Month: November 2023

#671) The Awful Truth (1937)

#671) The Awful Truth (1937)

OR “Battle of the Exes”

Directed by Leo McCarey

Written by Viña Delmar. Based on the play by Arthur Richman.

Class of 1996

The Plot: Jerry and Lucy Warriner (Cary Grant and Irene Dunne) are a sophisticated, urbane married couple with increasing paranoia about the other’s infidelities. Having enough, the two file for divorce, only fighting for custody of their dog, Mr. Smith (Skippy). A 90-day interlocutory period is enforced before the divorce is finalized, and the Warriners begin seeing other people. Lucy starts a courtship with Midwest oilman Dan Leeson (Ralph Bellamy), while Jerry finds himself in a whirlwind romance with heiress Barbara Vance (Molly Lamont). But of course Lucy and Jerry can’t help but interfere in each other’s business, with plenty of antics and mishaps until these two realize the awful truth.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls it “one of the funniest of the screwball comedies”, and gives a quick overview of its plot and production history.

But Does It Really?: Oh sure. “The Awful Truth” isn’t the definitive screwball comedy, but it’s certainly up there. The film holds up surprisingly well for an 86 year old movie, still packing in plenty of laugh-out-loud moments thanks in part to the undeniable chemistry of its two leads (and their dog). While most of this film’s contemporaries are becoming historic artifacts, “The Awful Truth” remains an entertaining rom-com and a prime example of Classic Hollywood filmmaking.

Wow, That’s Dated: The big one is the interlocutory period for the Warriner’s divorce. While some states still require a “cooling-off” period, most states have done away with interlocutory periods as they rarely helped with a couple’s reconciliation and wasted everyone’s time. That being said, my research found this recent article about how hard/dangerous it is for women to get divorced in America. Perhaps we haven’t progressed as much as we would like to think we have.

Seriously, Oscars?: One of Columbia’s biggest hits of the year, “The Awful Truth” received six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. The film lost most of its noms to “The Life of Emile Zola“, but took home one trophy: Best Director for Leo McCarey (who allegedly told the crowd that he won for the wrong movie). Irene Dunne’s Best Actress nomination was the third of her eventual five losses in the category, and Ralph Bellamy’s Best Supporting Actor nomination was the only one of his career (Bellamy would eventually receive an honorary Oscar 49 years later).

Other notes

  • The stage version of “The Awful Truth” premiered on Broadway in 1922 and was an immediate hit. Two film versions followed; a 1925 silent film and a 1929 talkie. The film rights found their way over to Columbia by the late 1930s, and Harry Cohn assigned directing duties of another remake to Leo McCarey – freshly hired at Columbia after being freshly fired from Paramount. McCarey hated the script and previous film versions, but felt the concept had potential to be a hit with Depression era audiences. The script had multiple rewrites (including one by Dorothy Parker), but in the end McCarey threw out practically every draft and created the final film through extensive improvisation with his actors. Cary Grant initially balked at the idea of ad-libbing and pleaded to be taken off the picture, but he eventually warmed up to the idea, quickly becoming by many accounts the cast’s quickest and funniest improviser. “The Awful Truth” was filmed over six weeks in summer 1937 and released that October. 
  • As previously mentioned, the film’s biggest selling point is its stars. Cary Grant is, of course, very Cary Grant in this movie, but it still feels organic and befitting the character. This is my first time covering Irene Dunne for the blog and I was thoroughly charmed by her. Like Cary Grant, Dunne seems so comfortable in this role, gamely tossing out her one-liners and not afraid to be the clown when the scene calls for it. Their talents complement each other on screen, which leads to their believable relationship and therefore a believable movie.
  • I never realized how much of this movie revolves around the dog. That’s Skippy, better known as Asta in the “Thin Man” film series, and he is being put to work playing some very specific sight gags (I noticed the “hide and seek” shot gets reused a couple times in that scene). During production Skippy was owned/trained by Gale Henry East, a former silent comedy star who spent her later years training dogs with her husband Henry East.
  • One familiar looking character to me was Armand, Lucy’s voice teacher and possible lover played by Alexander D’Arcy. His suave looks and stiff acting reminded me of the guy who played Gary in the schlocky ’50s movie “Horrors of Spider Island”. Further research concluded that Alexander D’Arcy IS the guy who played Gary in “Horrors of Spider Island”. It amazes me how many people on the NFR have a connection to at least one “Mystery Science Theater 3000” movie.
  • Ralph Bellamy is the perfect third wheel; his Dan is different enough from Jerry to be a believable alternative for Lucy, but never quite charming enough to be a serious threat. Bellamy will continue his character work as the amiable fiancé of Cary Grant’s ex in another classic of the era: “His Girl Friday“.
  • My favorite scene in the film hands-down is when Jerry and Lucy run into each other at the nightclub. Jerry has the upper hand for most of the scene, and is delightfully dickish, literally waltzing into frame to ruin Lucy’s night out with Dan. His final line to the waiter may be my favorite in the whole movie. The only part of the scene that didn’t work for me was the shoehorned musical number: “My Dreams Are Gone With the Wind”, an obvious reference to the then-wildly popular novel, soon to be a major motion picture.
  • It’s always fun watching Cary Grant do his own stunts. Grant started off his showbiz career as a tumbler with an acrobatic troupe, so the pratfalls Jerry does while at Lucy’s recital came naturally to Grant.
  • Movies from the ’30s always feel like they were filmed in an alternate dimension: everything appears normal, but the attitudes of the day are foreign to a modern audience. “Awful Truth” shows how different courtship was back then: Dan’s been dating Lucy for a few months and they haven’t even kissed yet? Hard to believe there was a time in this country when we were even more prudish.
  • The last comic highlight for me was Lucy showing up as Jerry’s sister to ruin his engagement. After that the movie runs out of steam as they wreck his car, get involved with the police, and spend the night at her Aunt Patsy’s cabin. We know these two are going to end up back together, but it feels weirdly unfulfilling. And what is the deal with that clock? Why did they use real people instead of just making an actual clock? Did Columbia force this movie to use their Effects department?

Legacy

  • “The Awful Truth” was both a financial and critical success upon release, and easily made the transition from hit movie to classic. Although “Awful Truth” still gets mentioned in any rundown of screwball comedies, it rarely gets singled out for any specific line or moment, other than its title, which still gets alluded to in pop culture (notably as the title of many a TV episode).
  • Leo McCarey’s next movie was another classic: 1939’s “Love Affair” (which still somehow hasn’t made the NFR). McCarey would win his second Best Director Oscar in 1944 for another NFR movie: “Going My Way“.
  • Cary Grant and Irene Dunne got along famously during filming and would reunite for two more movies: 1940’s screwball “My Favorite Wife” and 1941’s melodrama “Penny Serenade”, the later earning Grant his first Oscar nomination. The pair would reprise their roles from “The Awful Truth” one more time for a 1955 episode of Lux Radio Theatre.
  • “The Awful Truth” got one more film adaptation: the 1953 musical “Let’s Do It Again” starring Ray Milland and Jane Wyman. Not a remarkable film, but a bit in which Milland puts on the wrong hat (also done by Cary Grant in the ’37 version) inspired writer Richard Matheson to write his novel “The Shrinking Man”, which shortly thereafter became fellow NFR movie “The Incredible Shrinking Man“.
  • Perhaps the biggest influence “The Awful Truth” had on film history was the solidification of Cary Grant’s screen persona. Grant had been coming into his own as a film actor over the previous five years, but “Awful Truth” brings it all together in one performance: sophisticated and charming, while simultaneously funny and physical. Aside from less stunt work, Grant rarely strayed from this persona for the rest of his career.

#670) Attica (1974)

#670) Attica (1974)

Directed by Cinda Firestone

Class of 2022

Today’s oversimplified history lesson: The Attica prison riots. As always, I’m just here to watch the movie, but I encourage all of you to delve deeper into this pivotal moment in American history.

The Plot: By 1971, the Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York was overcrowded and subjecting its prisoners to an inhumane and racially discriminatory environment. Following the death of George Jackson, a prominent Black Panther member serving in San Quentin, the Attica inmates gave a list of demands for better living conditions to State Commissioner of Corrections Russell Oswald and New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. When these demands – pertaining primarily to improved rehabilitation and education for inmates – were not met or even acknowledged, over 1200 inmates revolted and took control of half of the facility, holding 42 officers and employees hostage. From September 9th through 12th, 1971, negotiations between the inmates and Commissioner Oswald progressed, but ultimately reached a stalemate when authorities would not grant the inmates amnesty over the riot. On the morning of September 13th, armed local and state police took control of the facility, opening fire and killing 39 people: 29 inmates and 10 hostages. The story behind these events, as well as the aftermath, are chronicled by journalist/filmmaker Cinda Williams utilizing footage taken during the riots, as well as new interviews with the inmates who were there.

Why It Matters: The NFR write-up is mostly an abbreviated account of the Attica revolt, but Firestone’s “outstanding investigation of the tragedy” is praised.

But Does It Really?: “Attica” is part of a subset of NFR movies that, while not eye witness accounts of historic events, are a succinct encapsulation and reflection (“Point of Order” and “Freedom Riders” are of this ilk). If you’re like me and only know the barebones summary of what happened at Attica, this film is an eye-opener. Firestone chronicles this story while the wounds are still fresh, treating her subjects with respect and making the whole event seem vividly alive. An appreciative pass for “Attica”; not a landmark in documentary filmmaking, but an effective reportage of a current (and ultimately historic) event.

Everybody Gets One: A lifelong advocate, Cinda Firestone began her career as a journalist for independent paper Liberation News Service. Firestone became interested in film while interviewing director Emile de Antonio (of the aforementioned “Point of Order”) and learning he was looking for an assistant. Shortly after seeing news coverage of the Attica riots, Firestone decided to interview the subjects and make a 15-minute documentary about it. Once she learned of color news footage shot during the takeover, Firestone’s film quickly evolved into a feature-length documentary. And yes, that’s Firestone of tires fame. Her grandfather Harvey Firestone founded the company some 75 years before “Attica” was released, and this film allegedly cost Cinda her inheritance.

Seriously, Oscars?: As best I can tell,  “Attica” did not play an Oscar-qualifying run, but 1974’s Best Documentary winner was another NFR entry about a controversial political event: “Hearts and Minds“.

Other notes

  • My first thought in regards to the extensive prison footage in this movie was “How did they film inside a prison?”. It turns out one of the inmates’ demands was that their activities be recorded, so that the outside world could see how things really happened. You have to appreciate the foresight these inmates had. Roland Barnes and Jay Lamarch were camera operators from a local TV station in Buffalo (about a 45 minute drive from Attica), and their footage has been used in many pieces of media about the riots.
  • The other major component of this film is footage from the McKay Commission; a 10-month investigation into the Attica riots that was ultimately very critical of the state’s handling of the situation. Since almost every non-inmate involved at Attica refused to be interviewed by Firestone for this film (and some were allegedly bullied into not speaking to her), this is the closest we get to hearing their side of the story, albeit the delicately worded version for a court investigation. Most of the interviews from the McKay Commission are intercut with the speakers’ oft-contradictory actions during the actual riot.
  • Easily the most disturbing footage in this movie comes from right before the police assault and -as described on-screen – “Filmed Through Scope of State Troopers Rifle”. Christ almighty. This footage was intended for a police training film, but was subpoenaed by the McKay Commission and rebroadcast on WNET (New York’s PBS affiliate). Firestone has stated that one of the biggest hurdles of making this film was getting WNET to grant permission for her to use the scope footage.
  • Ultimately, my takeaway from this movie is that it made me reflect (for the first time, frankly) about our prison system and the people inside it. Like any good movie, “Attica” made me look at an all-too-often marginalized group of people and see their humanity. These inmates are people forced to reside in an oppressive system that treats them like animals and doesn’t do all it can to truly rehabilitate them for their re-entry into society. There is of course an endless amount of nuance that I don’t have the space to engage with here (prison reform, systemic racism, etc.), but in the end I’m grateful to Cinda Firestone and the opportunity to really think about what it was (and probably still is) like to live within the American prison system.
  • The last line of the movie comes from Frank Smith, Attica inmate and one of the revolt’s leaders, encouraging others to stay alert and active within their society: “Nothing come to a sleeper but a dream.”

Legacy

  • “Attica” premiered at New York City’s First Avenue Screening Room on April 11th 1974, with proceeds from ticket sales going to the Attica Legal Defense Fund. The film played in a few more major cities before more or less disappearing, although in 2007 it was restored by the New York Women in Film & Television’s Film Preservation Fund and received a small re-release.
  • Cinda Firestone made three more documentaries throughout the ’70s before pivoting to theater, writing several children’s musicals. Information on what Firestone is currently up to is scarce, but one article mentions her penning a memoir provocatively titled “Debutante to Attica”.
  • There have been two TV movie adaptations of the Attica riots, both coincidentally earning their directors Emmys: Marvin J. Chomsky’s “Attica”, and John Frankenheimer’s “Against the Wall”.
  • The Attica riots still get referenced every so often (most often around national conversations about prison reform), but when most people think Attica, they think Al Pacino’s famous improvised outburst during “Dog Day Afternoon“.
  • There is another documentary about Attica – also titled “Attica” – released in 2021 to coincide with the event’s 50th anniversary. Like the 1974 film, this 2021 version also utilizes footage from the uprising, as well as present-day interviews from those involved. The film earned its director – fellow NFR filmmaker Stanley Nelson – his first Oscar nomination, which was quickly overshadowed by that category’s presentation by Chris Rock and an unscripted appearance by Will Smith.
  • While there was an improvement in prison conditions in Attica in the immediate aftermath of the riots, many of these new policies were reversed in the ’80s and ’90s following various political “Hard on Crime” campaigns. In an interview in conjunction with the re-release of “Attica” in 2007, Cinda Firestone believed that the present prison conditions were worse than they had been in 1971.

Further Activism: There is so much more information out there about the Attica uprising, and plenty of ways to support its survivors and their families. I recommend checking out the Attica Brothers Foundation, which not only gives financial aid to survivors, but also archives documents and interviews pertaining to the riots.