I am writing this on July 2nd, the day back in 1997, when my favourite actor, James Stewart died at the age of 89. I was praying he would not die that week because I was getting married on July 5th, but he did and I was bummed. You bet your sweet bippy that I spoke about him at my wedding and I’m glad I did. Today is supposed to be National Stay Out of the Sun Day so I combined the 2. All I can say is that it’s stinkin’ hot outside and it is good to stay out of the sun…if you can. Here are my 3 films…
1. REAR WINDOW-1954
This is one of my all time favourite Hitchcock films and Jimmy Stewart films. It takes place around this courtyard during a sweltering summer with Jimmy Stewart as an adventurer photographer sidelined by a broken leg. He is holed up in his apartment with a cast all the way up to his upper thigh. He has a nurse who comes in every day, played by the incomparable Thelma Ritter and his beautiful fiance, played with great finesse by Grace Kelly. You meet all the people Stewart is peeping..er watching from Miss. Lonely Hearts, to the composer, the dancer, the couple with their dog and the husband with his invalid wife. You can feel the heat which just confines you even more than this intricate set. When the invalid wife is gone one day, Stewart expects foul play but is it? You get taken into his world and become a voyeur and can’t wait to see what all the people are up to. Grace looks exquisite in her outfits and seems to be the only one who doesn’t sweat. It’s a must see film
2. ANATOMY OF A MURDER-1959
This takes place during a sweltering summer when a man is accused of murder and the only one who may be able to get him off is “aww shucks” James Stewart as the Defense Attorney. The accused, played by Ben Gazzara, claims he has no memory of killing a man who was accused of raping his wife, played by Lee Remick. The prosecutor is played by George C. Scott who was nominated for an Oscar for this role and, thought for sure he would win. When he didn’t, he was so disillusioned by the whole Oscar process, he vowed never to accept an Oscar if he ever won…and he kept that promise. Anyhoo, you feel the heat while in that court room especially when they used risqué words like panties, rape etc… In fact, these words caused quite the furor in its day and Stewart’s dad was so disgusted by the film he took out an ad, in his hometown, telling everyone to stay away from this film. It is quite well acted by everyone and I love Eve Arden as Stewart’s secretary. I can’t help but think this is the inspiration for the show Matlock with Andy Griffith in the title role.
3. THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX-1965
Hot and humid here - staying inside and out of the sun as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteI've only seen Rear Window, but I've seen it a few times. If we're thinking heat, In the Heat of the Night also comes to mind, but it's not Jimmy Stewart.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I successfully stayed out of the sun yesterday. I was on an airplane for most of it. So, I wasn't *in* it, really.
BIRGIT ~
ReplyDeleteI dig your double-whammy theme of Uncle Jimmy & the Summer heat. Goot juan!!
I've seen the first two but not the third. I need to watch the first two again, and the last one for the first time. (I'll see if any of my cable channels have 'em for my favorite price: $Fr.ee)
Not trying to keep up with the Uncle Jimmy facet of your theme, ones I like that come to mind are...
'The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre' -- some heat in that, I recall. And then 'The Greatest Story Ever Told', which probably doesn't count because I'm thinking of just a single scene related to extreme heat, but which is indelibly etched into my mind ("No water for HIM!")
Terrific post, Birgit!
~ D-FensDogG
POSTSCRIPT:
DeleteOops! The "No water for HIM!" line is from 'Ben-Hur', not 'The Greatest Story Ever Told'. Oh, well, they're both the same movie anyhow. :^)
~ D'DogG
I've seen all of the movies you mentioned. They are good films, and heat evoking. I'm thinking of some westerns. Parched dry lips and desert places. There's a bunch of them.
ReplyDeleteLee
Hi Birgit - love your choices ... just staying out of the sun is an essential - thankfully it's a little cooler her ... does The Good, the Bad and the Ugly fall into this category - the only one I can immediately think of - cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteIt seems pretty nice out there to me, Birgit! 😉 And I enjoyed all of your movie picks here. What a shame Jimmy died the week of your wedding! My favourite of these is Rear Window and I have the DVD. Now I want to watch it again. 😀
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary!
ReplyDeleteHi Birgit!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delayed response I’ve been away….and also staying out of the heat!! It’s blistering here today but supposedly thunderstorms are coming through to break the heat. Fingers crossed!!
Wonderful theme (and a happy anniversary, a few days late). I remember when Jimmy passed, it was a sad day even though not as surprising as some since his health had been in visible decline for several years.
LOVE all three of your choices! A trio of his absolute best.
Rear Window is my second favorite Hitchcock following “Saboteur” (not usually regarded amongst his best but I love its everyman feel, assortment of odd characters and of course my beloved Priscilla Lane). Rear Window shows Hitch’s mastery of economical use of space and storytelling. It’s also one of his most perfectly cast films, impossible to imagine anyone else in any of the five (Jeff, Lisa, Doyle, Thorwald or especially Thelma Ritter as Stella) main roles.
Anatomy of a Murder is a bit more meandering but still very involving. Lee Remick is fab as the shameless flirt and has great chemistry with Jimmy, but I’ve always wondered how the movie would have played had Lana Turner not found it impossible to work with Otto Preminger (her exact quote is "I thank God that neither I nor any member of my family will ever be so hard up as to have to work for Otto Preminger".) and exited the film. Eve Arden and Arthur O’Connell as Jimmy’s associates are exactly right.
This version of The Flight of the Phoenix is a superb tension filled actioner (the remake is complete crap) with Jimmy is his later crustier phase surrounded by fantastic character actors.
Okay let’s see three Jimmy Stewart movies that stay indoors…hmmm.
No Time for Comedy (1940)- Hick writer Gaylord Esterbrook (Jimmy) makes it on Broadway when he writes a humorous play about wealthy socialites. He falls for and marries the play's star, Linda Paige (Rosalind Russell), writes a string of successful, frothy comedies and drinks like a fish while trading sassy quips with loyal maid Clementine (a wonderful Louise Beavers). Feeling in a rut he meets wealthy flibbertigibbet Amanda Swift (Genevieve Tobin) who convinces him to write a more serious production and leave Linda, but Gaylord quickly comes to regret both decisions. Bittersweet comedy is set exclusively indoors except for a few night scenes.
The Ice Follies of 1939 (1939)- The married life of two ice skaters Larry and Mary Hall (Jimmy and Joan Crawford) lands on thin ice when Mary receives a Hollywood film contract while the husband finds himself sitting at home, out of work. Set almost entirely in ice skating rinks, this is a terrible movie woefully miscast (neither Jimmy, Joan nor third wheel Lew Ayres could skate!) made by MGM in an attempt to replicate 20th Century Fox’s success with Sonja Henie’s film. It flopped so hard it endangered Crawford’s career, she only saved it by fighting to be cast in “The Women” directly afterwards. Jimmy hadn’t quite hit the top yet (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was still two pix away) so had to do as bid but all three stars often referred to this (correctly) as one of their worst films.
Rope (1948)-Just before hosting a dinner party, Philip Morgan (Farley Granger) and Brandon Shaw (John Dall) strangle a mutual friend with a piece of rope, purely as a Nietzsche-inspired philosophical exercise. Hiding the body in a chest upon which they then arrange a buffet dinner, the pair welcome their guests, including the victim's oblivious fiancée (Joan Chandler) and the college professor (Stewart) whose lectures inadvertently inspired the killing. Jimmy’s first time working with Hitchcock is set in a single apartment.