April 18 - San Francisco

Today’s disaster movie has a scene set on April 18. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

SAN FRANCISCO                       

Blackie Norton is a saloon owner with a heart of gold in 1906 San Francisco. He hires classicly trained minister’s daughter Mary Blake as a singer at his club, the Paradise and they have an instant attraction. His friends want Blackie to run for city council in order to force through improved fire regulations for the city and at the urging of his life long friend, Father Tim Mullin, Blackie agrees. Nob Hill resident and slum landlord, Jack Burley offers to buy out Mary’s contract, but is opposed to Blackie’s efforts to improve the fire code as this will cost him money. She initially refuses, but changes her mind to avoid getting in a sexually compromising situation with Blackie. At her debut at the opera, Blackie arrives with an injunction to stop the show as Mary is still under contract with him. However, after hearing her sing he does nothing and after the show when she proposes to him Blackie accepts. Father Tim is upset when Blackie plans to have Mary perform  at the Paradise in a skimpy outfit. After Blackie hits Father Tim, Mary leaves with the priest. Mary returns to the opera and eventually becomes engaged to Burley.   Burley uses his influence to have the police raid the Paradise. At the annual Chicken’s Charity show Mary wins on behalf of the Paradise, but Blackie angrily refuses to accept the money. Just then, early in the morning of  April 18, 1906 [1:24:04 to 1:41:57] a massive earthquake destroys San Francisco.  Blackie wanders the devastated streets looking for Mary and finds Burley’s body. Finally Father Tim leads him to where Mary is leading survivors in singing hymns. The atheist Blackie has a conversion experience and thanks God for sparing Mary. They are reunited as word is received that the fires that had been sweeping the city are out.

A classic 1930’s melodrama and not a bad one at that. The plot actually all ties together in the end. This film also has some good musical numbers. 

Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes by Alexander Gates and David Ritchie (Checkmark Books, New York, 2007) at page 294 gives the date of the quake

Producers - John Emerson and Bernard H. Hyman        

Director - W. S. Van Dyke

Awards – The film won the Best Sound Record Oscar. It was also nominated for the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Tracy), Best Original Screenplay and Best Assistant Director Oscars at the 9^th Academy Awards.

Screenplay - Robert Hopkins and Anita Loos             

Runtime – 1 hour 55 minutes

Released – June 26, 1936

Cast – 

Clark Gable as Blackie Norton

Jeanette MacDonald as Mary Blake

Spencer Tracy as Father Tim Mullin

Jack Holt as Jack Burley

Jessie Ralph as Mrs.Burley

Ted Healy as Mat

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014. 

April 17 - The Aurora Encounter

Today’s science fiction movie has a scene set on April 17. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.  

THE AURORA ENCOUNTER      

In the sleepy little town of Aurora, Texas, Alain Peebles the local schoolmarm takes over running the town’s newspaper when her father, the editor dies. The paper is about to go bankrupt and needs a big story to increase readership. On April 17, 1897 [4:48 – 11:33] a UFO lands near the town. That night the alien scares Irene, a widow. A little girl sees the UFO and the alien and takes a crystal he left behind. Then the alien introduces himself to Charlie, who makes and sells the alcohol loaded “Neptune’s Elixir”.  Alain seizes on the story and prints articles to help sell newspapers. She goes to see the governor, who says ‘no comment’, but later sends a Texas ranger undercover to investigate. Alain’s attempt to build an airplane results in a crash into a lake. The alien pays another visit to Charlie. Three little girl who try to use the crystal fall into a cavern full of alien artifacts, where they end up trapped. The alien rescues them. Alain organizes the townspeople to use crystals to ‘summon’ the UFO which does appear. Then Ranger Sheridan shoots the alien, who takes off in his ship, but crashes into a windmill. The townspeople bury the alien in the town cemetery.  

A very strange low budget film. Amusing in its own way, its worth watching at least once. This movie had a lot of potential and could have been much better. Based a supposedly true story.

The UFO Enigma: A New Review of the Physical Evidence by Peter A. Sturrock (Warner Books, New York, 1999) at page. 106 gives the date the UFO crashed

Director - Jim McCullough, Sr.

Producer - Jim McCullough, Sr.

Screenplay - Melody Brooke and Jim McCullough, Jr.

Runtime – 1 hour 30 minutes

Released - December 29, 1986

Cast -

Jack Elam as Charlie

Peter Brown as the Sheriff

Carol Bagdarsarian as Alain Pebbles

Dottie West as Irene

Will Mitchell as Phil Sheridan

Mickey Hays as the alien

Spanky McFarland as the governor

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

April 16 - QB VII

Today’s movie is a courtroom drama with  scenes that happen on April 16. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.  

QB VII                        

On April 16, 1972 [00:03 to 3:50] the plaintiff, Sir Adam Kelno and the defendant Abe Cady arrive at the courtroom. We flashback to Kelno’s story. In 1945 he escaped from eastern Europe and made it to England. He starts a medical practice and gets married. The Polish government tries to get him extradited as a war criminal. Their agent Zaminski, learns that Zbotnik kept a log of the operations at Jadwiga Concentration Camp where Kelno was a prisoner doctor, but Zabotnik says the log was burned. The effort fails because an eyewitness fails to identity Kelno as the doctor who castrated him. After his release Kelno, his wife and child move to Kuwait, where his medical activities eventually result in him being knighted.   The defendant Abe Cady was an American  Jew and a volunteer pilot in the RAF.  When he was injured, he started writing. After the war h marries his gentile nurse and moves to California to write screenplays. After twenty years os success, he becomes a jackass and starts committing adultery with other women. Cady separates from his wife. When he travels to Israel to see his dying father,  and visits the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, this brings about a crisis with his disinclination to confront his Jewish identiry. Cady decides to write a book about the Holocaust while living in Israel. The book is a worldwide success and his son becomes an Israeli citizen and joins the Israeli airforce. Then Adam Kelno finds out he is named in Cady’s book as a war criminal. Kelno decides to sue Cady for libel and gets Sir Robert Highsmith to represent him again. Cady refuses to retract and renews his relationship with Lady Margaret Wydman, who had previously been his lover.  She persuades Tom Bannister to defend Cady. On April 16, 1972 [2:58:35 to 3:16:55] the trial begins, with the parties trading barbs.  Sir Adam Kelno is the first witness. He says he was ordered by the Germans to remove sexual organs that had been destroyed by x-rays and that Dr. Tessler never saw him operate. He says he always used anesthesia.  However, on cross-exam he is pressed that he knew the purpose of the use of x-rays on the prisoners and willingly cooperated with the Germans. Dr. Lotaki comes from Poland and supports Kelno’s testimony in all regards.  Dr. Parmentier and other survivors of the experiments testify that Kelno operated on them without anesthesia, made racist comments and operated in the presence of Dr. Tessler.  She testifies that she refused to cooperate with the Germans.  Then word arrives that Dr. tesslar is dead. Cady, who has gone to Poland, with the help of Zaminski, tracks down Zbotnik and takes him to Jadwiga. The Poles are going to expel Zbotnik, but agree to let him return if he produces the register. The parties rest, but then Zbotnik appears in the courtroom. The judge over objection, allows the register to be introduced. Dr. Kelno is recalled and his examination establishes that he is a liar and that he collaborated with the Germans. His son turns against Kelno. When returning to court to hear the verdict Cady learns his son was killed in battle. The jury finds for Kelno, but award him only one half penny. 

A very good adaptation of Uris’s novel. It does add some melodramatic touches, but only the adequately presents this powerful story.  Hopkins is very good as Kelno.

QB VII by Leon Uris (Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, NY, 1970) at page 273 gives the trial’s start date    

Director – Tom Gries                                

Producer – Douglas S. Cramer

Awards – This movie won the Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special (Anthony Quayle), Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama Special(Juliet Mills), Outstanding Film Editing for Entertainment Programming for a Special, Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design, Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special and Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing Emmys. It was also nominated for the Outstanding Special - Drama or Comedy, Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special(Jack Hawkins), Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Drama Special(Lee Remick), Outstanding Directing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy, Outstanding Writing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy – Adaptation, Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming for a Special and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction or Scenic Design - For a Single Episode of a Comedy, Drama or Limited Series Emmys at the 27^th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Screenplay – Edward Anhalt                                    

Runtime – 6 hours 30 minutes

Released – April 29, 1974

Starring –

Ben Gazzara as Abe Cady

Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Adam Kelno

Leslie Caron as Angela Kelno

Lee Remick as Lady Margaret Alexander Wydman

Juliet Mills as Samantha Cady

Dan O'Herlihy as David Shawcross

Robert Stephens as Robert Highsmith

Anthony Quayle as Tom Banniester

Milo O'Shea as Dr. Stanislaus Lotaki

John Gielgud as Clinton-Meek

Edith Evans as Dr. Parmentier

Jack Hawkins as Justice Gilray

Kristoffer Tabori as Ben Cady

Joseph Wiseman as Morris Cady

Anthony Andrews as Stephen Kelno

Signe Hasso as Lena Kronska

Sam Jaffe as Dr. Mark Tessler

Julian Glover as Zaminski

Vladek Sheybal as Egon Sobotnik

Lana Wood as Sue Scanlon

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

April 15 - Anastasia(1956)

Today’s movie is a drama with a scene set on April 15. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

ANASTASIA                        

On April 15, 1928 [2:32 to 26:04], which is Orthodox Easter, General Bounine, a Russian émigré meets Anna Koreff, who bears a remarkable resemblance to the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II, who was supposedly shot by the Bolsheviks ten years ago.  However, rumors persist that Anastasia survived the massacre of her family. Bounine has formed a partnership with two men who plan to use an Anastasia pretender to get the £10,000,000 left in the Bank of England by the Czar. They have also been extracting money from the Russian émigré community to finance their search for Anastasia and using some of the funds for their own personal needs. Anna Koreff reluctantly agrees to participate in the scheme. Bounine and his partners train her to be able to impersonate the Grand Duchess. She convinces a few and then many of the Russian émigré community of Paris that she is Anastasia. However, the key is to get Anastasia’s grandmother to recognize Anna as the Grand Duchess. They travel to Copenhagen where the former Empress lives.  Bounine and Anna go to the theater when the Empress is there. Anna meets and enchants Prince Paul von Haraldberg, a member of the Russian imperial family and Anastasia’s fiancée. The Empress at first is adamant about not meeting Anna, but finally goes to see her and is convinced she is the real Anastasia. She plans to publicly recognize her. However, Anna and Bounine elope together, as they have fallen in love during the course of their time together.

An unusual film. Bergman does a good job portraying Anna. Leaves unanswered the question of whether Anna is Anastasia, but hints that she may be.  

At 2:38 to 53 we are told it is Orthodox Easter, 1928, which was on this date.

Producer - Buddy Adler                                           

Director - Anatole Litvak

Awards – The film won the Best Actress (Bergman) Oscar and was nominated for the Best Original Score Oscar at the 29^th Academy Awards.

Screenplay - Guy Bolton and Arthur Laurents

Runtime – 1 hour 45 minutes

Released – December 13, 1956

Cast –

Ingrid Bergman as Anna Koreff

Yul Brynner as General Bounine

Helen Hayes as the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovona

Akim Tamiroff as Boris Chernov

Martita Hunt as Baroness Elena von Livenbaum

Felix Aylmer as Chamberlain

Sacha Patoeff as Piotr Ivanovich Petrovin

 Desny as Prince Paul von Haraldberg

 Schafer as Irina Lissemskaia

 Gromoff as Stepan

 Karel Stepanek as Mikhail Vlados

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

April 14 - A Night to Remember

Today’s movie is a disaster movie with scenes set on April 14. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER                

The RMS Titanic is launched and is called unsinkable. She sets sail on her maiden voyage to New York. On April 14, 1912 [11:09 to 40:14] the SS Californian and the Titanic receive ice warnings. Some steerage passengers on the Titanic celebrate with an impromptu dance, while the ships first class passengers dine in ostentatious luxury. A second ice report received by the Titanic is accidentally misplaced and not given to the captain, while the Californian is stopped by ice floes. The Californian tries to broadcast another ice warning, but the Titanic cuts them off.  The lookouts on the Titanic spot an iceberg, but the ship is too large to turn quickly and it scrapes the iceberg along one side, opening up a three hundred foot long gash below the waterline and immediately starts taking on water. Captain Smith asks Thomas Andrews, the ship’s builder, who happens to be on board, to inspect the damage. He does and reports that the ship is going to sink in less than two hours. The Titanic begins broadcasting SOS, but the Californian, which is only ten miles away, turns off its receiver. The Captain orders women and children into the lifeboats, even thought there are only enough lifeboats for about half of those on board. The RMS Carpathia receives Titanic’s SOS and heads to the rescue. Passengers reluctantly come out on deck in the freezing weather. The Titanic tries firing rockets to get the attention of the Californian, but fails to do so. The steerage passengers are kept below decks by locked gates and many start to get angry.  The Californian tries to communicate by Morse lamp, but the Titanic can’t read their message.  Some of the steerage passengers sneak into first class and onto the boat deck. The crew has been lowering the lifeboats and generally only allowing women and children on. The ship’s band begins playing on deck to calm the passengers, but the crew eventually has to fire shots to calm the crowds trying to push onto the lifeboats. When almost all the lifeboats are gone, steerage passengers are allowed up on the boat deck.  The cowardly and despicable Bruce Ismay, president of White Star Lines, owner of the Titanic, who was on board, got into a lifeboat. There is fighting for the last spaces in the lifeboats. The portside collapsible boat finishes up lying upside down on the deck. The band plays the hymn ‘Nearer, My God to Thee’ as its final selection. There is a mob scene as the remaining passengers stampede to the stern as the Titanic sinks by the bow and go into the frigid water when the ship finally slips beneath the water. “ Molly’ Brown a domineering first class passenger in a lifeboat wants to go back and pick up survivors floating in the water, but the crew refuses.  Second Officer Charles Lightoller ends up atop the capsized collapsible boat and by excellent seamanship saves lives. The Carpathia picks up 705 survivors and they have a remembrance service.        

An excellent dramatization of this fascinating story. This one many not have the production values of the 1997 film, but the story is as good, with some outstanding performances. Well worth watching.

The Other Side of the Night: The Carpathia, The Californian and the Night the Titanic Was Lost by Daniel A. Butler(Casemate, Philadelphia, PA, 2009) at pages 57-59 and the film at 11: 40 gives the date the ship hit the iceberg.

Director - Roy Ward Baker

Producer - William MacQuitty

Screenplay - Eric Ambler

Runtime – 2 hours 3 minutes

Released – July 1, 1958

Starring –

Kenneth More as Second Officer Charles Lightoller

Ronald Allen as Mr. Clarke

Robert Ayres as Arthur Godfrey Peuchen

Honor Blackman as Mrs. Liz Lucas

Anthony Bushell as Captain Arthur Rostron(Carpathia)

John Cairney as Mr. Murphy

Jill Dixon as Mrs. Clarke

Jane Downs as Mrs. Sylvia Lightoller

James Dyrenforth as Colonel Archibald Gracie IV

Michael Goodliffe as Thomas Andrews

Kenneth Griffith as Wireless Operator Jack Phillips

Harriette Johns as Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon

Frank Lawton as J. Bruce Ismay

Richard Leech as First Officer William Murdoch

David McCallum as Assistant Wireless Operator Harold Sydney Bride

Alec McCowen as Wireless Operator Harold Thomas Cottam, Carpathia

Geoffrey Bayldon as Wireless Operator Cyril Evans, Californian

Tucker McGuire as Mrs. Margaret "Molly" Brown

John Merivale as Robbie Lucas

Ralph Michael as Jay Yates

Laurence Naismith as Captain Edward Smith

Russell Napier as Captain Stanley Lord

Redmond Phillips as Mr. Hoyle

George Rose as Chief Baker Charles Joughin

Charles Belchier as Bandleader Wallace Hartley

Joseph Tomelty as Dr. William O'Loughlin

Jack Watling as Fourth Officer Joseph Boxhall

Patrick Waddington as  Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon

Howard Pays as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe

Michael Bryant as Sixth Officer James Moody

Cyril Chamberlain as Quartermaster Rowe

Richard Clarke as Martin Gallagher

Bee Duffell as Mrs. Farrell

Harold Goldblatt as Benjamin Guggenheim

Gerald Harper as Third Officer (Carpathia)

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.

April 13 - Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story

Today’s movie is a biography with a scene that happens on April 13. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

BIG DREAMS AND BROKEN HEARTS: THE DOTTIE WEST STORY                          

Dottie Marsh was born in poverty as the oldest of ten children. Her father physically and sexually abused her. She goes off to study music composition at Tennessee Tech, where she met her husband Bill West. They move to Cleveland, Ohio, where she finally gets to sing on the Landmark Jamboree television show. She gets a record contract with Starday records and they move to Nashville. She and her husband become part of a group of aspiring songwriters and singers including Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Roger Miller. She gets Jim Reeves to  record her song “Is This Me” and helped get Dottie signed with RCA records and fulfill her dream of sing on The Grand Old Opry. At the Opry she meets Patsy Cline, the top female country singer of the era. Dottie records “Here Comes My Baby”, which is a huge hit and she  becomes the first female country artist to win a Grammy on April 13, 1965 [30:50 to 33:35]. Resentment over her success and over generosity with money leads to a break up with her husband. Dottie soon married Byron Metcalfe, a drummer, twelve years her junior. She tries to update her public image and records a series of successful duets.  She is upset when her father dies in prison and buys the mansion she always dreamed of, but she continues to spend more than she makes. Dottie’s memories of being abused as a child causes problems with her own kids.  Her marriage to Byron ends, but she marries Al Winters, who was 22 years younger than her. However this marriage also ends and then she learns she owes $2 million to the IRS for back taxes. She eventually loses her mansion to foreclosure and all her personal possessions are auctioned off. She returns to her hometown and confronts her past of abuse and remembers how she testified against her father and got him sent to jail for 40 years. She was scheduled to appear on the Grand Old Opry, but on the way she was killed in an auto accident.          

An entertaining if somewhat predictable biopic. 

Producer - Michele Lee

Director - Bill D'Elia

Awards – This movie was nominated for the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Mini-series or a Special and the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a Mini-series or a Special at the 47^th Primrtime Emmy Awards

Screenplay - Theresa Rogerton

Runtime – 1 hour and 32 minutes

Released - January 22, 1995

Cast –

Michele Lee as Dottie West

William Russ as Bill West

Lisa Akey as Shelly West

Taylor Farnsworth as Tess West

David James Elliott as Byron Metcalf

Norm Woodel as Jim Reeves

Tere Myers as Patsy Cline

Cathy Worthington as Jeannie Seely

Ben Browder as Al Winters

Tony Higgins as Kris Kristofferson(younger)

Kris Kristofferson as Himself

Kenny Rogers as Himself

Stuart Greer as Owen

Chris McCarty as Willie Nelson(younger)

Dolly Parton as Herself

Willie Nelson as Himself

Larry Gatlin as Himself

Chet Atkins as Himself

Loretta Lynn as Herself

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014

April 12 - Eleanor and Franklin: The Early Years

Today’s movie is a biography that has a scene set on April 12.  I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

ELEANOR AND FRANKLIN: THE EARLY YEARS                             

The film starts the day FDR dies April 12, 1945. [01:40 to 11:33]  Eleanor Roosevelt then recalls incidents of their lives. When she was a small girl her family traveled to Europe. Her father was an alcoholic and after her mother dies Eleanor is kept separated from her father, who she dearly loved. Both her little brother and father die. She meets FDR. Eleanor is sent to a girls school in England for three years.  When she comes back to the USA, he begins courting her and finally proposes to her the weekend of the 1904 Harvard-Yale football game.  They are married on St. Patrick’s day 1905 with her uncle US President “Teddy’ Roosevelt giving her away. They are happy for a while,  but while Assistant Secretary of the Nay, FDR begins an affair with Eleanor’s social secretary Lucy Mercer, which she learns of from some letters in his suitcase when he returns from the Versailles Peace Conference. His mother tells FDR she will disinherit him if he divorces and Eleanor agrees to stay with him on condition that he never see Lucy again. After FDR develops polio Eleanor steps in and tours in his place.  FDR is elected governor of New York and later President.

A mainly realistic account of the lives of this famous couple from the early years until 1932.  Not too melodramatic. Mainly concentrates on Eleanor and not Franklin. 

    

Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom by Conrad Black (Public Affairs, New York, 2003) at pages 1109-1113 gives the date of FDR’s death

Awards - The film won the Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction or Scenic Design - Dramatic Special or Feature Length Film Made for TV; Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Entertainment Programming for a Special; Outstanding Achievement in Costume Design for a Drama Special; Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing for Entertainment Programming for a Special; Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Mixing; Outstanding Achievement in Make-Up; Outstanding Directing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy; Outstanding Individual Achievement in Any Area of Creative Technical Crafts; Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Comedy or Drama Special(Murphy); Outstanding Special - Drama or Comedy; Outstanding Writing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy - Original Teleplay Emmys. It was also nominated for the Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing - For a Special Program; Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design and Title Sequences; Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama or Comedy Special (Hermann); Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama or Comedy Special (Alexander); Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Comedy or Drama Special (Tedrow) and Outstanding Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Comedy or Drama Special (Skala) Emmys at the 28^th Primetime Emmy Awards.   

Producers - David Susskind, Audrey Maas and Harry R. Sherman

Director - Daniel Petrie

Screenplay - James Costigan

Released - January 11, 1976

Runtime  - 4 hours

Starring -

Edward Herrmann  as FDR

Jane Alexander  as Eleanor Roosevelt

Rosemary Murphy as Sara Delano Roosevelt

Pamela Franklin as Anna Hall Roosevelt

David Huffman   as Elliott Roosevelt

Irene Tedrow    as Mary Ludlow Hall

John Burnett    as Hall Roosevelt

Linda Kelsey    as Lucy Page Mercer Rutherfurd

William Phipps  as Theodore Roosevelt

Linda Purl  as Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Devon Ericson   as Corinne Roosevelt Robinson

Teresa Steenhoek as Anna Roosevelt Halsted

Lilia Skala  as Marie Souvestre

Ed Flanders  as Louis Howe

Arthur Adams as Arthur Prettyman

Helen Kleeb as Margaret Suckley

Peggy McCay  as Grace Tully

Anna Lee as Laura Delano

Harry Holcombe  as Steve Early

Ned Wilson  as Endicott Peabody 

Len Wayland  as Admiral Ross McIntire

Lindsay Crouse  as Marjorie Bennett

Edward Winter as Joe McCall

Mackenzie Phillips as Eleanor, age 14

Copyright by Ivan Walters 2014.