Thursday Movie Picks: Rags to Riches

 

I’m gone to Toronto today and will make sure to take it easy but will be going to the Picasso exhibit and will do some Christmas shopping. So, today it’s all about Rags to Riches which we all wish would happen to us. My hubby buys the lotto hoping for even a million...cracks me up. Most people who win at Lotto, blow it in 5 years and that is the truth, sad but true. This week, over at Wandering  Through The Shelves, it’s about striking it rich in one form or another. I will wonder what everyone will choose, here are my 3...

1. MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN- 1936

Frank Capra is just great to showcase the every man who is loved, then vilified before being loved once again. Even though some critics, who get no sex, call it Capra-Corn, most recognize how great most of his films are and I love many of his films. This stars Gary Cooper as a Tuba playing Joe who gets 10 million as an inheritance from his Uncle. He moves to the city into a very large home and wonders what to do. Enter Jean Arthur as a jaded reporter tasked to see if this guy is for real . She plays him like a deck of cards and so do the lawyers etc.. who want the money. He just wants to help the people who are hanging on by a thread because of the Great Depression and the Dustbowl. It is such a nice film worth a few looks. I am a rare gal who is not a huge fan of Cooper but I like him in this. Jean Arthur is always a treat. The character actors often make Capra's films rise above the norm. 

2. MRS. PARKINGTON-1944

Greer Garson and Walter Pisgeon made many films together with their most famous being Mrs. Miniver, but I like this one better. Mrs. Miniver just seems too saintly. The pairing of these 2 stars was so popular that many thought they were together in real life. This movie starts off in a mining town with Greer's character as the daughter of an innkeeper, her mom, and she makes the beds etc... the owner of the mine, played by Pudgeon, stays at this Inn and likes the gal but he is facing the harsh reality that the people in the town don't like him. When there is a mining disaster and her mom is killed, he decides to marry the lass and brings her to his huge home. She must now get used to giving the orders instead of being on the receiving end. She meets a former flame of his who helps her by showing the ropes. This tale of marriage and heartbreak is told in flashback as she is dealing with her very self-obsessed kids and grandkids. It's a good movie made better by Agnes Moorehead as the former flame.

3. THE SOUND OF MUSIC- 1965

We all know the story of a novice nun, who doesn't follow the rules and is sent to the Baron Von Trapp household to govern his 7 kids. She is dirt poor and, when meeting them, does wear the worst outfit anyone can wear. She teaches the kids to sing and brings life and love back into his home. He is slow to come around and brings a Baroness back from Vienna to meet the kids and have a big party. This all happens before the Nazis take power. Now, aside from a song that mentions snow and Christmas, it is not a Christmas movie since it takes place in summer, has Nazis and no other reference to Christmas. It is a nice family film with brilliant singing by Julie Andrews and wonderful locals in and around Salzburg. 

So...which films would you choose?