The Horse's Head

#202) Adam’s Rib (1949)

OR “Attorneys-In-Law”

Directed by George Cukor

Written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin

Class of 1992

The Plot: Adam and Amanda Bonner (Spencer Tracy & Katharine Hepburn) are happily married and successful lawyers. One day they argue about an article in the paper about a woman named Doris (Judy Holliday) who shot at her husband (Tom Ewell) when she learned of his infidelity. Adam goes to work to discover that he is the prosecuting attorney in Doris’ seemingly “open-and-shut” case. When Amanda learns this, she becomes Doris’ defense lawyer and makes the entire case an argument of if women are truly equal to men. Heavy stuff, but it’s Tracy & Hepburn so it’s still charming.

Why It Matters: No specific reasons, other than Gordon and Kanin’s script “pokes fun at the double standards between the sexes”.

But Does It Really?: This is one of filmdom’s most endearing battle of the sexes, but it comes from a time before male-America was ready to consider women as equals. There are a lot of great speeches from Hepburn about equality waaaaay before it was fashionable, but there’s also a lot of your standard ‘40s era sexism. It’s the “two steps forward, one step back” of feminism in film, but Tracy and Hepburn’s natural chemistry help smooth over the rough patches. “Adam’s Rib” is an enjoyable romantic comedy, and still funny, but like Kanin’s other work, its foundation doesn’t quite hold up the way it used to. Either the film’s gender politics will weigh it down in the years to come, or Tracy & Hepburn’s radiance will help carry it along.

Everybody Gets One: Producer Lawrence Weingarten, actors Hope Emerson and Tom Ewell, and “Farewell, Amanda” composer Cole Porter. Bonus: This is Ruth Gordon’s only appearance on the Registry as a writer.

Wow, That’s Dated: In addition to the “battle of the sexes” stance that permeates this film, we also get a “You lady drivers!” joke. I am here to tell you from my own experiences that bad driving transcends gender.

Seriously, Oscars?: Although it premiered in New York in late 1949, “Adam’s Rib” didn’t play Los Angeles until 1950, and therefore eligible for the 1951 Oscars. Gordon and Kanin got a nomination for Original Screenplay (A married couple sharing an Oscar nod: it was the “Big Sick” of its day!). Had they made it to the 1949 ceremony they would have competed against such now forgotten films as “Jolson Sings Again”. But no, they waited a year and lost to “Sunset Boulevard” instead.

Other notes

• Warren cheats on his wife (Judy Holliday: Broadway’s Billie Dawn and the first choice for Lina Lamont) with Beryl (Jean Hagen: a replacement Billie Dawn and the eventual Lina Lamont). He has a type.
• Tracy & Hepburn are so wonderfully casual with each other. Off-camera is one thing, but to replicate it on-camera is no easy task. You almost feel like you’re spying on them.
• I can’t confirm he actually said it, but apparently when Spencer Tracy was asked why he got top billing over Katharine Hepburn, he replied, “Because you chowder-head it’s a movie, not a lifeboat!”
• A large number of these scenes are done in long, uninterrupted takes. Amanda’s interrogation of Doris is one five-minute take. It helps that most of the cast had been or were Broadway actors.
• Adam’s mom is Madge Blake, aka Aunt Harriet from “Batman”!
• And then there’s David Wayne as Kip. The character is pretty obviously gay (a professional songwriter with a pithy quip at the ready? Please.), and yet he is attracted to Amanda and tries to woo her away from Adam. I don’t think 1949 America was ready for any of these gray areas.
• Kip may be providing the first audio commentary on Adam and Amanda’s home movies of their farm. Side note: that’s Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin’s real farm in Connecticut.
• Wow, the Bonners are the friskiest married couple since the Huxtables. Aw man, that comparison is no longer innocently adorable.
• I don’t know how I feel about this stage motif going on throughout the film. It’s as if the film is saying, “this is all pretend”. Takes some of the feminist punch out of it.
• Oh how I wish that were actually Hope Emerson doing her own tumbling. On the one hand, she was a professional strongwoman in her youth. On the other, she was 51 during filming, so probably not.
• Speaking of, you can see the strings holding up Spencer Tracy from a mile away.

• This movie has drag kings! And a drag queen! Progressive points for all!
• Apparently licorice guns were a thing in the ‘40s. This movie is the only reason anyone remembers them.
• Shortly after filming wrapped, the Hollywood Reporter ran an article saying there were “serious talks” about Tracy & Hepburn performing “Adam’s Rib” on Broadway. Sadly, that never came to pass.

Legacy

• Judy Holliday was originally not considered to reprise her stage role for the film version of “Born Yesterday”. Katharine Hepburn was instrumental in making sure Holliday was highlighted as often as possible throughout “Adam’s Rib” in the hopes that Harry Cohn of Columbia would take notice. The strategy worked, and Holliday won the role and the Oscar.

• Tracy, Hepburn, Cukor, Gordon, and Kanin all reunited for 1952’s “Pat and Mike”. Like “Adam’s Rib”, the film was written for Tracy & Hepburn and, while successful, wasn’t quite the hit “Adam’s Rib” was.

• They never erected a statue of Spencer Tracy, but Hepburn did make a bronze bust of him some years later. It’s the one featured in “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”.
• The early ‘70s seemed like the right time to update “Adam’s Rib” for the Women’s Lib movement, but the TV series starring Blythe Danner and Ken Howard never took off, and was cancelled after three months. The film’s plot was adapted for the show as a two-parter called “The Unwritten Law”. Catchy theme song, though.

Further Viewing: Despite 12 nominations and 4 wins, Katharine Hepburn only showed up to the Oscars once, to present “Adam’s Rib” producer Lawrence Weingarten with the Irving Thalberg Award. For whatever reason, Weingarten gets to awkwardly stand there while Hepburn gives her speech about him. This is why they don’t give out the honorary awards on-air anymore.

#201) High School (1968)

OR “Most Likely to Impede”

Directed by Frederick Wiseman

Class of 1991

No trailer, but here’s an excerpt. 

The Plot: Following his documentary on a state facility for the criminally insane (1967’s “Titicut Follies”), Frederick Wiseman chose a logical follow-up for his second film: high school. Philadelphia’s Northeast High School is the subject of this documentary, as the camera goes from class to class and observes our education system in full swing. Is this faculty molding my parents’ generation strongly enough for the future? Are they bogging them down with too much discipline? It’s direct cinema, so that’s your call.

Why It Matters: The NFR gives a general overview and quotes Richard Schickel’s review, which called the film a “wicked, brilliant documentary”. There’s a thought-provoking essay by Canadian film professor Keith Grant, which focuses on the film’s theme of conformity, but manages to misspell “principal” as “principle”. So close.

But Does It Really?: If you ever went to high school, this film is going to strike a chord with you. As with many of Wiseman’s film, this is “direct cinema”: no commentary from the filmmaker, you fill in your own blanks. Like any documentary, “High School” has obviously been edited to create a certain narrative flow that didn’t exist in the raw footage, but even that is open to interpretation. I enjoyed the film a lot as both a time capsule of a moment in America and as a checkpoint for how far (or not) high school has evolved in the last 50 years. Definitely worth a watch.

Everybody Gets One: We’ll see more of Frederick Wiseman when I cover his follow-up film “Hospital”. This film’s cinematographer is Richard Leiterman, who started off filming stock footage for the CBC before filming several Canadian documentaries. Among his later work is the original TV movie version of “It”.

Wow, That’s Dated: Filmed in the spring of 1968, “High School” comments on such topical issues as Vietnam, the MLK assassination, the ongoing space race, and the debate over miniskirts as formal wear. Plus you get this peppy little tune from bubblegum group 1910 Fruitgum Company.

Seriously, Oscars?: No Best Documentary nod for “High School”. That year the winner was the inspirational “Young Americans” “Journey Into Self”. None of Frederick Wiseman’s documentaries were ever nominated for an Oscar. Wiseman did, however, eventually win a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2016.

Other notes

• “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay”. Now THAT’S how you open a documentary!
• These kids are all in their mid-to-late 60s now. One wonders what their reunions are like.
• I took three years of French in high school. Very little of it stuck. But I met my senior prom date in that class, so that’s something.
• The extreme close-ups throughout the piece are an interesting choice. Are you watching this, Chick Strand?
• My favorite person in the whole movie is a man I’ve dubbed “Counselor Crewcut”. He dispenses detention along with really bad life advice.
• Speaking of disciplinary types, it seems Northeast had their own Strickland-esque hall monitor. Doesn’t this guy have anything better to do?
• This English teacher is not doing “Casey at the Bat” any favors. Not exactly Jerry Colonna, is she?
• We really need to start teaching Home Economics in school again. So many life skills I missed out on.
• This school’s sex education is a bit confounding. They’re strongly anti-promiscuity, but also for birth control. Seems like mixed signals.
• And then we get to the English teacher who uses Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Dangling Conversation” as an example of poetry. She’s the cool teacher. Wait until rap becomes a thing.
• For a film set in a high school, the emphasis is primarily on the teachers and parents. Virtually none of the film is from a student’s point of view. Another point in favor of Keith Grant’s “schools are factories, students are products” thesis.
• Do yourself a favor: skip the part where they discuss how much college tuition was in 1968. I almost punched my TV in anger.
• Northeast High’s Space Research program was one of the first in the country, and is still going. Please donate; their funding keeps getting cut.
• That’s “Hey Look Me Over!” being played by the marching band towards the end. Wow, that’s dated.

Legacy

• Northeast faculty was divided over how the film portrayed their school. Facing what he referred to as “vague talk” of a lawsuit, Wiseman agreed not to show the film in Philadelphia. While it did play elsewhere in the country, the City of Brotherly Love wouldn’t get a public screening of “High School” until 2001.
• At the age of 88, Frederick Wiseman is still going! His latest film is 2017’s “Ex Libris – The New York Public Library”.

• Wiseman returned to the subject of high school with 1994’s “High School II”, this time covering New York City’s Central Park East Secondary School. I couldn’t find footage from that film, so here’s 1994’s “Ski School 2”.

• Northeast High School would allow cameras onto campus again in 2009 for the reality series “Teach: Tony Danza”, which followed the “Who’s the Boss” star as he taught high school English. Production was halted when the footage was deemed “not dramatic enough”. And if you can’t find the inherent drama of being a teenager (or a People’s Choice Award winner), you’re not doing it right.

• Oh god, must we musicalize everything?

Listen to This: Amazingly, Otis Redding’s rendition of “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” is nowhere to be found on the National Recording Registry. The song is, however, included on the Registry by way of The Staple Singers’ cover. Otis Redding appears on the list thanks to his performance of “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)”.

#200) Duck Soup (1933)

OR “Say the Secret Word and Democracy Comes Down”

Directed by Leo McCarey

Written by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. Additional dialogue by Arthur Sheekman and Nat Perrin.

Class of 1990

The Plot: Freedonia is bankrupt and in need of a new leader. Socialite/financial aid Mrs. Teasdale (Margaret Dumont) insists on Rufus T. Firefly (Groucho Marx) for the job. Firefly takes over, and tries to woo Teasdale in order to get her late husband’s inheritance. Meanwhile Sylvanian ambassador Trentino (Louis Calhern) wants to annex Freedonia, and sends spies Chiccolini and Pinky (Chico & Harpo Marx) to follow Firefly. In true Marx Brothers fashion, the plot falls apart in favor of rapid-fire gags, the occasional musical number, and some of the boys’ most iconic bits. Oh, and Zeppo’s there too.

Why It Matters: The NFR calls it “the brothers’ masterpiece”, and praises the boys, director McCarey, and the “reliably clueless” Margaret Dumont. There’s also a lengthy essay by film critic William Wolf.

But Does It Really?: No one can argue the inclusion of a Marx Brothers film on this list. The Marx Brothers are one of the rare film comedians that effortlessly mixed puns and wordplay with physical shtick, and it’s that “everything but the kitchen sink” mentality that has ensured the boys’ longevity. I’ll argue that “Duck Soup” isn’t the brilliant political satire it’s hailed as (none of their other films get anywhere near social commentary), but their humor comes with a strong enough viewpoint that, mixed with this film’s premise, makes the connection plausible. “Duck Soup” is still laugh-out-loud funny 85 years later, and how many other comedies can you say that about?

Shout Outs: The music box that Harpo knocks over plays “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf” for some reason.

Everybody Gets One: We’ll see more of Groucho, Harpo, and Chico when they jump ship to MGM (and a crowded stateroom) in “A Night at the Opera”, but this is the only NFR film for Zeppo, the fourth Marx Brother. The youngest of the five children, Herbert “Zeppo” Marx was the straight man of the group for their stage performances as well as their early films. He left the group after “Duck Soup”, but he spent some time afterwards as the brothers’ agent, and later made a fortune as an engineer and inventor. So you don’t have to feel too bad for Zeppo.

Wow, That’s Dated: Lots of references to such popular songs as “Ain’t She Sweet”, “Goodnight, Sweetheart” and…oh god, do I have to? [Deep inhale] Okay, here we go: “That’s Why Darkies Were Born”. [Deep exhale] Why, Groucho, why?

Seriously, Oscars?: No Oscar love for “Duck Soup”. Perhaps Paramount didn’t want to put money in a campaign for stars that had already left the studio. Paramount’s comedy of choice at that year’s ceremony was fellow NFR entry “She Done Him Wrong”.

Other notes

• Other than a current slang term for an easy task, the title “Duck Soup” has nothing to do with the film. It doesn’t matter anyway, because I ordered the Duck Salad.
• The “additional dialogue” credit at the beginning is attributed to Sheekman and Perrin, who wrote for Groucho and Chico’s radio show “Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel”. They lifted enough jokes from the radio show to warrant a credit for the two writers.
• The film was made by Paramount, and was part of their film library that was sold to Universal in the ‘50s. The version I watched began with two separate Universal logos, followed by the original Paramount logo. Somewhere, Cinema Sins is shaking its head.
• Ah yes, that point in ‘30s cinema where people just broke into song.
• Margaret Dumont is clearly not listening to a word Firefly is saying. I guess that helps make you a great foil.
• Harpo’s doghouse tattoo is super creepy. One of the boys’ rare forays into the surreal. Also, who has a tattoo of themselves?
• Teasdale’s room seems to take its cue from Mrs. Robinson’s rumpus room.
• There are some pretty big continuity errors in this film. I suspect a lot of material hit the cutting room floor. Apparently, among the deleted material were a piano number from Chico and a harp number by Harpo (ohhhh, now I get it).
• The best line no one quotes from this film: “Let me out of here or throw me a magazine.”
• The mirror scene is still the highlight of the movie. It’s also the only scene in a sound comedy I can think of that’s executed in complete silence.

• And now an “All God’s Chillun Got Wings” parody? About guns? Oh Christ.
• I do love me some repurposed stock footage.
• I never realized that “Airplane!” lifted the “horse in bed” gag from here.
• The Wolf essay about the film praises the political satire, and cites how that is a rarity in film, even today. Give it a decade.
• Speaking of, Groucho attributed the film’s political edge to Leo McCarey, a director the boys never worked with before or again.

Legacy

• Not quite the “flop” as some historians refer to it as, “Duck Soup” was popular, but not as popular as their previous film: “Horse Feathers”. When their contract with Paramount ended with this film, the brothers moved on to MGM, and their other NFR entry “A Night at the Opera”.

• Everyone and their mother has done the mirror bit, but the best homage will be the one Harpo did 22 years later with Lucille Ball.

• Woody Allen considers “Bananas” a “spiritual sequel” to “Duck Soup”. Yeah, Woody believes a lot of things.

Listen to This: A recent addition to the National Recording Registry is the 1972 album “An Evening with Groucho”. It’s an hour of Groucho saying pretty much whatever he wants, and it’s the best. Because it’s Groucho in the ‘70s, Dick Cavett makes an appearance.

200 films already? Seems like only a few days ago we were talking about movie #199.  I’m a little over a quarter of the way through my journey, and I thank you for making it this far with me. Promise me you’ll go outside at some point.

Tony

#199) The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

OR “This Civilian Life”

Directed by William Wyler

Written by Robert E. Sherwood. Based on the novella “Glory for Me” by MacKinlay Kantor.

Class of 1989

The Plot: Three WWII servicemen – bombardier Fred (Dana Andrews), platoon sergeant Al (Fredric March) and petty officer Homer (Harold Russell) – all return home to Boone City after the war. Each struggles in their own way to adapt back to their pre-war life. Al returns to his understanding wife Milly (Myrna Loy), but clashes with his employers at the bank about loans for veterans. Fred resumes his strained relationship with his materialistic wife Marie (Virginia Mayo), but finds himself attracted to Al’s daughter Peggy (Teresa Wright). Homer lost both of his hands in the war and worries how his new prosthetics will go over with his fiancée Wilma (Cathy O’Donnell). Some food for thought about life for American veterans, plus Hoagy Carmichael in a key supporting role!

Why It Matters: The NFR calls it “[a] moving and personal story” and praises the cast and cinematography. There’s also a detailed essay by English professor and William Wyler biographer Gabriel Miller.

But Does It Really?: “The Best Years of Our Lives” is an all-around fine film. Some of the entertainment value has been lost over the years, and its almost 3-hour runtime can drag in some places, but “Best Years” is expertly made, and the first major film to tackle the problems our veterans face head-on. It’s a wonderful ensemble, aided by a nuanced, grounded script, and photography that I’ll gush about later on. It wouldn’t make my first 25, but “Best Years” deserves to be on here, and still holds its own 70 years later.

Everybody Gets One: Despite a 50-plus year film career and five Academy Award nominations (with two wins), this is Fredric March’s only NFR appearance. Also along for the ride is Hoagland “Hoagy” Carmichael, who composed many a famous song, including “Georgia On My Mind”, “Up the Lazy River”, and “Heart and Soul”.

Wow, That’s Dated: Wartime boarding procedures, swing music, and the lost profession of soda jerk.

Title Track: No exact matches, but Marie does say that she gave up “the best years of my life” during the war.

Seriously, Oscars?: The hit of the year, “The Best Years of Our Lives” led the 1946 Oscars with eight nominations and seven wins, including Picture, Director, Actor for March, and Adapted Screenplay. Harold Russell was not favored to win Best Supporting Actor against four professionals, so the Academy gave him an honorary Oscar instead. When he did win, he became the only person to receive two Oscars for the same performance. This film’s sweep was deserved, but also meant that “It’s A Wonderful Life” went home empty-handed. And we know what that movie’s like when it gets depressed…

Other notes

• Where is Gregg Toland’s Best Cinematography nomination? There were only two nominees that year, and he wasn’t either of them. See me after class, Academy.
• Perhaps this film’s smartest decision is that we never see what these men’s lives were like before the war. We are right alongside them trying to understand these familiar yet foreign surroundings.
• Homer and Wilma have names that were once commonplace but are now forever associated with cartoon characters.
• And then Al and Milly see each other from across the hallway and I’m crying. We’re only 20 minutes in, but I really felt for both of them in that moment.

• If I were an Oscar voter in 1946, I would have put Dana Andrews on my ballot over Fredric March. No knock against March, who gets more chances to grandstand, but Andrews is the glue that holds the film together. It’s an ensemble to be sure, but Dana Andrews is at the center of it.
• Al is offered $12,000 a year! Laughable now, but that’s about $150,000 in today’s money.
• So retail work has always been a living hell. Got it.
• This film is a waste of Myrna Loy. She nails every scene, but her moments in the spotlight are few and far between. I’m sure she recognized how important this film was going to be, but I expect more from the person with top billing.
• The powder room scene between Peggy and Marie is great to watch. It all happens in one take, provides engaging visuals, and proves my long-standing theory that the women’s restrooms are way nicer. All this being said, I’m pretty sure I saw the cameraman’s arm in one of those mirrors.
• But seriously, where is Toland’s Oscar? There is so much storytelling going on in every shot, thanks in part to Toland’s choice of deep focus. The “Chopsticks” scene alone is worthy of recognition.
• For being a non-professional actor, Harold Russell more than holds his own with his established co-stars. When he’s allowed to be warm and friendly, he’s perfect. When he has to be a little more dramatic, you can sense the assistance from Wyler and composer Hugo Friedhofer. They help carry some of the emotional weight for him.
• You can tell the seismic influence William Wyler’s time in the Air Force had on him. Compared to his earlier war film, “Mrs. Miniver”, “Best Years” is more realistic and far less sentimental. With this film, Wyler argues that the fight to return to the way things were is more challenging than the war itself.

Legacy

• William Wyler followed this up by directing four more films that would end up on the NFR: “The Heiress”, “Roman Holiday”, “Ben-Hur”, and “Funny Girl”, like you do.
• The film was remade as the 1975 TV movie “Returning Home”. I can’t even find a clip of it on YouTube, so that bodes well for how good it is. Come on, Internet. No one has footage of Dabney Coleman and young Tom Selleck?
• Harold Russell took William Wyler’s advice and left show business to get his business degree from Boston University. He became a public advocate for the handicapped as well as veterans, and didn’t return to screen acting until 1980’s “Inside Moves”. Later in life he sold one of his Oscars at auction to pay for his wife’s surgery. If only crowdsourcing had been invented yet.

Further Viewing: “Diary of a Sergeant” is the 1945 instructional short that brought Harold Russell to the attention of William Wyler. Wyler was impressed with Russell’s natural ease in front of the camera and rewrote the role of Homer to accommodate Russell’s wartime experience.

#198) Interior New York Subway, 14^th Street to 42^nd Street (1905)

OR “The Talk of the Midtown”

Directed by G.W. Bitzer

Class of 2017

The Plot: That’s a pretty self-explanatory title. Follow one of the earliest subway trains on its 28-block journey under Manhattan. This train makes all stops.

Why It Matters: The NFR highlights the film’s technical feats (it required three trains to film this) and praises the “artistic flair” of G.W. Bitzer.

But Does It Really?: Historical significance, sure. It’s an interesting watch, but I don’t know if I can argue the need for preservation. It’s harmless enough, so I give it a pass. Perhaps it’s my own jaded experience with the New York subway system that tarnishes my thoughts on this film. I will conquer you yet!

Everybody Gets One: The only name connected to this film is G.W. Bitzer, who was three years away from his first of many collaborations with D.W. Griffith. At this point in time, Gottfried Wilhelm had made several “actuality films” with Biograph and was starting to branch out into narrative films. He also invented the “fade out”, so he’s got that legacy going for him.

Wow, That’s Dated: The Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) line had been open for seven months when this was filmed.

Other notes

• As previously mentioned, this shoot required three trains: the train being filmed, the train behind it with a camera mounted on the front, and a third train on a parallel track lighting the first train.
• There’s a great meta moment at the beginning when you can see the train with the lighting equipment on it. This is followed by a fun moment at the end where the first train gains speed and the others have to catch up.
• Speaking of, how fast are these trains going? They don’t seem to be going that fast, but maybe that’s just the frame rate playing tricks on me.
• The 42^nd Street station is Grand Central, but not the one you’re thinking of. The current Grand Central wasn’t built until 1913.
• We get a lovely sample of 1905 fashion while at the 42^nd Street station.
• Just a reminder that this film was added to the National Film Registry the same year as “The Goonies”, meaning that these two films are equally significant in the eyes of the NFR. Think about it, won’t you?

Legacy

• Bitzer and Mutoscope followed this up with a narrative short that was also filmed at the 14^th Subway station: “2 a.m. in the Subway”.

• The IRT line is still in operation today, and will take you from 14^th St Union Square to 42^nd Street Grand Central in about eight minutes. It’ll run you $2.75.

Further Viewing: The most famous IRT train in film history is the titular subway car in 1974’s “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three”. It’s an exciting action film populated by smart-ass New Yorkers, what more could you ask for? The film was so popular (and the premise so real) that it’s still considered bad luck to run a Pelham train at exactly 1:23.