Garbo Laughs! - The Story of Ninotchka (1939)

Garbo Laughs! The publicity tagline for the 1939 Lubitsch comedy, "NINOTCHKA". It starred the movie legend Greta Garbo as the stern, unromantic Soviet envoy; Melvyn Douglas as the French dandy who wins her heart; Ina Claire as the Russian Grand Duchess in exile; and Felix Bressart, Sig Ruman, and Alexander Granach as the Soviet emissaries who are drawn to Capitalism.

Opposites attract in this film, as Melvyn Douglas sets out to capture Garbo's heart in this fun film. He is a French aristocrat representing a Russian Grand Duchess in the battle to get her "legally confiscated" jewels from the Soviet emissaries who have just arrived in Paris to sell them. The emissaries are quickly attracted to Capitalism and the Soviet government sends an "envoy extraordinaire" to clear up the mess. Her entrance - magnificent. All work and no play, she decides to spend her free time inspecting Paris' technical achievements. So, to the Eiffel Tower!

On the way she meets Count Leon (Douglas), enlisting his aid in navigating a map of the city. The ensuing dialogue will keep you in stitches as the two cultures clash. He follows her and invites her to "inspect" his house. However, he receives a call from the emissaries and she realizes who he is. For the next three days, she is in conference with lawyers over the court case, and Leon is unsuccessful in his tries to see her. However, he follows her to a restaurant and tries to make her laugh. Although the other patrons find his jokes amusing, she remains impassive - that is, until an accident sends her into uncontrollable laughter.

Back at the hotel, her comrades are amazed by her changed attitude. She sends them out for a day on the town, leaving her to go visit Leon. She arrives dressed in a fashionable dress and a silly hat, and she confesses that she has fallen in love with him. A few days later, he takes her to a fancy nightclub, where she wears a fancy evening dress a la Adrian. They meet the Grand Duchess and for a moment a new front erupts. Ninotchka is unhappy until Leon tells her that he doesn't want her to go back to Russia. As the evening progresses, the champagne hits her rather hard, and Leon is asked by the management to retrieve her from the powder room, where she is urging the attendants to go on strike. They arrive back at the hotel rather tight and wind up taking the jewels out of the safe, forgetting to lock them back up. The next morning, the Grand Duchess wakes Ninotchka up, admitting that a waiter (who is a Russian aristocrat in exile) has pinched the jewels and they are now in the Grand Duchess' possession. However, knowing that she will ultimately lose the court battle, she agrees to return all the jewels and renounce her claim if Ninotchka will leave for Russia that very afternoon. Being her duty to the Soviet people, Ninotchka agrees.

Leon, however, is determined to get Ninotchka back. He applies for a visa at the Soviet Embassy, but is refused. Back in Russia, Ninotchka is back in the Communistic lifestyle. She has the three emissaries over for dinner, and they reminisce about the days spent in Paris. She gets a letter from Leon, but it has been completely censored.

About a year after her visit to Paris, she is sent, by the commisar, to Constantinople. Her three friends were sent on another mission and have failed after six weeks. She arrives to find that they have abandoned communism and opened a restaurant. At the hotel, Leon is waiting for her, and convinces her to stay with him.

This was one of the legendary Garbo's final screen roles. The original three-sentence plot outline was remarkably simple - "Russian girl saturated with Bolshevist ideals goes to fearful, Capitalistic, monopolistic Paris. She meets romance and has an uproarious good time. Capitalism not so bad after all." Garbo apparently was nervous about doing a comedy, but thought the idea was interesting. The hat that she wears in the film was actually made by costume designer Adrian, based on a sketch by Garbo herself. She disliked having to play drunk in a scene, considering it vulgar and unbecoming and found it hard to act. Ninotchka and Garbo were nominated for the Best Picture and Best Actress Academy Awards, however they lost to the monumental Gone With The Wind. Ninotchka was turned into a hit Broadway play, Silk Stockings, which was later made into a musical film starring Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire. Today, Ninotchka still remains a classic and in 1990 was selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Seen today, it is still captivating and Garbo still amazes as the Russian who proves that she can laugh!

"Fasten Your Seatbelts" . . . All About "All About Eve"

"We're a breed apart from the rest of humanity, we theatre folk."

Director Joseph Mankiewicz had always been interested in the theatre. He had an idea about writing and directing a film that told the story of an actress' rise to stardom. However, he needed an element that would be unique. It wasn't until 1949 when a studio story editor found a short story called "The Wisdom of Eve" that Mankiewicz turned his dream into reality. After six weeks of writing, Mankiewicz submitted the story to Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck, who was so enthusiastic that he decided to personally produce the film. Zanuck's feedback mainly consisted of two concerns. First, that the audience should not realize that Eve was the heavy too soon in the film, and second, that a series of scenes between Eve and Lloyd Richards be cut. Zanuck thought that they slowed and dirtied the picture, preferring the power of suggestion. The main goal was to keep the film moving and not let it get bogged down by unnecessary scenes. After the first draft was completed, there were not many revisions and the production moved forward.

"Fasten your seatbelts . . . it's going to be a bumpy night"

Few could imagine anyone better than screen legend Bette Davis as Margo Channing, the aging star whose career is put in jeopardy when she befriends a young "fan". However, when Fox Studio head Darryl Zanuck and Director Joseph Mankiewicz began casting, Bette Davis was not their first choice. Actually, not even the second! They originally planned the role for Susan Hayward. However, as they continued to work on the script, it was decided that, as the plot revolves around Margo turning 40, Miss Hayward was too young, being only 31 at the time. Marlene Dietrich was suggested, but decided against. Finally, Claudette Colbert was cast. However, while filming another movie, she sustained a serious back injury, and as filming was beginning in a little more than a month, they had to replace her. Their second choice was Gertrude Lawrence, but a suitable arrangement could not be reached. Finally, Zanuck and Mankiewicz agreed that Bette Davis had what they were looking for in the actress to play Margo. Miss Davis was in a career slump, having left Warner Bros. after eighteen years and had several flop films. However, Bette Davis and Zanuck had not spoken to each other since a disagreement in the early 1940s, so Zanuck sat on his pride and personally called her, explaining the problem. After reading the script, she accepted the part and her current film production was hurried so that she could make the starting shoot date for "All About Eve".

"No brighter light has ever dazzled the eye than Eve Harrington. Eve . . . but more of Eve later. All about Eve, in fact."

Zanuck's choice for the role of Eve Harrington was Jeanne Crain. However, Mankiewicz was not impressed with her previous film performance. Contract player Anne Baxter was finally settled on when Miss Craine backed out after finding out that she was expecting. The only other large change in casting was that the original choice for Addison Dewitt was Jose Ferrer. However, George Sanders was ultimately signed and went on to win an Oscar for his performance as the cynical critic.

Before filming with the principal players began, Mankiewicz and a camerman flew to New York and New Haven to film the exterior opening shots of the theatre, 21, and the apartments. Back in California, they decided on filming inside a real theatre, eventually renting the Curran Theatre in Los Angeles for ten days at the beginning of the shoot. Bette Davis lost her voice, before filming, due to stress and traffic noises were heard inside the theatre, requiring most of the dialogue to be rerecorded in the sound studio after filming.

The scene between Margo and Karen Richards (Celeste Holm) in the car (after it has run out of gas on the way to the station), where they are really cold, was actually filmed in early Summer and between the weather and the lights it was over 100 degrees while they had to film this scene! Also, Celeste Holm could laugh on command, a skill that Bette Davis admired when filming the scene in the Cub Room, stating that she herself could not even try to do that.

"For those of you who do not read, attend the theatre, listen to unsponsored radio programs, or know anything of the world in which you live, it is perhaps necessary to introduce myself. My name is Addison Dewitt. My native habitat is the theatre. In it, I toil not. Neither do I spin. I am a critic and commentator. I am essential to the theatre."

"He was a brilliant actor, but he wasn't much fun." That was costar Celeste Holm's opinion of character actor George Sanders. He was accustomed to napping in his dressing room between every take. Anne Baxter, who shared many scenes with Mr. Sanders in the film, didn't mind this until it came time for the climax where Addison tells the true story of Eve's past. In her autobiography, she tells the story. The scene "required a gamut of emotion, building to and culminating in hysteria and ending in acrid defeat. I am a starting gate actress. From the moment I climb into the makeup chair my mind is prancing . . . George yawned his way through rehearsals. I was spiraling through them. That first take was an opening night." Director Mankiewicz took her aside, encouraging her to take it easy. She continues, "I tried, but by take five I was a rag. Understanding Joe called a short break and took George aside. I walked around, taking deep breaths and trying to relax and yet maintain my emotional juices. Take six. Take seven - and George went off like a rocket."

"And this is my dear friend and companion, Miss Birdie Coonan"

The incomparable Thelma Ritter was cast as Margo Channing's companion, Birdie. A rather thankless role. Birdie is more of a plot device than a character. She is the one who sees through Eve from the very beginning, while the principle characters are wrapped up in her sentimental story. One of my favorite scenes in the film is after Bill's birthday phone call, when Margo is talking to Birdie and suddenly realizes that Birdie was right about Eve. Margo stares as Eve leaves the room, turning to Birdie after the door is closed. Birdie meets the gaze and slowly exits, still looking directly at Margo, who remains in bed looking at the closed door. Fabulous acting! Thelma Ritter has NO trouble keeping up with Bette Davis in any of the scenes where she appears. Sadly, after Margo has realized the extent of Eve's infiltration, Birdie is dropped from the film, making her very understated exit holding a sable coat after talking to Karen at the end of the party.



Shooting for "All About Eve" finished in June 1950, and in October the film premiered in New York. The film was nominated for 14 Academy Awards, a record that it still holds as a tie with "Titanic". Both Bette Davis and Anne Baxter were nominated for Best Actress. Anne Baxter had insisted on being nominated for Best Actress instead of Supporting. Voters, therefore, the Academy had to choose between "Eve" actresses and the votes were divided between Bette Davis and Anne Baxter with the result that Judy Holliday garnered enough votes to win for her performance in "Born Yesterday". However, in the end, the film won six Oscars including Best Picture of the Year, Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for George Sanders.

Beloved Enemy (1936)

Beloved Enemy is a love story set in 1921 during the Irish Revolution, starring Merle Oberon and Brian Aherne.

Dennis Riordan (Brian Aherne) is the leader of the Irish Rebels. He is still at large because the British do not know what he looks like. Lord Athleigh and his daughter, Lady Helen (Merle Oberon), arrive in Dublin to try to find a peaceful solution to the Irish uprising. Dennis meets Lady Helen under a false identity and they end up falling in love. When she accidently learns his true name, she discloses his whereabouts to the British authorities who arrange an ambush for the next day. Riordan escapes and refuses to believe that Lady Helen was the one who betrayed him. They arrange a secret meeting and she admits that she betrayed him, saying that her action proves they can never be close. Each is unwilling to leave though, and they both declare their love.

Unknown to Lady Helen, the Colonel in charge of the British Occupation had her followed to their secret place. The military surrounds Riordan's flat and prepares to move in. Riordan and his friend, O'Rourke, escape over the rooftops and evade capture. That night Riordan swears that he will never see Lady Helen again. Lord Athleigh takes Helen back to London that night and also makes her promise never to see Riordan alone again.

Lady Helen pursuades her father to fight for a peaceful solution to the Irish problem. He succeeds in getting a temporary truce and safe conduct for an Irish delegation to come to London in order to discuss a treaty. Dennis and five of his men come, but the two countries are unable to come to an agreement. One night, Riordan takes a walk alone, and Lady Helen finds him, trying to convince him that peace would be better than war. He signs the treaty the next day and bids Lady Helen a sad farewell as he returns to Dublin with the treaty.

Minutes after Riordan has bid her goodbye, Lady Helen learns that He is going home to great danger. Members of his party who wanted war more than peace would most likely kill him the next day. Lady Helen takes the first boat to Dublin the next morning. She finds out that Riordan is going to be assassinated that night at a rally. She hurries away and arrives in time to see him shot as he stepped into his car. She manages to get into the car and they rush to Riordan's flat. Once the doctor has seen him she is allowed to go to him. He tells her not to worry, that he isn't going to die. After all, "a good Irishman never does what's expected of him". Happy music and a beautiful close-up of the two stars brings the film to a very satisfying ending!

This is one of my favorite films. Originally titled "Love Under Fire", the first ending of this film had Dennis shot and killed. However, after the film didn't do well in the box office, they replaced it with the happier end that is played today. Only 87 minutes, the story never bogs down. There are enough light moments to keep this from being too dark of a film. Miss Oberon and Mr. Aherne are perfectly matched and the supporting cast is just as good. David Niven is definitely a stand-out as Lord Athleigh aide. Although it is set in 1921, the costumes are obviously 1936 styles. But authenticity can be forgotten when Miss Oberon looks so grand in the current styles. When this film came out in '36, 1921 styles would have looked simply outdated!

Click here to watch a scene from Beloved Enemy.

Read the 1936 NYTimes movie review.