the show from everyone in what I feel might be the best role I've seen him in yet! Pedro Armendariz also excelled as a sickenly corrupt police official. He was truly despicable!

Anyhoo, it was nice to see a "new" classic film and as of now I have only 3 more Garfield films left to see (Daughters Courageous, Under My Skin and Breaking Point) and 2 of them I have on tape here!

There will be a big John Garfield tribute posting here in the near future, so for those that care about such things, stay-tuned!

Eleanor Parker... Part II

More pics and babbling...

Eleanor was born on June 26th, 1922 in Cedarville Ohio and aspired to be an actress at a very early age. In 1941 she was offered a contract with Warner bros at $75 a week. Her first film appearance was supposed to be a bit part in "They Died with Their Boots On" but her scene ended up on the cutting room floor. This pic is scanned from an Italian postcard, not sure of the vintage.

The studio put her in B-films and small roles until in 1943 she finally got a larger role in Michael Curtiz' "Mission to Moscow" starring dramatic heavyweights Walter Huston and Ann Harding. Sadly the film is rather dull, but she got good notices. The next year she was appearing with John Garfield, Paul Henried and Sydney Greenstreet in "Between Two Worlds", a role she got because Joan Leslie was held up still filming the over-schedule "Rhapsody in Blue". The still above was for a film she made later that same year, "The Very Thought of You", a fairly off-beat war-time drama written and directed by Delmer Daves and co-starring Dennis Morgan, Dane Clark, Henry Travers, Faye Emerson and Andrea King. Eleanor got the role in this film because Ida Lupino was recovering from an illness. She gave a wonderful, heartfelt performance and was now well on her way to being a star as well as an actress to be reckoned with.

Here's a scan of an original Lobby Card I have for the film. At one point Henry Travers is so disgusted by the way his family has treated returning serviceman Dennis Morgan, a visitor in his home, that he scolds them by saying "You treated that boy with all the courtesy you'd give a JAP!". I can't help it, but every time I see Henry Travers in a film I HAVE to say "Why look, it's CLARENCE!" in my best Jimmy Stewart voice.

Eleanor looking quite the flawless beauty here! Another vintage autographed still I picked up several years ago. The photo was taken by the great Bert Six.

Another original Lobby Card I have in my collection. Eleanor very effectively played two roles in this gothic type period piece released in 1948. Well-cast and with good production values it is worth a look if you get the chance.

To be continued...

Eleanor Parker...

One of my faves....

Eleanor Parker...I might call her the most underrated and underappreciated actress from Hollywood's Golden era and certainly one of the most beautiful of ANY era. In her day she was quite a big star and played opposite many of the top leading men in big-budget A-pictures but today it seems the only thing anyone remembers her from is her thankless role in "The Sound of Music". This pic was scanned from a Swedish postcard I have. I think this particular photo shoot was to promote "The Woman in White" but I'm not certain.

The first film I ever saw her in was William Wyler's 1951 masterpiece "Detective Story" playing opposite an extremely intense Kirk Douglas. Eleanor played the part of Kirk's plain, long-suffering wife with great sensitivity and restraint. I think anyone who's seen this film will agree, hanging with Kirk on this production was no easy task, but Eleanor and the top notch supporting cast headed by William Bendix (yo-ho!) did just that. She received her 2nd Oscar nomination as best actress for her work in that film.

I have to admit, I wasnt really taken by her looks much in that film. She was dressed way down and was made up plain and ordinary which was of course exactly how she was supposed to look! The next film I saw her in changed that attitude completely...

1945's "Pride of the Marines", directed by Delmer Daves and starring the immortal John Garfield was the film where I truly fell in love with Eleanor Parker! She is not only gorgeous beyond words in this film but she once again played her role with conviction and sensitivity. I vividly recall waching this and saying to myself "Holy shit, that's the woman from Detective Story!". I started to actively seek out more of her films at the video store.

A scan of an original 11"x14" Lobby Card I have from the film. I can only imagine how many red-blooded American males in 1945 wished they were the ones that came home to Eleanor Parker after the war was over! For those that have never seen this film I can not recommend it highly enough. On the merits of Garfield's performance alone I would call it a must-see but the whole picture is incredibly well-done and is a far cry from the flag-waving war films that Hollywood had been turning out in the years prior. The 2 stars also performed "Pride of the Marines" on Lux Radio Theater on Dec 31st 1945. This is the one and only radio show I have in my collection and it's quite good!

A beautiful vintage autographed 5"x7" photo that I picked up many years ago. It seems one time while at the MGM commissary in the early 1950's she was spied by Spencer Tracy who didnt recognize who she was and simply remarked "That simply HAS to have an accent!"

I wonder what Kate would've thought of a remark like that!

as always, to be continued...

Movie Alphabet - part II

Finally got some time to do the next thrill-packed installment of my list . . . not all sources scanned as well as I would have liked!

E - "The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)

For the record I LOVE all the Star Wars flms! In spite of the flaws, and there are many, it is one hell of an achievement in film and it's all so ingrained in our culture now that it's hard to remember back to a time when there was no Star Wars! But Empire is my favorite. All the elements of the Star Wars universe came together perfectly on this one, a wonderful mix of drama, romance, adventure, action, humor and mind blowing special effects all masterfully directed by Irvin Kershner with a great screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Leigh Brackett.

And then of course there was . . .

Yoda!

Although CGI Yoda totally kicks ass, nothing can compare to the charm and magic of what Frank Oz and company did in this film. Mark Hamill's convincing interraction with Yoda was also a big reason why we all bought it onscreen.

"The Force is with you young Skywalker . . . but you're not a Jedi yet."

A rather menacing figure! Luke's confrontation with Vader is a living intensity! I've seen it dozens of times and I still get right on the edge of my seat! I love it!

For me, the lynchpin of all 3 of the first films is Mark Hamill. It's interesting to watch episodes 4-6 in one sitting and see how he grew as an actor and how the Luke character evolved. He's a damn funny guy in interviews too and who can foget his classic voice acting for The Joker and Solomon Grundy on the Batman and Justice League cartoons!

F - The Fountainhead" (1949)

"It's the things that we love that enslave us and I'm not easy to bring into submission"

"That depends upon the strength of your adversary Miss Francon"

Ayn Rands' incredible novel came to the screen in a fairly watered down but still very interesting and entertaining way. Casting was spot on in my opinion. Coop, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Kent Smith and Henry Hull were perfect. Only Robert Douglas, as a far too masculine and aggressive Ellsworth Toohey, strayed far from Rand's original concepts. Many smaller characters, sub plots and all the religious stuff never made it into the film but what DID make it was the essence of the Howard Rourke character and, although Coop was pretty heavily criticized at the time the film was released, I personally feel he gave a performance very much worthy of the character. That and the incredibly electric chemistry between him and Patricia Neal makes this well-worth multiple viewings.

"Mr. Roark, we’re alone here. Why don't you tell me what you think of me in any words you wish."

"But I dont think of you."

Director King Vidor, novelist/philosopher Ayn Rand and Gary Cooper on the set. Ayn Rand was, in the words of psychologist Nathaniel Branden, one of the most brilliant and misunderstood figures of the 20th century. Like her or hate her, she was a unique and utterly fascinating person. I've read the Fountainhead 3 times since 2002 and I am always captivated by the characters, plot and concepts contained in it. I've seen the film at least 10 times by now and always find myself compelled by Howard Rourke!

"If you want to be the kind of man that does things for people, then you must be the kind of man that gets things done, but you must LOVE the doing, NOT the people!"

The scenes of Rourke and Domnique at the Quarry are not at all subtle in their sexual symbolism! Apparently Eleanor Parker lobbied heavily to get the part of Dominique and she resembles the character in the book much more than Patricia Neal but it all worked out very well in the end.

G - "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966)

"I've never seen so many men wasted so badly"

My favorite Clint Eastwood film and one of my all-time fave films period! A rip-roaring action extravaganza, the quintessential Spaghettie western and just plain out great fun! I've seen this so many times I know every scene by heart and can just hear Ennio Morricone's incredible music and know what scene in the film is playing. Director Sergio Leone really hit the bullseye with "A Fistfull of Dollars" and the film was so popular and Eastwood's "Man with No name" character was so compelling that 2 more sequels were made, each expanding on the previous in budget and scope of story. Yet in the end we still know as much (or as little) about "No Name" as we did in the first film!

"200,000 Dollars is a lot of money . . . we're gonna have to earn it"

I love the touches of wry humor and epic scope of this film. A HUGE production and Sergio's scrupulous attention to period detail makes for a strange mix of realistic settings and mythical characters. There are some amazing set pieces and battle scenes and the final shootout in the graveyard is so far into "legend" status now, my trying to describe it with words would be ludicrous!

"Even a tramp like me, no matter what, I know there's a brother out there who'd never refuse me a bowl of soup"

Eli Wallach as "The Ugly" aka "Il Bruto" aka "Tuco the Rat", gives the most memorable performance of his incredibly long career. Tuco is a VERY resilient fellow and finds himself in all manner of situations thanks in no small part to Eastwood's "The Good" aka "Il Bueno" aka "Blondie"! There's no doubt about it, Leone cast Wallach because of his unforgettable turn in John Sturgess' classic "The Magnificent Seven". I love the scene with Tuco at the mission and his emotional confrontation with his brother, who's a priest. Those little touches added a lot to this film I think.

"Blooooooonnnnnnnddddddiiiiieeeeeeeeee!!!!"

Eastwood poised to ride off to Hollywood! I am very sad that I could not find ANY good shots of Lee Van Cleef for this posting as I think he also gave the performance of his career as "The Bad" aka "Il Cativo" aka "Angel Eyes". His first scenes in the film are totally awesome!! Van Cleef was in a zillion films, mostly westerns and thanks to the 2 he made with Sergio he had work in Italy and Spain for years afterwards! I think his last film was John Carpenter's "Escape from New York".

H - "Humoresque" (1946)

Ok, I am a HUGE John Garfield fan, so let's get that understood right away! I think he's the single most under-appreciated actor of his era and it's very hard for me to pick a fave film of his but this one is certainly in the top 3 or 4. A first-rate Warner Bros production from start to finish and Garfield and Joan Crawford are downright amazing!

Director Jean Negulesco is one of my fave post-war film makers. He made a whole slew of off-beat and interesting pictures at Warner's in the mid to late 40's including "Nobody Lives Forever" with Garfield and Geraldine Fitzgerald, "3 Strangers" with Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Geraldine Fitzgerald, "Deep Valley" with Ida Lupino and Dane Clark and "Johnny Belinda" with Oscar winner Jane Wyman, Lou Ayres and Charles Bickford, but this is my favorite of all his films. Probably the last time Joan Crawford really looked beautiful on screen, just before what i refer to as her "automoton" phase where she looked more like an android than a human being!

Original sheet music for the film. The score by Franz Waxman is almost like another character in the film! Isaac Stern did the amazing violin playing. If you havent seen this one yet, check it out, it's well-worth the time!

Lobby Cards . . .

My one other aquisition during my all-too brief visit to CT last weekend was this batch of 4 Lobby Cards from the 1940 Warner Bros. film "Castle on the Hudson", directed by Anatole Litvak. For the un-initiated Lobby cards are generally 11"x14" in size, printed on heavier paper than the thin 27"x41" one-sheet posters and usually have 8 cards to a set, often including what is known as a "Title Card" as the first card. John Garfield and Ann Sheridan are two of the main stars I have focused on in my collecting escapades and I have quite a few items for each of them but none from this film so I am genuinely excited to have these in the house! Of particular note is that these are printed on a weird linen type paper that Warner Bros sometimes used for their lobby cards. It always has a more yellow/brown coloring to it than the regular heavy white paper that most LC's are printed on. Many thanks to my good friend Mr Door Tree for making it possible for me to add these to my collection!

A scene card with Garfield, Annie and character actor workhorse Jerome Cowan, probably best remembered for his role as Miles Archer in John Huston's 1941 production of "The Maltese Falcon". Mr Cowan has over 200 screen credits to his name!!!

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, I'm thinking it wasnt too difficult to put on a big smile with your arm around Ann Sheridan!

Nice hat Annie! This film was actually a re-make of "20,000 years in Sing Sing" released in 1932, directed by Michael Curtiz and featured Spencer Tracy and Bette Davis, the only time those two great stars ever worked together.

A scene card with all 3 of the main stars! Both John Garfield and Pat O'Brien could rattle off dilaogue at lightning speed and Annie was no piker in that department either!