Showing posts with label Cornel Wilde. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cornel Wilde. Show all posts
 |
| Ida Lupino and Monty Woolley |
"On the stage you're still a god. Off, you're still a hairy monster."
Kathy Thomas is a lame young lady who lives and cares for her actor father, Madden Thomas (Monty Woolley), an irascible chap who is rather too fond of his liquor. Madden figures that he's all washed up in the theater, but he's offered a job by a neighbor, composer Robert Carter (Cornel Wilde), and then has a chance to star in a new production of "King Lear." But will he muff his chances for success with his usual self-destructiveness, and will his selfless daughter wind up an unloved spinster caring for her father for the rest of his life? Life Begins at Eight-Thirty doesn't dodge the tough questions about being a caregiver, especially for someone you love but find exasperating, and also ponders how much of a person's life they should give up for another's. [Of course, Madden is not exactly ready for a nursing home.] The worst dialogue is given to Wilde, who's quite stiff as Robert and offers one of the least romantic proposals ever seen on film. Lupino and Woolley are excellent, but the picture is nearly stolen by Sara Allgood, perennial supporting player, who has one of her best and longest roles as Robert's wealthy aunt, who has been carrying a torch for Madden for many years.
Verdict: Entertaining comedy-drama with equal parts cliche and insight. ***.
 |
| Mediocre duo: Nigel Davenport and Jean Wallace |
Extreme pollution and a grain-destroying virus have combined to cause hunger and even cannibalism in parts of the world, and citizens of the UK are afraid it isn't long before the same thing happens to them. John Custance (Nigel Davenport), his wife, Ann (Jean Wallace), their children, and friend Roger (John Hamill) take off for a farm in the countryside but have a hell of a time getting there. Along the way they hook up with Pirrie (Anthony May), a casual murderer, but they descend into savagery just as much as everyone else. Eventually Custance is pitted against his own brother ... No Blade of Grass is well-directed by Cornel Wilde [The Naked Prey] -- who does not appear in the film but offers some narration -- but can't overcome its weak script and the miscasting of its two mediocre leads, Davenport [A Man for All Seasons] and Wallace [Jigsaw], although there are good performances from members of the supporting cast. There are some arresting sequences, such as the harrowing business when the family tries to get out of a mob-ruled city by car, and a tense stand-off between Custance and Pirrie over the daughter, Mary (Lynne Frederick). George Coulouris [Citizen Kane] has a small role as a gun shop owner. Despite all of the very grim goings-on, No Blade of Grass manages to become quite tedious after awhile. There is hardly a sympathetic character in sight.
Verdict: Unremittingly depressing, and not good enough to compensate for it. **.
 |
| Gene Tierney |
"Nothing ever happens to Ellen."
Author Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde) meets a beautiful woman on a train, Ellen (Gene Tierney), who's reading one of his novels but doesn't recognize him despite his book jacket picture. (That should have been his first clue.) The two turn out to have the same destination, the home of a mutual friend named Glen (Ray Collins). Ray is also hosting Ellen's adopted sister [actually her cousin], Ruth (Jeanne Crain), and their mother, Mrs. Berent (Mary Philips). Although Ellen is engaged to Russell Quinton (Vincent Price), she and Richard quickly fall in love, and get married. At first Ellen does everything she can to ingratiate herself with Richard's crippled younger brother, Danny (Darryl Hickman), but when she decides that she wants to be alone with Richard, her actions become much darker, to put it mildly ... Wilde is fine, Tierney just short of excellent, Price is okay, and Crain isn't always up to her more dramatic moments, but Leave Her to Heaven is quite absorbing. If there's any problem with the movie it's that the final courtroom segments drag and are a little too unrealistic [Price, the rejected fiance, is the prosecutor, and keeps badgering witness after witness without anyone objecting], but there's a very well-done drowning murder sequence halfway through the movie. Another memorable sequence has Ellen scattering her father's ashes in the mountains on horseback. Alfred Newman has contributed a strong score as well. Stahl also directed the 1932 Back Street and many others.
Verdict: The Bad Seed's older sister [although it was made earlier]. ***.
 |
| Patricia Knight and Cornel Wilde at the movies |
Jenny Marsh (Patricia Knight), after serving five years for murder, reports to her parole officer, Griff Maratt (Cornel Wilde). Griff warns Jenny to stay away from her old boyfriend, gambler Harry Wesson (John Baragrey) -- she killed someone to save Harry's life -- because of his bad reputation, and sure enough Jenny is picked up in a raid while out with Harry. Griff deposits Jenny in his own household as an aide for his blind mother [who never needed an aide before] to supposedly keep her away from bad influences, but it isn't long before the two are holding hands at the movies. Things become increasingly melodramatic and unbelievable after that with someone else getting shot and the couple on the run ... Wilde and Knight had been married for twelve years when they made this picture, and were divorced two years later. They certainly make an attractive couple, and their performances aren't bad, either, although neither is especially outstanding. King Donovan has an effective turn as a parolee who throws himself to his death rather than go back to jail. Baragrey mostly did television and theater work and he gives a memorable performance in this. Knight was not untalented, and quite beautiful, but her film career suffered after her divorce from Wilde and she only appeared in two more movies.
Verdict: Sexy leads and a fast pace never hurt. **1/2.
 |
| A half-naked Cornel Wilde |
An unnamed guide (Cornel Wilde) is leading a safari to hunt elephants for ivory, but an arrogant member of the group refuses to give trinkets to the natives. In what seems to be the midst of tribal wars, the members of the safari are captured and put to death in torturous and horrifying ways as men, women and children look on with glee and even participate. The guide is to be the subject of a hunt, and tries to survive attack after attack as he makes his way across Africa. The Naked Prey is absorbing, although at times Wilde seems like some kind of latter-day Tarzan the way he handily defeats each and every black warrior who comes after him. On the other hand, there's a charming scene when a little native boy saves his life in gratitude for Wilde's saving his and showing him compassion earlier. There are no translations for the natives, unfortunately. Wilde [Shockproof], in great shape at fifty-three, gives a very good, mostly silent performance -- he also does a very good job as director -- and the actors playing natives are also quite effective. The photography by H.A. R. Thomson is excellent, and the movie, in addition to being suspenseful, illustrates the diversity of the people, wild life and topography of Africa.
Verdict: Imperfect, but something different. ***.
 |
| Cornel Wilde pitches the woo to Betty Hutton |
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH (1952). Producer/director: Cecil B. DeMille.
Late in The Greatest Show in Earth, star Betty Hutton (also star of the "craptastic" Betty Hutton Show), playing trapeze artist Holly, is shown doing acrobatics on a cross bar in a parade down Main Street. Or rather Hutton is superimposed over the parade, and you can actually see through her in an embarrassingly cheap process shot. That pretty much encapsulates this whole cheesy movie, which purports to be about circus life. What it actually is -- against a backdrop of Barnum and Bailey/Ringling Brothers circus -- is a tiresome soap opera wherein Holly is in love with manager Brad (Charlton Heston), rival trapeze artist Sebastian (Cornel Wilde) is in love with Holly, and Jimmy Stewart wears clown make up throughout because he's hiding a secret. Dorothy Lamour of Donovan's Reef sings a number or two and is sardonic, while Gloria Grahame, also carrying a torch for Heston, has a good scene trading minor barbs with Hutton. The acting in this isn't bad -- even Hutton is more palatable than usual -- but you may find the elephants far more impressive. Wilde swaggers around with an okay Italian accent and is effective. [Although Wilde is billed over Heston, the latter is featured on the DVD cover due to the vagaries of Hollywood fame.] There's a not-bad train crash at the climax. DeMille only directed one more movie, The Ten Commandments, four years later.
Verdict: Okay, but Berserk is more fun. **1/2.