Prime Time: Scandal Sheet (1952)

Similar to at least one or two other fantastic film noirs, Scandal Sheet is based on a novel, “The Dark Page”, by Samuel Fuller, and there’s an extra edge to it that allows the whole thing to feel like a Fuller movie, despite him not being involved in the direction, or even in adapting it from page to screen.

Broderick Crawford plays Mark Chapman, a man who has changed the fortunes of the newspaper he is in charge of, mainly by choosing to capitalize on scoops and any chance to sensationalize the worst crimes they cover. Steve McCleary (John Derek) and Julie Allison (Donna Reed) both work for the paper, which puts their own relationship through some ups and downs, and they seem more than up to the task when they’re tasked with investigating the murder of Charlotte Grant (Rosemary DeCamp). We viewers know something that they don’t know, however, and that is the identity of the murderer. It’s their boss, Chapman.

Written by Ted Sherdeman, Eugene Ling, and James Poe, three writers with numerous separate credits that  you should check out, Scandal Sheet manages to bounce along between the main plot points with a lightness of touch offsetting the more unpleasant aspects. Maybe it’s due to the behaviour of the newspaper staff seeming somehow more repugnant than the people they are trying to bring to justice, clarified in an opening scene that shows McCleary and a photographer (Biddle, played by Harry Morgan) deceiving a grieving woman into giving them some juicy info. Or maybe it’s just the pacing, with momentum building throughout the second half of the movie towards a very satisfying final sequence, punctuated by a wonderfully cynical “punchline”.

Director Phil Karlson may not always be on top form, but his work is well worth your time when he is, as is the case here. Helped by the script, and some great leads, Karlson delivers something fun, but not without moments of tension to remind everyone that the main characters are getting closer to danger as they get closer to discovering the murderer they are trying to track down. The busy newspaper office environment helps, lulling you into a false sense of security before scenes set later on in the evening, when the rest of the staff have gone home, leaving only the people most heavily involved in trying to crack the case.

Derek and Reed are good enough in their lead roles, although the latter is the one who shines much brighter than the former, and you become more invested in their safety as they become more determined to solve the murder. Crawford is excellent, a brooding presence always doing his best to stay one step ahead of his employees. Having maintained a facade for many years, he becomes meaner and more desperate as the net closes in around him (metaphorically). DeCamp is very good in the one or two scenes she has, and Morgan is a welcome addition (although that’s more to do with Morgan as an onscreen presence, rather than his character). There is also a great turn from Henry O’Neill, playing a down-on-his-luck/alcoholic former reporter named Charlie Barnes who may end up inadvertently discovering the truth before anyone else.

Like many (the best?) film noirs, this gets everything done within a relatively brisk runtime - about 82 minutes - and has a brilliantly bittersweet resolution. It has also made me want to hunt down the source material, and any more writing from Sam Fuller that I can check out.

8/10

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Dragnet (1987)

Although I wasn't aware of the character of Joe Friday, or the TV show Dragnet, by the time I saw this movie, it didn't really matter to me then, nor does it matter to me now. The main characters are established quickly enough (this isn't complicated material) and it's obvious that our lead is someone who still feels rooted in a past that has a slightly different kind of police officer dealing with a slightly different landscape of crimes.

Here's the typically 1980s, buddy cop, take on the material anyway. Friday (Dan Aykroyd, playing the nephew of the famous TV show character) is given a new partner in the shape of Pep Streebek (Tom Hanks). The two of them could hardly be any more opposite in nature. Friday is meticulous, organised, and polite, Streebek is a fairly happy-go-lucky slob. While investigating a number of bizarre thefts, the two lawmen stumble on to a nefarious plan that involves ritual sacrifice, murder, chemical poisoning, and the virgin Connie Swail (Alexandra Paul).

Another film often forgotten by people who probably, and with some good reason, dismiss it as a lesser comedy outing from the decade, Dragnet is absolutely not some kind of classic that is due for rediscovery and reappraisal. It is, however, exactly what you may want when seeking out a simple and entertaining comedy, boosted by two talented leads who work well with one another.

Aykroyd does well as the fastidious and ever-polite main character, a role that restrains him in a way that works well for the laughs, and Hanks is in his peak careless manchild comedy phase. Harry Morgan makes the transition from the TV show (as Gannon, now promoted from officer to Captain) and there are fun performances from Christopher Plummer, Elizabeth Ashley, Dabney Coleman, Kathleen Freeman, as well as a number of other supporting players. Paul is appropriately demure as Connie Swail, although she's not given much to do beyond being the maiden in distress.

Director Tom Mankiewicz also co-wrote the movie with Aykroyd and Alan Zweibel, helping to get both the tone and look of the movie right. Despite the modern-day setting, it's very much a believable world in which someone like Friday could be working his beat. There are numerous nods to the show, the familiar soundbites you expect to hear are delivered, and the main theme tune is given a fun reworking by the Art Of Noise.

A perfectly valid choice for some easygoing entertainment when your work week is done, you want to enjoy some unhealthy food and beverages, put your feet up and exclaim "Thank God, it's Friday!"

And it also has this, which is absolutely a favourite '80s movie soundtrack bonus (no, I am not being sarcastic)

7/10

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Holiday Affair (1949)

Janet Leigh plays Connie, a young woman who is employed to shop at other stores and compare goods. She's a very nice kind of corporate spy. And Robert Mitchum is Steve, the salesman who knows exactly what she's up to as soon as she takes a toy train off his hands. That would be that, I guess, except for the situation that develops when she tries to return the train the next day. Steve becomes involved in Connie's life, meeting her young boy (Timmy, played by Gordon Gebert) and the man (Carl, played by Wendell Corey) who wishes to marry her, despite her reluctance to let go of the memory of her deceased husband.

Holiday Affair is the kind of light entertainment that shows how easy it can seem to get everything just right. A lot of the charm comes from the leads, but the pacing and fun script help a lot. One exchange in particular, one that occurs when Steve and Carl first meet, had me laughing aloud. Based on a story entitled "Christmas Gift" by John D. Weaver, Isobel Lennart provides a script that rattles along too briskly to allow viewers too much time to start picking things apart. Director Don Hartman goes with the flow, allowing the cast to carry the material without ever requiring them to lift anything too heavy.

Leigh is on fine form here. She's sweet and earnest, as a confused woman who wants to do the best by her son, but also doesn't want to leave her past completely in the past. Mitchum is at his best, as laid-back as usual, never holding back when it comes to saying what he means and meaning what he says, and very kind to everyone around him without ever appearing saintly. Corey also does well. He can't compare to Mitchum, although he does his best with a role that doesn't take the easy route of making him into any kind of major ass. Gebert is your typical gap-toothed, all-American kiddiewink from this era, and he's just fine. And it's worth mentioning that Harry Morgan has a small, but fun, role, because Harry Morgan is always worth mentioning, in my opinion.

I WAS going to end this review by commenting on the premise and plot developments not standing up to close scrutiny, with my main point being that they don't have to. The film keeps providing enough fun to ensure that nobody is overthinking things. Yet, it has to be said, this is actually one of the less fantastical seasonal movies that I've seen. The more I think about it, the more I realise that I think it entirely plausible. Okay, maybe not entirely plausible. But it's a Christmassy treat that manages to feel magical and delightful without having to include any angels, miracles or Santa Claus. Which is kind of a miracle in itself.

8/10

http://www.amazon.com/Film-Favorites-Classic-Blossoms-Happened/dp/B0050MB43A/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1417603922&sr=1-1&keywords=holiday+affair

Go on, you know you should really buy my e-book, that has almost every review I've written over the past 5 years. It's very reasonably priced for the sheer amount of content.
The UK version can be bought here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395945647&sr=1-3&keywords=movie+guide

And American folks can buy it here - http://www.amazon.com/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395945752&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=TJs+ramshackle+mov

As much as I love the rest of the world, I can't keep up with all of the different links in different territories, but trust me when I say that it should be there on your local Amazon.

Charley And The Angel (1973)

Fred MacMurray takes the lead role in this fairly amusing Disney movie that sees him playing Charley Appleby, a man who is visited by an angel (Harry Morgan) and told that his number is up. This, of course, comes as a surprise to Charley and he immediately starts to worry about getting things in order for his family and trying to make up for lost time. His two young boys treat the father of their neighbouring friend more like their own father, his daughter (Kathleen Cody) is at the age when most of her thoughts revolve around boys (one in the shape of Ed Begley Jr. and one in the shape of Kurt Russell) and his wife (Cloris Leachman) is just used to getting on with things on her own while Charlie works hard and spends his spare time fretting and not being all that much fun. Thankfully, before Charlie has to shuffle off the mortal coil he gets a bit of breathing space, literally, as the angel designated to collect him figures out just why he hasn't died YET and when the exact moment will occur.

Based on the book "The Golden Evenings Of Summer" by Will Stanton (the screenplay was then written by Roswell Rogers) and directed by Vincent McEveety, Charley And The Angel is reminiscent of many other movies about people getting one last chance to change their priorities and put things right in their life. It's also fairly enjoyable after a bit of a lethargic start. In fact, things quickly pick up as soon as Harry Morgan appears and starts having fun in the role of the angel. There's plenty of standard domestic drama but there's also a fun plot strand that sees the two young Appleby boys unwittingly helping some criminals to move large quantities of alcohol.

The cast all do a grand job. MacMurray has given a number of better performances in his career but he's perfectly fine here as the father and husband who is suddenly faced with the realisation of how much he has unwittingly disappointed his loved ones. Cloris Leachman is excellent as the loving wife who starts to worry about her husband's changed personality. Kathleen Cody is bright and bubbly and Begley Jr. and Russell are good enough as the boys vying for her affection. Then we have Harry Morgan, also known as the great Harry Morgan. He's great. I've never seen him be anything less than great but he has a lot of fun here as the playful angel who takes a liking to Charley.

There are others onscreen and they all do well, especially Vincent Van Patten and Scott Kolden as the two youngest Appleby children. The script isn't crammed full of great lines and it's not that sharp but it does enough to keep you interested in the characters and to keep you watching to the very end. Everyone gets a chance to develop nicely after that faltering opening act and there are enough moments of mild amusement to make this worth at least one watch during a rainy afternoon when you have nothing else to hand. Faint praise, I know, but at least it's praise.

6/10

http://www.amazon.com/Charley-Angel-Fred-MacMurray/dp/B005G82GT4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347648645&sr=8-1&keywords=charley+and+the+angel

The Barefoot Executive (1971)

Ahhhh, those innocent and happy days when fresh-faced Kurt Russell was a big star for the Disney studio and it was okay to laugh at chimpanzees dressed up and being amusingly near-human. Alright, it's easy to look at these Disney movies from the past now and dismiss them as nothing more than time capsules full of some dubious content choices but I have to admit that, putting aside the whole humanised monkey aspect of the thing, I enjoyed this film quite a bit.

Kurt Russell plays Steven Post, a young mail delivery boy (Post! Delivery boy! See what they did there?) who wants to further his career with the TV network that he works for. Nobody else thinks he's capable of this but he finds a golden opportunity landing in his lap when his girlfriend (Heather North) ends up looking after a chimpanzee and that chimpanzee shows an uncanny, and unfailing, ability to pick the top rated TV shows. Armed with this information, Steven starts to make a name for himself but everything relies on people not realising that the programming is being picked by a monkey.

It runs for just over 90 minutes, it has a chirpy song over the main titles, Kurt Russell is as likeable as ever and there's a cute monkey. Yes, this adds up to easily enjoyable Disney fare. The supporting cast also features Joe Flynn, Harry Morgan, Wally Cox and a young John Ritter and they're all entertaining in their roles.

The screenplay by Joseph L. McEveety is pretty simple stuff and the direction from Robert Butler is decidedly average but the movie doesn't suffer because of these things. It's a simple film, one that doesn't need any major flourishes to keep things moving along nicely, and it's something that remains very easy to spend some time with even in this day and age of ever-increasing channels, decreasing viewing figures (barring the major, "unmissable" events it's obvious to most people that greater and greater choice has led to a decrease in the quality of programming and a more fractured audience share for big companies) and the knowledge that at least some of the programming for TV nowadays IS being picked by monkeys, surely.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Barefoot-Executive-Region-Import-NTSC/dp/B00077BPF0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344952782&sr=8-2