by Ray Keating
The Keating Files – December 21, 2020
As a classic movies fan, I love discovering gems from Hollywood’s past. This time of year, it’s especially pleasing to find an enjoyable Christmas movie from decades past. Well, on Sunday night, I settled in with the family to watch – and as it turned out enjoy – two Christmas movies that I had not previously seen, one from 1940 and the other from 1955.
The first entry in our double feature was Remember the Night (1940), which starred Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray. That’s right, the duo who would four years later pull us into the film noir classic Double Indemnity. Remember the Night is a romantic comedy in which Stanwyck’s character, Lee Leander, is a shoplifter who gets arrested, and MacMurray’s John Sargent is the assistant district attorney supposed to put her away. The case gets delayed over the Christmas holidays, and Lee winds up spending that time with John, and his mother and Aunt Emma in Indiana.
Well, you can figure out where things are headed, and it’s enjoyable journey with the couple.
Since I knew MacMurray first as the father via reruns of My Three Sons, I’m always pleasantly surprised when seeing him on the silver screen. Meanwhile, Barbara Stanwyck always seems to take over the scene no matter what type of character she happens to be portraying. Here, we see Stanwyck as the criminal who was dealt a tough hand in life, but thanks to MacMurray’s John Sargent, and the love displayed by his family, she winds up as a different person in the end. And speaking of the end, without giving it away, it’s not your typical conclusion to this kind of movie. A Hallmark ending, it ain’t.
And speaking of being untypical, the second movie in our double feature was We’re No Angels, starring Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov as three escaped convicts from Devil’s Island. This ranks as one of the quirkiest, most delightfully surprising Christmas comedies I’ve seen.
There’s an underlying dark humor that seems to be ahead of its time in certain ways. The convicts weren’t wrongfully convicted, but instead, two are murderers and one a swindler. And they know who they are, who each other is. This is not about excusing or justifying their crimes, but instead, it’s a story in which their backgrounds are used to comic delight. Here are three criminals helping an innocent family facing tough times celebrate Christmas and deal with devious relatives, and the characters themselves are quite aware of how odd the entire situation is.
Bogart might seem an odd choice for this role, but he excels. While I enjoyed him in the romantic comedy Sabrina (1954), he far surpasses that performance in We’re No Angels.
But it turns out that Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov rank as the best parts of this film. The two bring unique, offbeat performances that outshine everyone else in the movie.
Director Michael Curtiz directed many fine films, but he ranks among my favorite directors for two films in particular – Casablanca and White Christmas. And if those two pictures weren’t different enough, I now discover another gem in We’re No Angels, a quirky, delicious Christmas comedy.
Yes, these two films are now on the Keating Christmas list of movies to watch each year – in particular, We’re No Angels.
__________
Ray Keating is a columnist, novelist, economist, podcaster and entrepreneur. His new book Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13th thriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
You also can order his book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York from Amazon or signed books at RayKeatingOnline.com. His other recent nonfiction book is Free Trade Rocks! 10 Points on International Trade Everyone Should Know.
One of the best ways to enjoy Ray Keating’s Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries is to join the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship! For the BEST VALUE, consider the Book of the Month Club. Check it all out at https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship
Also, tune in to Ray Keating’s podcasts – the PRESS CLUB C Podcast and the Free Enterprise in Three Minutes Podcast
Check out Ray Keating’s Disney news and entertainment site at www.DisneyBizJournal.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment