Movie Resolution

I often use my breaks to watch old movies that I haven't seen before, and continue to expand my knowledge on the Golden Age of Hollywood. These are the ones I've watched so far this week:

The Hucksters (1947)

Not much new here: Clark Gable playing a radio advertising agent who lives by his own morals, not the morals of society. He has a gorgeous gal (Ava Gardner) who's head over heels in love with him, and he likes her alot too. He doesn't expect to fall in love with a woman who has two small children, but her old-fashioned beliefs and dedication to her family have a mystique he's never encountered before, so he makes up his mind to secure a position that brings in alot of dough, so that he can marry her and properly support his new family. These types of roles always seem like they must have been easy money for Gable, but he's always believable in them.

Diary of a Lost Girl (1929)

Definitely worth watching, but only if you watch the version that's been restored. This film was cut down and heavily censored when it was in theaters, not surprising when you see the gritty parts of the story. A young girl, Thymian, becomes upset when her family's housekeeper leaves unexpectedly. It turns out that Thymian's father impregnated her, and after she drowns herself, her body is brought back to the house. Then Thymian gets taken advantage of, and she also ends up pregnant. She is forced to give up her baby, and is sent to a girls' reformatory. When she finally escapes, she has no money or job skills, and is not welcome at home anymore, so she becomes a prostitute. Despite all her trials and tribulations, she comes out on top, with grace and empathy for others. It's easy to fall in love with Louise Brooks when you watch her.

Man's Castle (1933)

Spencer Tracy will always play second fiddle to Clark Gable in my opinion, but this pre-code film stars him alongside Loretta Young, one of Gable's most infamous love interests. (Gable and Young co-starred in Call of the Wild, and there were numerous reports of their chemistry and flirting on set, despite the fact that Gable was married. Young gave birth to baby girl in 1935, and it was rumored for years that Gable was the father, although Young did not confirm this fact until 1999.) Man's Castle is a typical pre-code film, and a pregnancy out of wedlock is a turning point in the story, something which would not have gotten past the censors in later years. The movie is only a little over an hour, which is all we need to understand that Bill is an arrogant, sexist guy who doesn't ever want to settle down. Trina falls in love with him, even though he calls her a skinny bag of bones, and constantly  remarks that he's gonna "knock her teeth out" or leave her high and dry when she least expects it. Although Spencer Tracy was known to play some tough guy characters, this role is very flat compared to his more famous ones.

The Clock (1945)

It's a little strange to watch Judy Garland in a movie where she doesn't sing at all. It's categorized as a drama, but it's really more of a light romance. Garland was in her prime, and I'm not real familiar with Robert Walker, but his performance is enjoyable to watch. Alice trips over Joe's feet in Penn Station, and the heel of her shoe breaks. He helps her find a shoe repair shop, and they end up spending the rest of the day together, quickly falling in love. The whirlwind romances of soldiers is a common theme during this era of movies, which isn't surprising considering the impact of World War II. They decide to marry, and the ceremony is hurried and "ugly" as Alice describes it. Despite her disappointment that her wedding isn't what she'd always hoped, she realizes that love/marriage is more important than a ceremony, and she bravely kisses her new husband goodbye as he catches his train. The movie contains an overt message to the many young brides of this era, attempting to comfort them that even though they had quick and simple weddings, without white dresses and cake and bands, that their marriages are no less important than any others. The movie is cute, and I'm always a sucker for WWII romance. 

I couldn't help but think of my grandparents, who were married in a similar fashion at the beginning of the war. My grandmother was just 19 years old, wearing a nice dress, and my grandfather was 25, and getting ready to leave. Maybe there is something to simplicity; my grandparents were married for 56 years.