RIP Doris Day.

RIP Doris Day.

Movie number 37: That Touch of Mink (Delbert Mann, 1962). In 1959 Universal cast Doris Day opposite Rock Hudson in the risqué romcom Pillow Talk (Michael Gordon). It was a deserved huge critical and commercial success, such that Universal looked to recreate the ol’ Doris-Rock magic with other leading men, casting her alongside James Garner in The Thrill of it All (Norman Jewison, 1963) and less successfully, Cary Grant in That Touch of Mink.

Grant is once again in ageing playboy mode, attempting to woo Miss Day to the chagrin of his neurotic pal, a miscast Gig Young. The movie looks wonderful. With it’s mid-century interior stylings and its fabulous gowns - Day has countless costume changes, it is kind of the filmic equivalent of flicking through an early 60s lifestyle magazine. But really nothing else about the movie works.

At age 58 Grant was far too old for this sort of thing. As too was Miss Day who is filmed through a hazy soft lens to make her appear more youthful (in actuality this was unnecessary - at 40 Doris still looks great). Worse than this is a woefully unfunny screenplay, littered with dated , sexist ‘humour’. Doris’ career girl roles in the 60s often seemed quietly progressive; here it is anything but, as Day goes doe-eyed whenever Grant is in her sights, whilst modelling pretty outfit after pretty outfit. There is also an unforgivable wife-beating gag.

Of course a film with Doris Day and Cary Grant is not a total loss, it’s just that both have been much better in many other movies and have little chemistry together here. That Touch of Mink is worth a watch for Baseball aficionados with appearances from New York Yankees legends Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. It also has an excellent, though underused supporting cast featuring John Fiedler, 2nd Darrin Dick Sargent and best of all TV’s Gomez and occasional Batman baddie ‘The Riddler’ John Astin; as a sleazy potential suitor of Day he is easily the highlight of the movie.

If, like me, you have watched all of Doris Day’s movies at least once you will want to see this for completist purposes. If not you are best seeking out the excellent Pillow Talk, or indeed any of her 39 other movies.

KING OF JAZZ (Dir: John Murray Anderson, 1930).

Conceived as a star vehicle for bandleader Paul Whiteman, and featuring Bing Crosby in his first screen appearance, King of Jazz is a spectacular musical revue, innovative in both its use of sound and early two-colour Technicolor; a process in which blues and yellows do not photograph but the reds and greens look lovely. Such was the care taken with the colour photography that every frame of the movie looks beautiful.

As a revue there is no plot in King of Jazz, rather a series of musical numbers punctuated with short comedy skits. While the comedic segments may not have aged too well, the musical sequences are as wonderful as they are weird. Highlights include the rubber legged dancing of Al Norman in ‘Happy Feet’ and some incredible loose limbed contouring from Marion Stattler in ‘Ragamuffin Romeo’. Best of all is a magnificent performance of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, rendered ‘rhapsody in teal’ by the two-colour process. Here the entire orchestra is seated in the largest grand piano you have ever seen!

Although an expensive failure for Universal Studios on release, the film has since been reappraised. Thankfully so, as there is little else like it in Hollywood history.

Is King of Jazz a masterpiece? Not quite. But nearly 90 years after release it still makes for fascinating, not to mention highly entertaining, viewing. Anyone with an interest in 20s/30s band music and especially aficionados of early Hollywood will find much to enjoy.

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THE LOVE BUG (Robert Stevenson, 1969).

Released three years after the death of the its founder, Walt Disney Productions’ The Love Bug continued the tradition of fantasy comedies established by the studio a decade earlier with The Shaggy Dog (Charles Barton, 1959). It introduced Herbie, the anthropomorphic VW Beetle, to cinema audiences and would prove a massive hit for Disney, spawning a franchise which would include four theatrical sequels, a TV series and a made for TV movie.

The movie stars Dean Jones as washed up racing driver Jim Douglas whose fortunes are reversed thanks to the lovable VW Bug. He is pitted against arch rival David Thorndyke, who uses every dirty trick in the book to defeat Douglas in a cross-country race, the stakes of which are ownership of Herbie.

Disney regular Jones and love interest Michelle Lee make for attractive leads and prove themselves adept at light comedy. Less subtle, but just as effective are Buddy Hackett as a kooky new age mechanic and Joe Flynn as Thorndyke’s long suffering assistant. Best of all is the magnificent David Tomlinson as the comically villainous Thorndyke.

Ultimately the star is, of course, the car; brought to life through a combination of impressive stunt work and pre-CGI effects that hold up fine 50 years after release. Herbie has an endearing puppy dog charm and more personality than most humans!

Bill Walsh and Don Da Gradi’s screenplay mixes slapstick humour with some genuinely witty dialogue while Robert Stevenson, arguably the greatest director on the Disney roster, brings his flair for whimsical fantasy to what might be his best work after Mary Poppins (1964).

The Love Bug was to become the highest grossing movie of 1969 and one of the highest earners of all time. It’s easy to see why. With its winning mix of racetrack thrills and good natured laughs, it is a deftly performed, expertly crafted gem.

Check out my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for more reviews of vintage Disney classics! Link below.

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The Love Bug (1969)

The Love Bug    (Dir: Robert Stevenson, 1969).  Released three years after the death of the its founder, Walt Disney Productions’ T

Movie number 51: The Hatton Garden Job aka One Last Heist (Ronnie Thompson, 2016). Proving that coming first doesn’t always make you a winner, The Hatton Garden Job, like last year’s King of Thieves (James Marsh, 2018), is based upon the true story of the Hatton Garden safe burglary of 2015. Arriving in cinemas a full 17 months before King of Thieves this bungled bank job of a movie is weaker than its competitor in every department.

While purportedly based on the actual crime, this version of events is largely fictionalised. The basic plot of a bunch of ageing criminals conniving to pull off one last job is the same, yet the involvement of the Hungarian Mafia and a corrupt ex-copper are entirely fabricated. This would perhaps be forgivable if the retelling had any entertainment value. How such an audacious real life story can be transformed into such a dull and insipid movie is anybody’s guess.

Matthew Goode, Larry Lamb, Phil Daniels and Joley Richardson prop up the otherwise less than stellar cast but are severely let down by stilted dialogue and lazy character development. The screenplay by Ray Bogdanovich and Dean Lines fails to draw upon the inherent humour of the situations while Ronnie Thompson’s bland direction is lacking style and imagination.

If you like geezer ladden crime movies that take themselves too seriously then maybe The Hatton Garden Job is for you. Otherwise you would be better off checking out the superior King of Thieves. #thehattongardenjob #onelastheist #ronniethompson #raybogdanovich #deanlines #matthewgoode #larrylamb #phildaniels #joleyrichardson #kingofthieves #hattongarden #london #britishfilm #britishcinema #everymovieiwatch2019

Movie number 38: A Hard Day’s Night (Richard Lester, 1964). With the distinctive opening ‘twang’ of George Harrison’s Rickenbacker guitar The Beatles hit the ground running, chased by a horde of screaming fans. The world is changed forever. This is no exaggeration. A Hard Day’s Night is undoubtedly the most influential British film of the 1960s. Possibly of all time.

Supposedly depicting an average day in the life of the band, the plot concerns some nonsense about the shenanigans of Paul’s grandad (an excellent Wilfred Bramble) and the disappearance of Ringo before a live TV recording. But who cares about the plot? We are really here for the music and it is sublime. ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘She Love You’ and the title track all feature in this long-form prototype of the music video.

American Richard Lester pretty much invented ‘Swinging London‘ with his cinéma vérité directorial approach. Alun Owen’s screenplay is both witty and surreal and cemented the band’s lovable cheeky chappie personas in the public consciousness. The musical movies of Elvis and Britain’s own Cliff Richard all of a sudden seemed hopelessly dated in the wake of this film which 55 years after release still feels fresh and inventive. Within a couple of years it’s influence would be strongly felt in TV’s groundbreaking The Monkees. It would also encourage Walt Disney to insert a beat-combo vulture quartet into his classic animation The Jungle Book (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1967). Gilbert Taylor’s crisp black and white photography is beautiful and John, Paul, George and Ringo, while no actors, all hold their own among the more seasoned supporting cast.

Lester and The Beatles would reunite once again the following year for the less essential but still entertaining Help! After which the quartet would ditch movies, forgo touring and record the masterpiece Rubber Soul taking the art of the LP to higher standards than anyone before them and probably since.