Movie Review: The Life Of Jimmy Dolan (1933)

A potent social drama, The Life Of Jimmy Dolan (also known as The Kid's Last Fight) combines boxing and romance with a fast-paced story of redemption.

Handsome boxer Jimmy Dolan (Douglas Fairbanks Jr) wins the world title, and to appease his sponsors falsely claims to the adoring media that he lives a wholesome life. In reality, he is a jaded cynic and believes that all his friends are pursuing their self-interest. When reporter Charles Magee (George Meeker) threatens to expose Jimmy's real habits of boozing and womanizing, Jimmy kills him with one punch. A subsequent fiery car crash claims the life of Jimmy's sleazy manager Doc (Lyle Talbot) and girlfriend Goldie (Shirley Grey), and Doc's burnt body is mistaken for Jimmy.

The boxer assumes the new identity of Jack Dougherty, leaves New York City and disappear into a new life on the run. Only semi-retired police detective Phlaxer (Guy Kibbee) suspects that Jimmy is still alive. The boxer makes his way to Salt Lake City area, where he stumbles onto a rural farm run by Peggy (Loretta Young) and her Auntie (Aline MacMahon), who look after a group of sick children. They extend their hospitality to Jimmy, and soon he starts to fall in love with Peggy. But Phlaxer will not give up his quest for justice.

Directed by Archie Mayo, The Life Of Jimmy Dolan is a hard-hitting 88 minutes. A simple story of one man discovering that life could be about more than just narcissism and conceit, the drama lands all the right punches with just enough force. The freedom afforded by the pre-Hays Code era allows Jimmy to embark on his post-murder journey without a predetermined outcome, and Mayo hustles the moral dilemmas and romance along with laudable efficiency. Mayo also finds reasons to introduce some good outdoor action, including a wild car chase.

The film does offer up an extraordinarily sharp contrast between Jimmy's sordid boxer life and the wholesome farm run by Peggy and Auntie, the pure simple folks caring for sick children offering a too-perfect antidote to the poison in Jimmy's soul. But within these limitations Mayo constructs plenty of jagged emotional conflicts, with Jimmy fighting both against his past and his present as a man living a lie under a fake identity while falling in love with a girl who could be his salvation.

The film gives some of the secondary characters good depth, with the detective Phlaxer enjoying his own opportunity to make up for past aberrations. Late in the story the fates of Phlaxer and Jimmy intertwine, and second chances become a corollary to atonement. Even the relatively minor and short role of Goldie is presented with a conflict between loyalty and the pursuit of quick riches during desperate times.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. is functional if a bit fluffy for a boxing champion. The supporting cast includes Edward Arnold as another detective, Mickey Rooney and Anne Shirley as two of the kids on the ranch, and a young John Wayne as a boxer uncertain about climbing into the ring with a notorious bruiser.

The Life Of Jimmy Dolan is an unexpected pleasure, a drama with both edge and heart.

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Movie Review: Ladies In Love (1936)

A romantic comedy drama, Ladies In Love features an overpowered cast struggling with an underpowered script.

Three women move into a Budapest apartment as roommates. all looking for a better life. The poor but bright Martha (Janet Gaynor) is trying to get the attention of scientist Rudi (Don Ameche), but he is too preoccupied with his rabbit experiments to notice. Martha turns her attention to worldly magician Sandor (Alan Mowbray). Chorus girl Susie (Loretta Young) is seeking independence but falls under the spell of handsome nobleman Karl (Tyrone Power).

Yoli (Constance Bennett), who is less of a believer in love and is more about seeking riches, is carrying on an apparently loveless affair with John (Paul Lukas), and old but wealthy man. Their relationship gets complicated with the arrival of perky temptress Marie (Simone Simon) to distract John. The women experience ups and downs as they navigate the choppy waters of uncertain relationships.

Twentieth Century Fox threw almost all their stars into one film, and while the talent occasionally sparkles, they are hamstrung by a lacklustre script. Endlessly talky, limited to one theme and eventually tiresome, Ladies In Love explores women's romantic ambitions but fails to find a genuine spark.

The film does deserve credit for demonstrating courage as it conjures up a bittersweet ending. Not all the romances have fairytale endings, and indeed Susie's story takes her to a dark and near-tragic place. But otherwise Ladies In Love is very much stuck in its era. The women have no life outside of their obsession with men. Every scene features the women either trying to snare a man or endlessly talking about the imperative or consequences of succeeding or failing in landing a partner.

The limp screenplay claims to be an adaptation of a play by a Ladislaus Bus-Fekete, one of many pseudonyms for screenwriter Leslie Bush-Fekete. If there ever was a play, it appears to have never been produced. Director Edward H. Griffith adds nothing to the film, and keeps the action largely stage bound. The presumed Budapest setting provides a context for the assembly of exotic target men, but is otherwise wasted.

The talent-rich cast members do their best to pull the film towards respectability, and ensure that although the words are uninspired, they are delivered with conviction. Janet Gaynor in particular shines as the spirited Martha. Loretta Young and Constance Bennett quickly provide clear differentiation in the women's personalities. Tyrone Power, Don Ameche and Alan Mowbray are prominent among the men, and provide distinct shades of male behaviour, ranging from suave to possessive.

Lacking laughs and liveliness, Ladies In Love is largely listless.

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Movie Review: Call Of The Wild (1935)

A gold rush adventure story, Call Of The Wild features spirited settings and characters but only elemental human drama.

The bustling frontier town of Skagway, Alaska in 1900 at the height of the gold rush. Prospector and gambler Jack Thornton (Clark Gable) meets Shorty Hoolihan (Jack Oakie), who has recently been released from prison after serving time for mail theft. Shorty claims to have seen a map indicating the location of a gold-rich plot of land. Jack and Shorty team up to find the fortune, and soon tangle with the pompous Mr. Smith (Reginald Owen), a rich prospector on his own quest. Jack purchases Buck, a fierce and powerful St. Bernard, to be part of his sled-pulling dog team.

Once in the wild, Jack and Shorty stumble upon Claire Blake (Loretta Young), who is on a similar expedition to find the gold. With her husband missing, Claire is at first unwilling but then joins them on their journey to Dawson City in the Yukon. The trio then set off by raft to follow the path indicated on the map. As they near their destination, Jack and Claire start to fall in love, but others are also closing in on the precious riverside land.

A partial adaptation of the Jack London classic novel, Call Of The Wild is a rough and ready adventure directed by William A. Wellman. The emphasis is on recreating the chaos and greed that fuel a gold rush, and Gable and Oakie do a fine job bringing to life two prospectors chasing the dream and perhaps enjoying the expedition more than the outcome.

From taming Buck the dog to subjugating Claire to their will, Jack and Shorty are not here to be nice. They are intent on conquering the land, the animals and the women all in search of riches, as long as their is fun to be had along the way. Wellman recreates a quite impressively anarchic Skagway and a Dawson City consumed by greed, both filled with the wannabe rich and those who leach upon them. And the film also spends plenty of time in the wilderness enjoying the outdoors and capturing the dangerous beauty of remote winters in a rugged land.

The film does get bogged down in too many dog-related chapters and not enough character development. Although the book is primarily about Buck, on the screen this becomes a weakness. Too many scenes feature the antics of Buck, and the dog emerges as the most animated and dominant character in the film, to the detriment of the humans. Some interesting parallels are drawn between the pull of the wild on Buck's instincts and men reverting to primordial behaviour to survive the conditions, but these themes are underdeveloped.

Jack, Shorty and Claire are just about the same from start to end, and little new is learned about them during the 89 minutes of running time. Claire suffers the most, showing hardly any grief due to the separation from her husband, and falling in love with Jack just because the script seems to demand it.

Featuring an energetic spirit but riding on a thin layer of snow, Call Of The Wild has plenty of dog but limited bite.

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Movie Review: Come To The Stable (1949)

A religious drama and comedy, Come To The Stable celebrates the impenetrable power of faith with a wink and a smile.

New England, shortly after the end of World War Two. French nuns Sister Margaret (Loretta Young) and Sister Scholastica (Celeste Holm) arrive to the small town of Bethlehem in search of land and money to build a children's hospital. Margaret made a promise to build the facility after American troops avoided damaging the French hospital where she worked during the Normandy landings.

The nuns take up residence at the simple home of dotty religious artist Amelia Potts (Elsa Lanchester), but face numerous obstacles to their plans. The idyllic hilltop parcel the nuns set their eyes on is owned by New York City mobster Luigi Rossi (Thomas Gomez). Local land owner and celebrated songwriter Robert Masen (Hugh Marlowe) at first appears supportive but becomes opposed to having a hospital in his quiet neighbourhood. Even the local Bishop (Basil Ruysdael) is skeptical. But Sisters Margaret and Scholastica are nothing if not persistent, and they set about to make their far-fetched dream a reality.

Directed by Henry Koster and inspired by a true story, Come To The Stable finds the right tone for its message. Delivering an affirmation of belief with a light touch, the film provides a steady drip of self-deprecatory humour to keep the more dramatic moments in check. The outcome is an experience that undoubtedly salutes good religious intentions, but within a pragmatic context.

Koster achieves a couple of memorable highlights. Margaret and Scholastica blithely march into the headquarters of crime boss Luigi Rossi in New York City, and persevere despite the dismissiveness of first his henchmen and then Rossi himself. The French nuns and the Italian-American gangster finally break the barriers between them by finding an unexpected common bond. The theme is cleverly amplified with songwriter Robert Masen. Initially helpful but gradually more resistant to the nuns' project, Masen will also awaken to the unlikely connection between his music and the battlefields of Europe.

The performances match the film's attitude. Loretta Young stays within herself and allows the mission to march ahead of the character. Celeste Holm is even more reserved but gets a wacky moment to shine on the tennis courts. Hugh Marlowe leads a steady supporting cast, with Koster animating the local community with plenty of life and avoiding most of the obvious maudlin traps.

Come To The Stable wraps up in an efficient 94 minutes, the French nuns' perfectly executed friendly invasion of New England a small but worthwhile echo of a distant war.

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The Movies of Loretta Young

All movies starring Loretta Young and reviewed on the Ace Black Blog are linked below:

The Life Of Jimmy Dolan (1933)

The Call Of The Wild (1935)

Ladies In Love (1936)

Eternally Yours (1939)

The Stranger (1946)

Come To The Stable (1949)

All Ace Black Blog Movie Reviews are here.
The Index of Movie Stars is here.

Movie Review: Eternally Yours (1939)

A rather bland romantic comedy, Eternally Yours is the story of a magician pursuing his girl, but the film suffers from an obnoxious central character, a plodding pace and an absence of wit.

Tony "The Great Arturo" (David Niven) is a magician and hypnotist popular with the ladies. As soon as he sets eyes on Anita (Loretta Young) they fall in love. She breaks off her engagement to Don (Broderick Crawford), marries Tony, and becomes his assistant. They live a life of travel and touring, but Anita eventually longs to return to some stability and a quiet life in a dream rural home. But one drunken night Tony promises a journalist that he can jump out of an airplane in handcuffs and free his hands in time to activate the parachute. To Anita's horror he goes ahead with the stunt, and this makes him even more popular.

When Tony commits to another long international tour to capitalize on his airplane jump trick, Anita decides that she has had enough. She leaves him, secures a divorce and marries Don. But Tony realizes that he cannot find happiness without Anita, and he starts a long pursuit to win her back.

Directed by Tay Garnett, Eternally Yours is a formulaic romance only marginally brightened by the world of magic and trickery occupied by Tony. The film has some promising raw material to work with, and refreshingly treats magic as almost just another profession. The secrets behind most of Tony's deceptive tricks are casually revealed, and the special effects deployed for the airplane jump are rudimentary although passable for the era.

Niven and Young offer decent star power, and they generate good heat as a couple very much passionately in love but also operating on different frequencies. She wants stability, he wants to capitalize on fame, and as much as she can tolerate his womanizing, she reaches a breaking point with his broken promises and lack of sensitivity. The central characters do remain quite shallow, with barely any background context, and their love-at-first-sight encounter is laughably unconvincing. The willing supporting cast includes C. Aubrey Smith as Anita's Grandpa, Zasu Pitts and Eve Arden.

But otherwise, the script gets bogged down in routine territory, and fails miserably to make Tony a sympathetic character. And once Anita dumps Tony, life steadily seeps out of the entirely predictable back half of the film. Don as the replacement romantic interest is a wooden doofus, and Tony's single-minded attempts to win back Anita border on cruel. Garnett's directing is generally pedestrian and does nothing to overcome the lacklustre dialogue exchanges.

While not a total loss, Eternally Yours tries to pull a rabbit out of a hat, but finds an ungainly chicken instead.

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Movie Review: The Stranger (1946)

A sparkling film noir about the hunt for an elusive Nazi hiding in plain sight, The Stranger is a dazzling Orson Welles achievement, combining small town innocence with international intrigue.

At the United Nations War Crimes Commission, Wilson (Edward G. Robinson) authorizes the release of tweedy small-time Nazi prisoner Meinike (Konstantin Shayne). Wilson is hoping that Meinike will lead him to the wanted war criminal Franz Kindler (Welles), who has erased all evidence of his previous life and created a new identity. The plan works: with Wilson in pursuit, Meinike makes his way to the idyllic small town of Harper, Connecticut, where Kindler has assumed the persona of school teacher Charles Rankin, and is just about to marry the sweet Mary (Loretta Young), daughter of a Supreme Court Justice.

Meinike has a brief meeting with Mary, but Kindler is most unhappy that the little man has potentially revealed his whereabouts, and so Meinike pays the price. With Wilson closing in on his prey, Kindler is on guard to keep his real identity a secret, and the dangerous business of uncovering a Nazi in hiding will require Mary to question her judgement about the man who is now her husband.

A powerful study of opposing forces, The Stranger creates tight tension between the hunter, the hunted and the victims caught in the middle. Wilson and Kindler are similar men, determined, smart and resourceful, and their games of accusation and denial, hide and seek grow ever more serious. Robinson and Welles are worthy on-screen adversaries, two heavyweight actors facing off in a mighty battle of wills.

Meinike, Mary and her little town are the collateral damage, Meinike selfishly used by Wilson, Mary recruited by Kindler to complete his assimilation, and Harper unknowingly serving as a post-war battleground. Wilson's interaction with the townsfolk brings out the character of Harper, with the local grocer and jack of all trades Mr. Potter (Billy House) at the hub of everything including gossipy innocence. The church gradually emerges as the central node where good and evil will have a final confrontation, Kindler's obsession with fixing clocks the one part of his past that he is unable to delete.

Welles packs The Stranger with shadows, close-ups, dangerous camera angles and stark contrasts, creating the perfect film noir aesthetic. And he infects Harper with a spreading evil in the form of Kindler, a man quickly establishing himself as a teacher of children and son-in-law of a Supreme Court judge. It does not take long for villainy to take hold, and Kindler represents the threat posed to an open society by a tenacious enemy with a dark but now erased past.

Compact and compelling, The Stranger is a devious fugitive and an impeccable movie.

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