The Plot: Italian immigrant Pete (Emil De Varney) arrives in America with dreams of making a new successful life for himself. Problem is, he can’t speak English, which severely limits his job opportunities. He is encouraged by fellow immigrant Tony (Unknown Actor) to attend night school and learn English. Once Pete masters the language and graduates from his program, everything really starts to go his way. A powerful message from your friends at the State of Connecticut Department of Americanization.
Why It Matters: The NFR calls the short “a sincere, dramatically effective public education film”. And we get another essay from Buckey!
But Does It Really?: I found this one quite interesting because we don’t see a lot of silent educational films. We tend to associate instructional shorts more with the ‘50s: Dominant voiceovers, stilted acting, slight propaganda qualities. The silent era still has its share of trappings, but they help differentiate this film from any similar films in the sound era. “The Making of an American” is a surprisingly well made film that encapsulates the immigrant boom of the early 20th century and an early attempt to use film to mass-distribute a message.
Everybody Gets One: Director Guy Hedlund was primarily an actor in the silent era. “The Making of an American” is one of two directing credits for Hedlund, the second being 1916’s “Hungry Happy’s Dream”. Both Hedlund and actor Emil De Varney have very few credits following this one.
Wow, That’s Dated: The lucrative profession of elevator operator.
Other notes
The NFR write-up says that the intertitles were presented in English, Italian, and Polish. The print I watched (courtesy of the Library of Congress YouTube page) only had them in English.
“The way to do a thing is to begin.” Who wrote these intertitles? Some of them read like they were translated into a foreign language and then back into English.
The school blew their budget on all those phones. Every student has one!
“Mastery over all good things begins with mastery of self.” Okay, I like that one. It sounds like a good fortune cookie fortune…in bed.
Surprise guest star Mark Twain handing out the diplomas.
Man, Pete gets all of this success just by learning English? I should give that a try!
Legacy
ESL Adult Education has been encouraged throughout the years, including by this handy guide from 1975.
Written by Albert Hackett & Frances Goodrich and Dorothy Kingsley. Based on the story “The Sobbin’ Women” by Stephen Vincent Benet.
Class of 2004
The Plot: Young waitress Milly (Jane Powell) meets, falls in love with, and marries frontiersman Adam Pontipee (Howard Keel) on the same day. Milly is excited to be a wife and housekeeper, until she learns she is also taking care of Adam’s six younger brothers (Jeff Richards, Matt Mattox, Marc Platt, Jacques d’Amboise, Tommy Rall, Russ Tamblyn). Milly is appalled by their rugged, uncivilized behavior, and teaches them how to be gentlefolk and find a bride. When all that fails, Adam takes a cue from “The Sabine Women” and encourages the brothers to just kidnap their future brides (Julie Newmeyer, Ruta Kilmonis, Nora Doggett, Virginia Gibson, Betty Carr, Nancy Kilgas). It’s a bit problematic, but…hey look at those cool dance numbers!
Why It Matters: The NFR praises the cast and especially the Michael Kidd choreography, but admits that the story seems “trite and sexist by contemporary standards”.
But Does It Really?: This is one of those movies I wish could be partially preserved. Most of the film’s dated sensibilities creak quite a bit, but Michael Kidd’s work on the Barn Raising dance sequence is worthy of recognition. The film clips along at a good pace, and makes excellent use of the widescreen, but it gets increasingly difficult to defend a story about kidnapping women as good clean fun. Can we just preserve the best 6 ½ minutes of this film and pretend it was a short this whole time?
Everybody Gets One: Of the 14 title characters, Russ Tamblyn is the only one who appears elsewhere on the Registry (he gets “West Side Story”). The other 13 only have this film, most surprisingly musical stars Keel and Powell.
Wow, That’s Dated: The widescreen process of CinemaScope gets top billing. After that, everything else about this movie is dated.
Title Track: No one says “seven brides for seven brothers”, but they do reference the film’s source material: “The Sobbin’ Women”. It’s a take on the Roman legend “The Rape of the Sabine Women” (That’s rape in the original “abduction” sense.)
Seriously, Oscars?: “Seven Brides” won in the category you’d expect it to: Best Scoring of a Musical Picture. It received four other nominations including Best Picture, losing to “On the Waterfront”. That’s right, “Rear Window”, “Sabrina”, and “A Star is Born” all missed out on Best Picture to make way for this.
Other notes
There’s a second version of “Seven Brides” that was filmed in a flat widescreen process for theaters that didn’t have CinemaScope. I’ll spare you a “Second Screening” post and say that the CinemaScope version is the one to watch. The flat version is nearly identical, but doesn’t have the, well…scope of the widescreen version.
Producer Jack Cummings made his career at MGM thanks to some help from his uncle: Louis B. Mayer.
Howard Keel has quite a voice. It’s a shame he’s not really given anything to do with it.
Jane Powell is 5’1”, Howard Keel 6’ 3”. It makes staging scenes for widescreen quite tricky. Look for how many scenes there are in the film where Milly is elevated to meet Adam eye to eye.
Watch closely: A bird hits the backdrop during “Wonderful, Wonderful Day”.
Gotta love a movie where a fist fight is happening in the background.
Benjamin is played by Jeff Richards, who was a professional minor league baseball player and NOT a dancer. Keep count of how many numbers he doesn’t actually dance in.
I did not need to see any of the brothers in long underwear.
Say what you will about the boys, they are quick learners. They pick up the “Goin’ Courtin’” dance instantly.
One of the brides is Julie Newmeyer, who shortly after this film’s release shortened her last name to Newmar and later became the first Catwoman in the ‘60s version of “Batman”. She’s also the person that thanks Wong Foo for everything.
As previously stated, the Barn Raising dance is the highlight of the movie. That being said, that’s not how lumber works.
Runner-up for best dance sequence is “Lonesome Polecat”, which is done in one uninterrupted take.
Jesus, those corsets look really tight on those women. Are they wearing blush or is that just a lack of oxygen in their faces?
And then the brides start fighting in their undergarments. Maybe I’ve been too hard on this film…
Is that a portrait of Lincoln on the wall? It’s 1851. No one in Oregon would have known who he was!
In the end the boys learn the right lesson…kind of.
Legacy
The film was a huge success in its day and continued the popular trend of ‘50s MGM musicals. Stanley Donen followed this up with the likes of “It’s Always Fair Weather” and “Funny Face”, while Michael Kidd returned to his native Broadway, with the occasional film choreography.
A stage version seemed inevitable, but several attempts over the years, including a brief Broadway run in the early ‘80s, failed to properly adapt the material.
This film influenced two TV shows: The 1982 series of the same name, and the 1968 series “Here Come the Brides”.
And of course, the unsuccessful remake starring Buck McCoy.
Written by Brooks & Gene Wilder. Based on characters from the novel “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley.
Class of 2003
The Plot: Dr. Frederick Fron-ken-steen (Gene Wilder) is a straight-laced physicist who detests being the grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein. Upon inheriting the family castle in Transylvania, Frederick travels to the estate, discovers his grandfather’s secret notations on reanimating dead tissue, and becomes increasingly enticed by the idea. Assisted by bug-eyed Igor (Marty Feldman), seductive Inga (Teri Garr), and ominous Frau Blücher (Cloris Leachman), Frederick makes a creature (Peter Boyle) that is part monster and part “man about town”. Only his uptight financier Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn) and an angry mob of townspeople can prevent Frederick from fulfilling his destiny.
Why It Matters: The NFR calls the film a “stylish spoof” with “[c]lever writing” and “a formidable comedic ensemble”. They also praise the crew for its meticulous recreation of the 1930s Frankenstein films. In addition, there’s an essay by Brooks expert and “Tootsie” devotee Brian Scott Mednick.
But Does It Really?: “Young Frankenstein” is not only one of the funniest films ever, but also a frontrunner for best parody ever. While “Airplane!” is the spoof that throws in everything but the kitchen sink, “Young Frankenstein” gets its laughs by faithfully emulating the source material, and tweaking it in just the right places. While not my pick for Mel’s funniest film, it’s definitely his best. Brooks and Wilder make for excellent collaborators: Brooks adheres to Wilder’s more restrained style of parody, and Wilder allows Brooks to occasionally punch up the humor with his sketch-comedy sensibilities. Throw in an ensemble that’s clearly having a blast, and the result is damn near perfect. Mel made a name for himself as the king of parodies after this (I will always have a soft-spot for “Spaceballs”), but “Young Frankenstein” is his last true classic.
Everybody Gets One: Marty Feldman was already a popular comedian in his native England, but it was his performance as “I-gor” that brought him international fame. Feldman would continue to be a staple in subsequent films by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder.
Seriously, Oscars?: “Young Frankenstein” garnered two Oscar nominations: Adapted Screenplay for Brooks and Wilder (losing to “The Godfather Part II”) and Sound (losing to “Earthquake”). How Gene Wilder didn’t get an acting nomination from ANY voting body that awards season is an everlasting disgrace.
Other notes
Just a reminder that this film was released a mere 10 months after “Blazing Saddles”. It may be the finest one-two punch in film history.
This film really takes its time setting the mood; it’s a full five minutes before we get the first real joke.
It may be “A Mel Brooks Film”, but this is Gene Wilder’s movie. In addition to a screenplay that is noticeably different from Mel’s other movies, this is Gene Wilder’s finest film performance. And that’s saying something.
There’s a lot of artificial zooming going on in this film. Some of it is there to help cover cuts, but it always sticks out to me.
Oh Cloris Leachman, when you commit to a part you really commit. Leachman would have filmed this not too long after she departed “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” to star in her own spin-off!
No, it doesn’t mean “glue”. Moving on.
Did Spielberg lift this film’s “You go first” gag for “Raiders”?
Shout-out to cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld. It’s a perfect copy of the old Universal films. Where’s his Oscar nod?
Why does everyone in Transylvania have an English accent?
Excellent physical work by Kenneth Mars. And good work from the sound guys too.
This is one of filmdom’s most endearing Frankenstein monsters. And to think he would end up making a living by saying “Holy crap.”
Helga’s father is played by actor Michael Fox. Because the Screen Actors Guild does not allow more than one actor to be registered under the same name, the other Michael Fox had to add the J middle initial.
Gene Hackman is giving one of the best cameo performances in any film. “I was going to make espresso!”
One more word on Gene Wilder’s performance: It’s so good even his hair is brilliant.
Four words: Puddin on a reeeeeetz.
I love that Mel kept in one of the moments where Gene starts corpsing on camera. Wilder barely gets out the line “Stop that!” to Marty Feldman.
You’ll never get me to say anything bad about Madeline Kahn. This viewing made me debate whether she should have gotten her Oscar nomination for this instead of “Blazing Saddles”. These are the things that keep me up at night.
That being said, the relationship between Elizabeth and the monster has some moral gray area that I feel might be a bit questionable today.
Too many great lines to mention, but here are some of my favorites:
“Give him an extra dollar.”
“There wolf. There castle.”
“What the hell are you doing in the bathroom day and night?”
“You just made a yummy sound.”
“Seda-GIVE!?”
“I suggest you put on a tie.”
“Say nothing, act casual.”
“No tongues.”
Legacy
Despite the worldwide success of “Young Frankenstein”, Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder never made another film together. Gene tried his hand at directing the similar genre spoof “The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother” and Mel followed up with “Silent Movie” and “High Anxiety”, but neither would make another film as well received as “Young Frankenstein”.
Following the success of “The Producers” on Broadway, Brooks turned this film into a stage musical in 2007. It ran for a while, but lightning definitely didn’t strike twice. A streamlined version played the West End recently with better results.
The dramatic sting used to establish Castle Frankenstein would gain internet notoriety in the “Dramatic Chipmunk” video.
I guess there’s a Turkish version of this called “My Friend Frankenstein”?
And of course, the “walk this way” gag is not only endlessly referenced in films (especially by Mel), but is also the inspiration for the Aerosmith song.
OR “Breaking the Fourth Wall (And the Other Three)”
Directed by F.S. Armitage
Class of 2002
The Plot: Time-lapse photography shows us the demolition of New York City’s Star Theatre. The real event occurred over the course of 30 days from April to May of 1901, but thanks to the geniuses at Biograph, you can see the whole thing in less than two minutes!
Why It Matters: The NFR gives a brief summary, plus some backstory on the project.
But Does It Really?: I’ll say sure, because time-lapse photography is neat, and someone had to introduce it to the American mainstream. Plus this is one of the few films that remotely cares about the death of the American Theater. Where’s this guy’s Isabelle Stevenson Award?
Everybody Gets One: F.S. Armitage did most of his groundbreaking camera work for the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company (later shortened to Biograph Company). Time-lapse photography was his main trick with this short, but he also experimented with film reversal and image superimpositions. Virtually nothing is known about Armitage outside of a six-year period with Biograph, and most of that information is his filmography.
Wow, That’s Dated: Literal horsepower. That’s the main one.
Other notes
Despite what the internet claims, this is not the first film to utilize time-lapse photography. French film pioneer George Méliès beat this film to the punch in the late 1890s. This may, however, be the first American film to do so, or at least the earliest surviving one.
The film’s timelapse consisted of one frame every four minutes. At approximately two minutes in length, this film covers 192 hours of the theatre’s destruction.
This film was a pretty easy set-up for Armitage: the theatre was located across the street from the Biograph studio. They just put a camera by one of their windows and let the thing run.
Among the actors that performed on the stage of the Star over the years were the legendary Sarah Bernhardt, and most notably, Edwin Booth, a celebrated Shakespearean actor in his day, but perhaps best known today as being the brother of that other actor named Booth.
The final show that performed at the Star Theatre was something called “The Convict’s Daughter” by J.A. Fraser. You now know as much as I do about that play.
This film is referred to by the NFR as “Demolishing and Building Up the Star Theatre”. The actual footage is just the demolition, but Biograph sent out prints with the suggestion that when shown in reverse, “the effect is very extraordinary”. (The title on the actual film is simply “Star Theatre”, hence its naming on this post).
Legacy
The Biograph Company folded in 1916, but not before launching the careers of Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, and D.W. Griffith.
The former site of the Star Theatre is currently the home of several businesses including, appropriately enough, a movie theater.
Only tangentially related to this film, I’ve always enjoyed this photo of Gloria Swanson posing amongst the rubble of the former Roxy Theater movie palace in 1960. The main lobby area is currently home to a T.G.I. Friday’s. What’s playing at the Roxy? Steak and ribs, mostly.
OR “Woody’s Last Film on the Registry for a While”
Directed by Woody Allen
Written by Allen and Marshall Brickman
Class of 2001
The Plot: Woody Allen-esque comedy writer Isaac Davis (Woody Allen) is dating 17-year-old Tracy (Mariel Hemingway, We’ll get to that in a bit). While at a party, Isaac meets author Mary Wilkie (Diane Keaton), the mistress of his best friend Yale Pollack (Michael Murphy). Though they do not hit it off initially, a chance second meeting finds them falling in love. What follows is a complicated love rectangle peppered with beautiful cinematography, excellent use of George Gershwin’s music, and a question about New York’s age of consent that has definitely compromised my Google search history.
Why It Matters: The NFR praises Allen and Brickman’s screenplay, the cinematography by Gordon Willis, and the “exceptional comedy teamwork” between Allen and Keaton.
But Does It Really?: I’ll be real: I wrestled with this one. A lot. On the one hand, “Manhattan” is a funny, beautifully shot love letter to New York at a time when the city was at its grittiest. On the other hand, Woody’s dating a teenager and no one seems to mind or be concerned. It’s a plotline that, given what we know now, ultimately taints an otherwise enjoyable film. “Manhattan” was selected for preservation in December 2001, no doubt a response to the terrorist attacks on the city three months earlier. We were post-Soon-Yi but pre-Dylan Farrow in our Woody issues, so no one can claim ignorance on the subject. Cinematic merits aside, perhaps the film’s retroactive controversy is reason enough for preservation. “Manhattan” is a film that (purposefully or not) immediately starts a discussion, and isn’t that what all the films on this list are supposed to do?
Everybody Gets One: Mariel Hemingway, Congresswoman Bella Abzug, film editor Susan E. Morse (her first of over 20 Woody collaborations), and legendary SNL writer Michael O’Donoghue as the man who was talking about orgasms.
Wow, That’s Dated: Tape recorders, references to the Carter family, and Woody’s standard jab at EST. Plus another round of “What’s Playing on Broadway Back Now?” that includes the musical “Runaways” and ‘70s mime trope Mummenshcanz, which places filming in the fall of 1978.
Seriously, Oscars?: Despite its critical and commercial success, “Manhattan” received only two Oscar nominations. Allen & Brickman lost Original Screenplay to “Breaking Away”, while Mariel Hemingway lost Supporting Actress to Meryl Streep; not for her work in this film, but rather for her other 1979 New York based divorce film, “Kramer vs. Kramer”. The film’s most conspicuous Oscar snub was – once again – Gordon Willis’ cinematography (though his first nomination for Allen’s “Zelig” was only four years away).
Other notes
There’s a lot more to say about the Isaac/Tracy plotline, and we as film-lovers should keep discussing it. I highly recommend this think piece about dealing with art made by “monster artists”, specifically Woody and “Manhattan”. It helped me cope with my conflicting thoughts on this film.
This has got to be one of the rare times where Woody strayed from his standard opening credits.
The piano version of “Mine” playing at the restaurant sounds an awful lot like the “Everybody Loves Raymond” theme. Well, strike that, reverse it I guess.
I’ve now seen all four of Diane Keaton’s NFR films and I must say I have severely underestimated her as an actress. Here she is brilliantly playing a New York intellectual that is night and day from her turn as Annie Hall and her more restrained work in the first two “Godfather” films. Ms. Keaton, if you’re reading this, I owe you a drink.
The best line: “I think people should mate for life, like pigeons or Catholics.”
And then there’s that beautiful iconic shot of the Queensboro Bridge with Gershwin swelling in the background. Don’t make me like you, Woody.
Can we make it a rule that no one is ever allowed to call it “making love”?
I can’t tell if Meryl Streep’s acting style just doesn’t mesh or if her character is intentionally written to be in sharp contrast with everyone else. My guess is the latter, but something about her scenes is just a hair out of place. In either case, this is the only time Meryl and Woody have worked together, and I suspect it will stay that way.
The scene of Isaac and Mary in the rowboat is one of my favorite shots, and may be the film’s only visual gag.
I forgot Wallace Shawn is in this! He is quite possibly the only person to work with Woody Allen, Rob Reiner and Pixar.
This film ends with the dramatic “running to be with your loved one” cliché.
By Woody Allen standards, this is an upbeat ending. No one gets what they want, but it ends with a glimmer of hope.
Legacy
Umm…besides that?
The film’s main intentional takeaway is the iconic shot of Woody and Diane watching the sunrise. It’s the main image on the film’s poster, and everyone has done their own take on it at some point.
Further Viewing: Not exactly a fan of the Oscars, Woody has only attended the ceremony once: in 2002 when he was neither a nominee nor a winner. In the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, Allen came to the (then) Kodak Theater to introduce a clip package by Chuck Workman honoring films shot on location in New York City. The tribute itself is currently not available online (copyright clearance is a bitch), but Woody’s introduction is worth a watch.
Oh wait: here it is. Enjoy it before it’s taken down!
Listen to This: I already covered “Rhapsody in Blue” in my “An American in Paris” write-up, but I would be remiss if I did not give the Gershwin classic a shout-out here.
The Horse's Head 