The Intruder Blogathon–“The Wizard of Oz” (1939)

For the this blogathon, bloggers were asked to write about movies featuring intruders. However, in this case, an intruder is not a criminal. An intruder is a person who may have entered someone’s life uninvited, but ultimately their presence lends to an improvement for everyone they meet. Often in these films, the intruder is either a supernatural being, or an alien, or simply a visitor from another town. Perhaps one of the all-time greatest films that fits this motif is The Wizard of Oz (1939).

One of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

Because almost everyone has seen The Wizard of Oz, I don’t think an extensive plot summary is necessary. For the three people in the world who haven’t seen this film, it features a young girl, Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) who resides on a depressing, dusty farm in Kansas. At the beginning of the film, she has a run-in with her mean neighbor, Almira Gulch (Margaret Hamilton), who claims that Dorothy’s dog Toto (Terry) bit her. Almira angrily confronts Dorothy’s guardians, her Auntie Em (Clara Blandick) and Uncle Henry (Charley Grapewin), and demands that Toto be handed over so she can have him destroyed. Henry reluctantly hands Toto over.

Because this is a happy film and having a young girl’s pet killed would be horribly depressing, Toto escapes. Auntie Em encourages Dorothy to take Toto somewhere where they can’t get into any trouble. This serves as the impetus for Judy Garland to sing what is perhaps the most famous movie song ever, “Over the Rainbow.” Later, in an effort to save Toto, Dorothy runs away. A tornado suddenly hits. Dorothy rushes back home and is unable to open the locked storm shelter. She seeks refuge in her house where she’s knocked unconscious by debris. When Dorothy awakens, she’s inside her home, but up in the cyclone. When she lands, she discovers that she is now in the Technicolor world of Oz. The scene of a sepia toned Dorothy stepping into the color saturated world of Oz is one of the most iconic scenes in film history.

The tree throwing apples at Dorothy always makes me laugh.

Soon Dorothy is greeted by Glinda, the alleged Good Witch of the North (Billie Burke). I maintain that Glinda is the true villain of the story. Glinda explains to Dorothy that she has killed the Wicked Witch of the East when her house landed, crushing the witch. The inhabitants of the land, the Munchkins (who I maintain are far creepier than the flying monkeys) rejoice and celebrate Dorothy killing the witch. Suddenly, the witch’s sister, The Wicked Witch of the West (Hamilton) appears, wanting to know who killed her sister, and to obtain possession of her sister’s ruby slippers. Glinda intervenes, placing the ruby slippers on Dorothy’s feet. Dorothy inquires about returning home and Glinda tells her only one person will be able to help her–The Wizard. The Wizard resides in the Emerald City. “Just follow the yellow brick road,” Glinda says.

“I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!” Margaret Hamilton as The Wicked Witch of the West.

While skipping down the yellow brick road, Dorothy encounters three new friends, all with their own dream. She invites each new friend to join her in her journey to the Emerald City to meet The Wizard, assuming that if he can help her, surely he can help them. The first person Dorothy encounters is The Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), who desperately wants a brain. Later, the Scarecrow and Dorothy come across a rusted Tin Man (Jack Haley). After oiling his joints, the Tin Man explains that he wants a heart. He joins Scarecrow and Dorothy. Later, the trio meet a lion in the woods. However, he’s afraid of everything, and is known as the Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr). The lion desperately wants courage, so he can live up to his title of “King of the Forest.” Eventually they reach Emerald City and speak with The Wizard.

In The Wizard of Oz, the three main characters Dorothy encounters (Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion) are literally wasting away in Oz. The scarecrow is nailed to a post. The Tin Man is rusted, and the lion is cowering in fear. Dorothy’s determination to get to Oz to find a way back to Kansas gives them the motivation to try and achieve their dreams as well. Plus, it is easy to see that they may have also wanted to protect this young girl from the Witch while she makes this journey. Through their journey, the quartet becomes close friends and are determined to make each other’s dreams come true.

“Who rang that bell?” The gatekeeper (Frank Morgan) tries to keep the gang from seeing the Wizard.

In the third act of the film, Dorothy is kidnapped by the Wicked Witch of the West and held captive. It is up to the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion to save Dorothy. The three work together and come up with a plan to sneak into the Witch’s castle and find their friend. This is important as it shows (and proves the Wizard’s point) that they always had the qualities that they’re seeking and were it not for Dorothy, they would have never made this discovery. The Scarecrow uses his intellect to figure out how to save Dorothy. The Tin Man’s heart and affection for Dorothy is what motivates him to save her. The lion wasn’t cowardly at all. Because he cared about Dorothy, he summoned up the courage to break into the Witch’s castle to save his friend.

One person in the film film who isn’t helped by Dorothy’s intrusion is The Wizard, whose scam in the Emerald City is ruined by Toto. Out of guilt, he is planning to leave Oz and escort Dorothy home personally, as he too is from Kansas. Then, the Wicked Witch of the East and West definitely did not benefit from Dorothy’s intrusion. The Wicked Witch of the East was literally crushed to death by Dorothy’s intrusion. The Wicked Witch of the West was “liquidated” by Dorothy when she threw a bucket of water in the Witch’s direction, trying to save Scarecrow whose straw body was on fire. However, Dorothy melting the witch led to the salvation of the flying monkeys and the castle guards, who were literally hailing Dorothy for freeing them.

Behind that smile lurks a sociopath. Billie Burke as Glinda in The Wizard of Oz.

As for Glinda, she is the true scum of this film. Despite her fun floaty pink bubble and her billowing pink sparkly dress, Glinda sucks. First, she puts Dorothy into this dangerous situation by stealing the ruby slippers and placing them on her feet, even though legally as the next of kin, they should have gone to the Wicked Witch of the West. Then, she forces Dorothy to take some dangerous journey to the Emerald City in hopes of getting home, knowing damn well that the Wizard won’t help her. At the end of the film, Glinda tells Dorothy that she had the power to get home the entire time. When asked why she didn’t just tell her that, Glinda glibly responds, “you wouldn’t have believed me.” Dorothy was poisoned, kidnapped and nearly killed by the Wicked Witch, but yes, let’s not tell her how to get home. Thanks Glinda. She’s an intruder that leaves nothing but chaos in her wake.

“Well bust my buttons, that’s a horse of a different color!”

The Danny Kaye Blogathon- “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (1947)

Once again, it’s down to the wire. I was planning on working on this earlier in the day, but we finally received the last information we needed for our insurance claim–so I worked on that instead. However, I am a big fan of Danny Kaye and I wanted to get this blog entry completed before the deadline. Kaye’s movies must not be easy to lease, as they seem to rarely air on TCM. As of this writing, it appears that many of Kaye’s films are streaming on Amazon Prime, so now’s my chance.

For this blogathon, I am discussing 1947’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It was remade in 2013 with Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig in Kaye and Virginia Mayo’s roles, respectively. I have not seen the remake, so I refrain from commenting on it. My entry will focus solely on the original adaptation of James Thurber’s 1939 short story, titled “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.”

“To the Walter Mittys of the world [Errol Flynn] was all the heroes in one magnificent, sexy, animal package.”

Jack L. Warner, My First Hundred Years in Hollywood (1965)

I just wanted to use the above quote because it was funny. So here’s my segue—While Danny Kaye isn’t Errol Flynn, it doesn’t matter because Kaye is perfect in the role of the titular Walter Mitty, an editor working at Pierce Publishing Company in New York City. Day after day, he reads pulp fiction magazines as part of his job. He also lives at home with his overbearing, bossy mother Eunice (Fay Bainter). Eunice controls every facet of poor Walter’s life, including what he wears, who he dates, what he eats, when he goes to bed, how he drives, etc. The man can’t even breathe without his mother having an opinion on it. And if that wasn’t enough, every day Eunice gives Walter a laundry list of tasks to complete, all of which he writes down in a little black book. His notes end up getting him into further trouble, since he is prone to writing down the wrong items, because he’s only half listening and daydreaming instead. One evening, instead of bringing home a cake, he brings home a rake.

Poor Walter trapped between his overbearing mother and incredibly irritating fiancée with her equally annoying dog, “Queenie.”

At work, his boss constantly micromanages him and steals his ideas. Walter also has to deal with his dingy fiancée, Gertrude (Ann Rutherford) and her mother (Florence Bates). With all the constant nagging, it is no wonder that Walter is nervous and prone to daydreaming. Walter descends into his dream world when feeling overwhelmed with his current life. Usually his dreams are triggered by a setting or someone’s talking. At the beginning of the film, while listening to Eunice drone on and on about his driving, Walter imagines himself at the helm of a sinking ship. Next, while at a meeting listening to his boss talk about a hospital themed story idea, Walter is a doctor performing a life saving operation. Later, while tending to the furnace, he’s a daring British fighter pilot during WWII. In Walter’s dreams, he is always the hero saving a beautiful blonde damsel in distress, each time portrayed by Virginia Mayo.

Danny Kaye just can’t stop dreaming

One morning while taking his usual train into New York (and probably the only peace and quiet this man has all day), Walter spots a woman that looks a lot like the woman from his fantasies. To escape a creepy man, the woman named Rosalind (Mayo) cuddles up next to Walter and pretends that he’s her beau. They get off the train and Walter realizes he is running late for work. He tries to catch a cab, but there are none available. Walter ends up spotting Rosalind in a cab and he is able to get a ride. While in the cab, Rosalind asks Walter to accompany her to meet someone at the down at the docks. He agrees, but asks to stop by his office so he can drop off some proofs.

Virginia Mayo sidles up next to Danny Kaye on the train

While at the docks, a man hides a little black book in Walter’s briefcase. The man ends up being killed. Later that evening, Rosalind invites Walter to meet her uncle Peter, who is looking for the Dutch crown jewels that were hidden during World War II. Peter explains that he used to work as a curator for a Dutch museum and that he was the one who hid the jewels and had written down the locations in a little black book. It is this little black book that a criminal, named “The Boot” is trying to locate and steal. Later that evening, Walter goes to a department store and ends up finding the little black book. Scared, Walter hides it in a corset inside the modeling department.

As the film continues, the lines between Walter’s fantasy life and his real life continue to blur. Dr. Hugo Hollingshead (Boris Karloff) is introduced as a possible villain, then seems to be a legitimate doctor. As Walter is continually questioned about his actions and statements, the people in his life begin to question his sanity–thinking that he’s losing his mind. Even the facts surrounding Rosalind, Peter, the crown jewels, Dr. Hollingshead, The Boot, all start to become unclear. Walter then starts to wonder if he’s fit to be a hero.

I could have done without this entire fantasy.

I thought that this was a very interesting film. I’d tried watching this movie at least two or three times prior but kept falling asleep. That is definitely not the fault of the film however, I just kept falling asleep. But this time I made it all the way through. I am a fan of Danny Kaye, though I can see how he might be divisive figure. He has a very specific type of humor and seemed to perform in very specific roles. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was the perfect role for Kaye. I cannot think of a performer that would be this adept at playing roles that require broad humor and slapstick. However, I could have done without at least half of the runtime of “Symphony for the Unstrung Tongue,” written by Kaye’s wife, Sylvia Fine. This number was interminable and got annoying really quickly.

Danny Kaye imagines himself as a Mississippi gambler winning the big poker match.

I loved Virginia Mayo in this film. She definitely deserves to be more well known. I’m used to seeing her as James Cagney’s girlfriend in White Heat or as Gordon MacRae’s girlfriend in the film noir, Backfire. I’ve also seen her in comedic parts like in Out of the Blue where she plays a woman who agrees to model for Turhan Bay in exchange for him letting her dog breed with his prize dog. The two end up getting involved in a crazy scheme to get back at Bay’s neighbors, George Brent and Carole Landis, using the oft-fainted body of Ann Dvorak. Mayo was paired often with Danny Kaye and I would love to see more of their collaborations.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty must have had an enormous costume and set budget, which is probably why there is some very obvious rear projection used in other non-fantasy scenes. Each of Walter’s fantasies contain different set pieces and costumes. One of Walter’s best fantasies comes on the heels of one of my favorite classic movie tropes– the random fashion show. While this fashion show is short, it is still fun. We watch as a designer unveils his latest collection of hats, each one more ornate than the last. There is a hideous black hat that looks like it was made from human hair. After the real fashion show, Walter lapses into a fantasy sequence where he unveils his latest collection of ridiculous hats, one resembling the Tower of Pisa.

I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys fantasy-type films and/or is a fan of Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Boris Karloff, and/or Fay Bainter.

WALTER MITTY: Your small minds are musclebound with suspicion. That’s because the only exercise you ever get is jumping to conclusions. You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, every one of you!

Walter Mitty finally grows a backbone and tells off his mother, fiancée and boss!

Clearing the DVR- “The Enchanted Cottage” (1945)

I’ve changed one of the pages on my blog from “Film Reviews” to “Clearing the DVR.”  I currently have 300+ films saved on my DVR.  It is 70% full.  I really need to clear up some room before I run out.  99% of my recordings are off of TCM.  The other recordings are PBS, a Me-TV documentary about Rose-Marie (Sally on The Dick Van Dyke Show), and the colorized I Love Lucy and The Dick Van Dyke Show Christmas Specials that aired back in December.  My issue is that for every movie I watch and delete, I end up recording three in its place.  My other issue is that I end up watching a movie I’ve seen multiple times, because it’s what I’m in the mood for and nothing else will suffice.  For example, even though I’ve seen this movie like five times now, I’m watching Gidget Goes Hawaiian.

I’ve started the “Clearing the DVR” feature here at Whimsically Classic as a means to motivate myself to watch some of the films I’ve recorded and hopefully clear up some space–so that my husband is able to record all his episodes of Archer on FXX before I steal all the space. Typically when I finish watching a film I’ve recorded, I mentally rate it using the following criteria: 1) Did not care for film, would not watch again; 2) Liked the movie, but do not feel that I need to re-watch it; or 3) Loved the movie and must procure my own copy.  Often times, if I’ve decided that I loved the film and want my own copy, I will keep the film on the DVR until I’ve located a copy.  There are also films that I love, Penelope (1966) for example, that are not on DVD.  Storing it on the DVR is the only way to “own” a copy of the film!  Honestly, if it weren’t for the DVR, I wouldn’t get to watch anything! 

A couple nights ago, I watched The Enchanted Cottage.  I recorded this film a few nights ago on TCM.  After reading its praises on the TCM Message Board, I decided to give The Enchanted Cottage a whirl.  I am also a big fan of Dorothy McGuire and knowing that she starred in this film gave me another reason to record it.  I really enjoy watching McGuire’s performances.  Unlike peers like Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner and Hedy Lamarr (to name a few examples), McGuire portrayed more ‘normal’ (for lack of a better word) women.  I think McGuire was very pretty, but in a more natural type of way.  She wasn’t overly made up to look glamorous–she had a more attainable, average type beauty.  I also like McGuire’s characterizations.  She portrays women with real issues, women who overcome adversity and hardship to get ahead.  She is so subtle in her performances.  As much as I love Bette Davis, she loves to chew the scenery (as they say).  McGuire’s characters convey so much sympathy, tragedy, etc. through small facial expressions or inflections in her voice.

One of McGuire’s most spectacular performances, in my opinion, takes place in The Enchanted Cottage.  McGuire co-stars with Robert Young as one-half of a couple who fall in love despite their physical shortcomings.  Their love story is framed within a story about an enchanted cottage.  The story begins with Herbert Marshall, a blind pianist, who is holding a dinner party for McGuire and Young’s characters who have recently fallen in love and married.  Marshall is also their neighbor.  Even though he cannot see, Marshall has seen McGuire and Young’s love for one another grow throughout their courtship.  Marshall has written a “tone poem” (a poem set to music) about his neighbors’ (and friends’) love.  McGuire and Young are late.  Out of respect for his other guests, Marshall begins his poem about the enchanted cottage.

The enchanted cottage resides in a small New England town.  According to the stories that have been told throughout the years, during World War I, a young newlywed couple built a beautiful estate in the country.  The gorgeous home was razed by fire and only one wing could be saved.  That wing was converted into a small cottage which the owner then rented out to young newlywed couples.  The legend says that honeymooning couples experience magic in the cottage– a testament to their love.  A widow, Mildred Natwick, currently owns the estate and works to keep it maintained.  She curiously keeps a calendar dated 4-6-1917.

Robert Young (pre-disfigurement) and plain-jane Dorothy McGuire. I don’t really think she looks homely.

Fast forward some 25 years later (right after Pearl Harbor) and an engaged couple (Young and Hillary Brooke) wire Natwick about renting the cottage.  Despite her reservations, they’re not officially married after all, Natwick agrees to rent them the cottage.  She advertises for a maid to come to the cottage to help her out.  McGuire shows up on her doorstep to apply for the position.  McGuire’s character is not beautiful in this film.  In fact, it’s mentioned multiple times by other characters and by McGuire, that she is “homely.”  Personally, I didn’t think McGuire was unattractive in this film.  I thought she was pretty in an unconventional way.  However, I could buy that she wasn’t considered beautiful.

I liked that McGuire’s homeliness wasn’t created via prosthetics and makeup.  McGuire insisted that she could be plain looking by not wearing makeup, sporting an unflattering hairstyle and wearing ill-fitting clothing.  Combine McGuire’s requests with bad lighting schemes and filmmakers were very adept at downplaying McGuire’s attractiveness and conveying the idea that she was “ugly.”  In an era of the beauty queen, I think this was very brave on McGuire’s part to appear unattractive.  Many of her peers were too vain to allow themselves to appear on-screen looking anything other than beautiful.

Mildred Natwick as Mrs. Minnett.

Natwick feels a connection with McGuire and agrees to hire her as a housekeeper.  When Young and fiance Brooke show up, McGuire is immediately attracted to Young.  He is an attractive man.  Brooke immediately dismisses McGuire and the cottage.  It’s not blatant, but it’s there.  McGuire tries to play up the enchanted angle and shows Young and Brooke where previous lovers have etched their names into the window panes of the cottage.  Young tries to use Brooke’s engagement ring to make the engraving and the stone falls out of its setting.  Natwick tells them that it is because they aren’t actually married yet and only honeymooning couples can make the engraving.  One gets the sense that the stone falling out of the engagement ring is foreshadowing.

Before they can marry, Young is called to duty in World War II.  He is injured in a plane crash and now the right side of his face is disfigured.  He also suffered nerve damage in his right hand.  Young returns home to his fiance.  Brooke ends up calling off the wedding.  Depressed, Young returns to the cottage, hoping to stay.  Natwick and McGuire agree to let him stay.  As McGuire dotes on Young, he starts to see that she’s a caring and genuine person.  They spend a lot of time together and it is apparent that they really care for one another.  Neighbor Marshall shows up occasionally and despite being blind, he is able to see their love for one another grow.

Dorothy McGuire, Robert Young and Herbert Marshall

Young ends up proposing to McGuire.  At first, he has bad intentions when he proposes–his mother (Spring Byington), thinking that his disfigurement has ruined his life has proclaimed that he either must move home and live with her or she’ll move in with him.  Not wanting to live with his mother, Young proposes marriage to McGuire.  He realizes he’s being a jerk and discovers that he genuinely cares for McGuire.  They marry.

After marriage, Young and McGuire discover that a physical transformation has taken place.  Young’s scars and physical injuries are gone.  McGuire is now beautiful.  They are overjoyed and attribute their physical attractiveness to the power of the cottage.  Natwick, who has been witnessing their romance since the beginning, seems hesitant to agree with them, but allows them to live in their fantasy.  Byington and her husband, Richard Gaines, show up wanting to meet new daughter-in-law, McGuire.  Upon seeing her appearance, Byington says something to the effect of how lucky it was for McGuire to marry, despite not being a pretty girl.  This comment devastates McGuire.  She realizes that no physical transformation has taken place for either her or Young.  Natwick explains that the cottage really has no actual magic powers–it’s simply the power of love.  Love causes a couple to look past any physical features and only see what they want to see.

Beautiful Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young as they see each other

While the message of this film is “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and perhaps even “love conquers all,” it is a film with some very interesting ideas.  In the 1940s, perhaps the lack of outward beauty was seen as a type of defect, something that someone should be ashamed of and trying to fix.  In the 2010s however, the constant emphasis on Young and McGuire’s appearances almost seem abhorrent–especially when their appearance is nothing that they can help.  However, I choose to look at this film from a romantic angle.  Despite being practically shunned by society for how they look, McGuire and Young were able to look past it and see the qualities inside one another.  Would the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” message be stronger if either McGuire or Young weren’t physically disadvantaged and fell in love with a conventionally gorgeous person? A la Beauty and the Beast? I am not sure.  Is it better that two misfits (so to speak) fell in love? Or does it send the message that a misfit can only fall in love with another misfit?

This is a very interesting film to watch and analyze.  I liked the dreamlike quality and how the love story played out.  I also really liked Natwick’s support as the stoic widow who isn’t so much cold as she’s hoping that another couple will be in love as much as she and her husband were.  I get the sense that she and her husband were the ones who built the estate.  He was killed during World War I and the world essentially stopped for her.  When McGuire and Young fall in love, she is so overcome by their romance, this gives her hope–so much hope that she finally updates her calendar to the current date.  I also really liked Herbert Marshall.  One, I really like his voice.  Two, I think his blind pianist provided great support to McGuire and Young.  He does not know how they look.  He only knows that they are two kind people who have fallen in love.  He is truly blind, literally and figuratively, when it comes to outward appearances.

This was a fascinating film and I wouldn’t mind seeing it again.  I have added this film to my running list of films to purchase.