whataboutbobbed
Film Forum’s 66 film – month long salute to ‘Hollywood’s Naughtiest, Bawdiest Year’ – 1933!!! continues…
Day 11’s twin executive order of the day, Gabriel Over The White House + The Power and the Glory
Gregory La Cava’s Gabriel Over The White is a mildly amusing, yet odd political fantasy, where newly elected President Walter Huston gets into a car accident and then changes his tone and policy after seeing the light. He aims to tear down all the red-tape that Washington, DC has to offer, by uniting the poor country in a socialistic way. Karen Morley & Franchot Tone co-star
William K Howard‘s The Power and the Glory finds Spencer Tracy going from walking the railroads to owning them, but ultimately finding unhappiness (damn you Helen Vinson!!), and offing himself in the end. Not ruining anything here, cause his suicide is revealed at the beginning of the film, and his story is told in ’narratage‘ flashback, by life-long friend & co-worker Ralph Morgan. This narrative structure, written by Preston Sturges in his 1st screenplay!, supposedly influenced Herman J Mankiewicz when he penned the screenplay for Citizen Kane! After a three year hiatus from the silents, Colleen Moore made Glory her first ever talkie [listen], co-starring as Tracy’s true love and first wife. This was the first time we had EVER heard her voice, EVER, and we must say, there’s no reason to think that she couldn’t have gone on and had a successful talkie career. After this, she appeared in only three more films before retiring from the screen for good:((((