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Posted: |
Apr 17, 2014 - 9:14 AM
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By: |
philiperic
(Member)
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MARGIE
This lovely Technicolor 2Oth Century Fox release - directed by the estimable Henry King - starring the perfect ingenue - gorgeous Jeanne Crain (just 20 yrs old during production) - has always been a a favorite of mine -- it boasts a beautifully nostalgic score by the great Alfred Newman, embellished by many songs from the Roaring Twenties such as "April Showers", "A Cup of Coffee, A Sandwich, & You","Aint She Sweet","My Time Is Your Time","I'll See You in My Dreams","Three O'Clock in the Morning" and the catchy title tune - it is actually a quasi musical. The orchestrations + underscore are wonderfully intergrated into the story of a lovelorn teenager who falls for her HS French teacher. If the elements survive , this would make a terrific soundtrack , especially if complete versions exist of the many songs .
It has so much to recommend it as a film - especially a wonderful cast including Hobart Cavanaugh as Margie's undertaker father, Lynn Bari as the pretty librarian, , Glenn Langan as the handsome Professor Fontaynne, Esther Dale as Margie's irrascible suffragette Grandma, Barbara Lawrence + Conrad Janis as the quintiscential 20s lovebirds Marybelle + Johnnykins, Alan Young (in his film debut) as Roy, Margie's sweetly nebbish HS boyfriend Roy, young Ann Todd, and Oscar winner Hattie MacDaniels in a scene stealing role as their help, Cynthia.
It was lovingly filmed(partly)at the University of Nevada in Reno in a winter setting , giving it a more authentic look than many similar college films( think GOOD NEWS). Henry King excelled at Americana tales and this is one of his best It has shown on TCM + FMC with a great new print ( but it has never been released on dvd or other format ) .
Kritzerland, Intrada, Screen Archives - any chance this has been considered for release?
(btw this inspired a one season tv series in the the early 60s starring Cynthia Pepper & Penny Parker).
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"But when all is said and done,
There is really only one,
Margie, Margie, it's you..."
Although, Ms. Crain in that poster has anything but a 1920's look, what with all that billowing hair...
(Funny enough, one of the recurring gags in the film is how her bloomers simply won't stay up....)
Oh, what they'd do with that nowadays...
The mind reels.
My parents were in college in the 20's, in Boston, and they had plenty of tales to tell me when I was growing up. Consequently, when I was in college in the late 60's, also in Boston, I actually had a similar time.
As for the score, I'll buy anything by Newman.
After all is said and done, I'm a Newmaniac....
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Posted: |
Apr 21, 2014 - 3:40 AM
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By: |
lionel59
(Member)
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I am interested to learn of the parts Miss Crain was offered but was not ultimately cast in. Thanks Joe. I had also always wondered why the face on the poster of THE ROBE looked unlike Jean Simmons. I can see that it looks a little more like Jeanne, but it still doesn't look like a good impression of her to my eyes. It would seem that Maggie McNamara's brief "place in the (Hollywood) sun" owed a good deal to Miss Crain's unavailability.
I have read Joseph Manciewicz's autobiography and despite directing her in two of her finest performances inc a Best Actress Oscar nomination (A LETTER TO THREE WIVES and PINKY), he was not happy about her being cast as Eve Harrington and engineered her replacement by Anne Baxter. I think Crain would have been good, but perhaps not AS good. (As she had never portrayed a "grasping bitch" role on film, it may have been more of a surprise when Eve shows her true colors if Crain had portrayed her.However,Claudette Colbert's back injury from THREE CAME HOME paved the way for indisputably the best possible actress to immortalize Margo Channing)
As a big Alfred Newman fan, I'd welcome a soundtrack CD of MARGIE, period songs included. I would not be surprised of Fox Cinema Archives gets around to releasing it, though for quality control I'd prefer a Twilight Time release. I am wondering if there is a rights complication hindering the release of another Crain classic, CENTENNIAL SUMMER. A big hit in its day showcasing Jerome Kern's final score, this worthy family musical (inspired, no doubt, by the success of MEET ME IN ST LOUIS) in Technicolor should have come out by now in SOME format. If anyone knows of any reason why it hasn't, I'd appreciate your input.
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