Glynis Johns

Her principal area of show business was the stage. .And she had a beautfiul voice, but unfortunately, her range was limited. So Stephen Sondheim wrote Send In The Clowns just for her to sing in A Little Night Music. Her movie resume’ is sterlling. 

Well, she lived to be 100 so you have to go back to 1938 to find her starting point as a movie actress. In South Riding the 15-year-old Glynis gets into a fight with another girl. Maybe not the beginning she would hope for, but from there it was straight up. 

Perhaps her best-known part was as Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins (1964). She is the mother of children under the care of nanny Mary. Mrs. Banks is a suffragette and also perhaps a little scatter-brained. This film was nominated for 13 Oscars. It won five, including of course Julie Andrews as Mary. 

In the very underrated  and largely forgotten The Sundowners (1960) Ms. Johns was nominated for an Oscar for her part as Mrs. Firth, the owner of the pub featured prominently in the film. She lost her one shot at a statue to Shirley Jones for Elmer Gantry. Paddy Carmody (Robert Mitchum) is an itinerant sheep sheerer, always on the move. His wife (Deborah Kerr) wants to settle down. He does not. 

The Court Jester (1955) is pretty much owned by Danny Kaye (as Hubert Hawkins) but Glynis Johns has a nice turn as the captain of the rebels, Maid Jean.. She and Hawkins are ordered to deliver the imperilled royal child to safety. They encounter the king’s jester on the road. Jean knocks him out and convinces Hawkins to infiltrate the king’s court by impersonating the jester. There are several songs, all sung by Kaye, wasting Johns’ considerable talent.

Skip forward to 1994 for The Ref,  a somewhat complicated tale about a married couple who constantly quarrel and are taken hostage by Gus, a cat burglar. They continue to argue while with him and he has to tell them to shut up. Glynis Johns portrays Rose, the mother-in-law from Hell who browbeats and terrorizes everyone else in the movie. 

In While You Were Sleeping (1995) Sandra Bullock plays Lucy, a lonely toll taker. She rescues Peter Callahan (Peter Gallagher), who is pushed onto the tracks of an oncoming train. . He is taken to the hospital where Lucy tells the nurse she wishes she could marry Peter. The nurse misunderstands and tells everyone, including the entire Callahan family, that Lucy and Peter are engaged. Lucy then falls in love with Peter’s younger brother, Jack (Bill Pullman). Glynis Johns is on board as the slightly deluded grandmother.  When Peter wakes up from his coma and says he doesn’t know Lucy, it is assumed he has amnesia. It all ends well for everyone- hey, this is Hollywood!

All of the films in this article are fine for all ages. And, you can actually find some of these on streaming sites if you’ve a mind to. 

                                                                      Tom Wilkinson

                                                                            Part One

    I have long admired the quiet, underplayed acting of Tom Wilkinson, who left us last year at 75. Rarely the top banana, he was the go-to guy when you needed a solid back-up character actor. And he had a marvelous string of good performances in good movies. 

Priest (1994) is about a youthful Catholic priest whose homosexuality gets him banished to a small rural congregation with Father Matthew Thomas (Tom Wilkinson) as the senior, conservative priest. And yet, Father Thomas steps up to aid the young priest in his troubles and does all he can to help him. A solid, low-key Wilkinson performance. The 2011 film with the same title is a loser.

    The Ghost and the Darkness (1996) is the somewhat questionable story of blood-thirsty lions attacking humans. Tom Wilkinson is Sir Robert Beaumont, trying to build a railroad across Africa. Val Kilmer is the chief engineer on the job. To stop the carnage caused by the marauding lions, Beaumont enlists storied white hunter Charles Remington (Michael Douglas). From there, things get more complicated and the mighty hunter winds up the prey. 

The Full Monty (1997) is about a group of unemployed steel workers in Britain who decide to earn money by putting on a male stripping show. They tell prospective customers they will be better than the famous Chippendale strippers because they will go The Full Monty (totally nude). In a very surprising role, Tom Wilkinson appears as Gerald Cooper, their former boss and a talented dancer, who the group hires to teach them some moves. Of course this works out, or it wouldn’t be much of a movie!

Smilla’s Sense of Snow (1997) features Tom Wilkinson as a consummate bad guy. He plays Professor Loyen, who performed the autopsy in the Inuit boy whose death is the centerpiece of the movie. Smilla (Julia Ormond) has a sense that something isn’t right about this death. Their ensues an incredibly complicated plot I will not attempt to resurrect here. Tom Wilkinson was just fine as the bad guy. Nuff said!

Wilde (1997) is a somewhat truncated biopic about the British author Oscar Wilde, played here with winning flamboyance by Stephen Fry. He falls into a flaming homosexual relationship with foppish nobleman Bosie Douglas, whose stern father The Marquess of Queensberry (Tom Wilkinson) violently objects to their liaison. This pushes Wilde to sue the Marquess for libel. Bad idea. Wilde’s homosexuality is revealed and he winds up going to prison. Wilkinson is winingly hateful in this film.

Nothing here for littlies. These are for adults. 

                                                                 Norman Lear films

He had to live to 101 to get it all in! Norman Lear was a giant of show business, producing TV shows and movies galore. And he had five TV shows and one movie still in production when he died! It’s no exaggeration to say that he absolutely owned television in the 1970's. Just take a quick look at his shows:

Sanford and Son 135 episodes (1972-77)

Maude 142 episodes (1972-78)

All In The Family 207 episodes (1971-79)

Good Times 133 episodes (1974-79)

One Day At A Time 209 episodes (1975-84)

The Jeffersons 253 episodes (1975-85)

And yet, he also had lots of movies tied to his name, usually as the main producer. The first film of note is Come Blow Your Horn (1963) from an early comedy stage play by Neil Simon. But Lear wrote the screenplay. The film features some legendary actors: Frank Sinatra, Mollie Picon and Lee J. Cobb. Sinatra plays Allan Baker, a consummate Manhattan playboy, delighted to teach his younger brother Buddy (Tony Bill) lots of bachelor tricks. The laughs are plentiful. 

And there are plenty of world-class actors in the splendid The Princess Bride (1987). Directed and Produced by Rob Reiner, with Norma Lear as Executive Producer, this film is on the National Film Registry. And it should be. It is dubbed a “fantasy adventure comedy” film. It features Carey Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn and Robin Wright. It’s the story of a swashbuckling farm boy who sets out to rescue the lovely Princess Buttercup. Many dangerous adventures, mostly funny, are encountered on the way. 

Never Too Late (1965), produced by Lear, doesn’t sound funny but it is. Harry Lambert (Paul Ford)  and his wife Edith (Maureen O’Sullivan)  portray a married couple well into their 60's. They have grown children who are also married and have children. On a routine visit to the doctor, Edith finds out she is pregnant. A real surprise to the entire family! The tag line is good: “Last year there were twenty-two million accidents in the home. This is about one of them.” Coping with this situation makes for a bittersweet comedy. Interesting side note: No mention of the A world. This is the 1960's.

Norman Lear executive produced Start The Revolution Without Me (1967), a frantic comedy set in medieval France. Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland portray two sets of identical twins. One set is elite and haughty, the other set is poor and stupid. They are somehow mixed up by the populace and high jinks follow. It’s hard to find a film that divided critics and audiences more- most either loved it or hated it. 

Lear took a chance and executive produced Rita Moreno: A Girl Who Decided To Go For It (2021) a documentary about the title lady’s incredible rise from Puerto Rican poverty to brilliant star. How she fought off racism, sexism and other isms is inspiring. In her fantastic career she was featured in both versions of West Side Story,   1961 and 2021!

All of the movies in this article are pretty much ok for all ages, factoring in some boredom for littlies. 

                                                                     Ryan O’Neal

        So good looking he was almost pretty, Ryan O’Neal captured the hearts of female film fans everywhere. He had an incredible run of movies in the 1970's and then just kind of flamed out. He always had plenty of work, but personal problems dented his career after initial success. He died recently at 80.

    Love Story (1970) was his first big break. As Oliver, he loved and tended to the slowly dying Jenny (Ali McGraw). This is a four-handkerchief flick that leaves no tears unshed. It also immortalized the catch phrase “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” I think those of us who are married may quibble with this, but it’s famous nonetheless. The 2021 film with the same title is an Indian movie and no relation.

Paper Moon (1973) is a terrific film with Ryan as scam artist Moses Pray and his real daughter Tatum as Addie Loggins. Moses is tasked with getting Addie from Kansas to her relatives in Missouri. His attempt to con her out of her inheritance backfires and he has to take her on as a fellow con artist. Though only a child, Addie is a willing participant as the pair wreaks  flim-flam havoc across the mid-west.  Tatum not only steals the movie but also wins the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress. Not bad for a 9-year-old! 

  Ryan O’Neal is the title guy in Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon (1975). He is an Irish scamp who fights in the Seven Years War, weds a titled woman, climbs the social ladder and has many adventures. Kubrick was nominated for three Oscars for this film but the only wins were for technical achivements. His cinematography broke new ground and is still praised today. The film is listed in the director’s poll at 12th and the critics’ poll at 45th. But- it is way too long: 3 hours and 23 minutes! In theaters it had an intermission. You can have one at home (if you can find this movie).

Continuing with his appearance in really long movies, Ryan O’Neal plays General James Gavin in A Bridge Too Far (1977). He is certainly not one of the major cast members, an all-star assemblage including Sean Connery, Gene Hackman, Dirk Bogarde, Anthony Hopkins, Robert Redford,  Michael Caine and Sir Laurence Olivier. This film chronicles the Allies’ landing far behind the front lines in Holland, to capture a vital bridge. Things don’t go well and the attempt fails miserably. Running just one minute short of three hours, one snarky critic labeled it “A film too long.”

The final appearance of Ryan O’Neal in a film of note is as the title character in The Driver (1978). He is a well-known criminal driver and the police want him. They offer three low-level thugs a deal if they can deliver The Driver. They envelope him in a heist and things get complicated. No more revelations here.

All of the movies in this article are for adults only, except Paper Moon which can be enjoyed by most any age. 

                                                                 Frances Sternhagen

    Frances Sternhagen left us recently at 93. What a showbiz career she had! She won two Emmys for Cheers (playing Millicent Carter, Noah Wyle’s mom) and once for Sex and the City. She was nominated seven times for the Tony, and won twice, for The Heiress and The Good Doctor. She has well over 100 listing for movies and TV roles. If you Google her you will be nodding in recognition at her picture.. Her movie resume’ is outstanding.

    In the poignant, often funny, Up The Down Staircase (1967) she has a nice turn as the school librarian. The title comes from students being written up by the assistant principal, for going the wrong way on the stairs! Sandy Dennis is the star, a newly minted teacher in a tough big city school. The administrative quagmire and the disruptive students haven’t improved much in the intervening fifty-plus years! 

Outland (1981) is a good sci-fi film set on Jupiter’s moon Io. A colony of workers mine lithium in this difficult environment. O’Neil (Sean Connery) is one of the few good guys when there is a worker’s deadly revolt. Frances Sternhagen plays Dr. Lazarus, the outpost scientist. She helps O’Neil overcome the attack of the bad guys in ingenious ways. 

Landfall (2001) features Frances as Emily, a courageous indomitable woman who has lived through two of Florida’s worst disasters: The 1935 Labor Day hurricane, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992. These are, of course, real events. It’s a star turn for Ms. Sternhagen. The recreation of the storms is intermixed with actual footage and is truly scary. Of course, Florida has had hurricanes since 1992 that are just as bad or worse, but that doesn’t detract from this good film. 

Julie and Julia (2009) is a real charmer. Meryl Streep appears as Julia Child, who defied French sexism, went to cooking school, wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking and became a TV personality. The book contains dozens of recipes, most of them quite complicated. Never mind. Julie (Amy Adams) lives in New York City in a tiny apartment with a tiny stove. She decides that she will make every recipe in the Child book during the course of a year. Frances Sternhagen appears (briefly) as Erma Rombauer, the author of another iconic cookbook- The Joy Of Cooking. She sees both Julia and Julie as interlopers into her her domain. Fortunately, both of them ignored her. This delightful film is based on the book of the same name, and yes, this actually happened. If you’ve never seen it, do yourself a favor. And oh, yes, by all means read the book!

All of the movies in this article are for adults. While there’s nothing harmful about the first and last, I don’t think kids would really enjoy them. 

                                                       Good Films You Never Heard Of

                                                                        Part 8

From Mr. Movie’s endless vault (almost) I present another clutch of pretty good films you probably never heard of. Give one or two a look.(If you can find them!)

    Even if you don’t like baseball (shame on you!) I think you would enjoy Fastball (2016), a very good documentary  It explores the science and the myths about baseballs being thrown at incredible speeds. Nolan Ryan, Hank Aaron and other notable baseballers join narrator Kevin Costner in this fascinating doc. Many players insist that a fastball rises as it crosses the plate, while scientists say this isn’t possible. The debate rages on- and it is lots of fun to watch it! 

I freely admit a lifelong love of all things Winnie The Pooh. So of course I really liked Christopher Robin (2018), a film about the little boy grown into a man. When trouble comes, Pooh shows up in his back yard. Together they return to the Hundred Acre Wood where all the other little animals are on hand to help. Oh bother! Things get bumpy but smooth out quite well. 

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) Is based on Lee Israel’s book of the same name. Melissa McCarthy portrays the woman who got really good at forging the signature of authors and creating valuable editions. Richard Grant plays her abetter, often taking their forgeries to dealers for cash. This is a fascinating story well played. Both actors were nominated for Oscars, but lost to Olivia Colman for The Favourite and Mahershala Ali for Green Book.

What They Had (2018)is an excellent portrayal of the family situation so many face. The family’s matriarch is fading into dementia. The kids want her to be in a caring facility.  The father is dead set against it, insisting he can take care of her. Such stubborn insistence has been faced by many children. But she is the love of his life and he just can’t let go. Blythe Danner, Hillary Swank, Michael Shannon and Robert Forster comprise a crackerjack cast. 

The Fault In Our Stars (2014) is a better than average coming of age flick, marked indelibly by the wonderful breakout performance of Shaliene Woodley. Veterans William Dafoe and Laura Dern pump up the supporting cast, but this is Ms. Woodley’s movie, lock stock and barrel. Though she’s only 32, she already has over 50 acting credits. This one is worth seeing just for her performance.

All of the movies in this column are available (somewhere). The first three are fine for all ages. The last two, grown-ups only. 

                                                             Ernest Hemingway movies

                                                                 Part 2

Ernest Hemingway was one of the most popular writers of the twentieth century. Many of his stories were made into movies. He loathed Hollywood and steadfastly refused to write screenplays. However he obviously sold the rights to most of his work to the silver screen moguls. So he was ok with taking the money! Here is another batch of Hemingway-inspired films.

The Sun Also Rises (1957) features Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner, Mel Ferrer and Errol Flynn. Hemingway hated it; walked out after 25 minutes. Viewers loved it. Inspired by the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. It contains that spectacle, lots of gorgeous scenery and a red hot love story between the main actors. 

The Old Man and the Sea (1958) stars legendary Spencer Tracy as a Cuban fisherman whose has gone 84 days without a catch. On the next day he hooks a gigantic marlin and tries to haul it to shore. He is beset by the distance to the shore  and predatory sharks making his attempt basically impossible. Hemingway saw this as a struggle between man’s courage and the pitiless elements. There is a 1999 animated version that sticks pretty close to the original, but with perhaps a happier ending. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film that year. 

The Gun Runners (1958) has Audie Murphy, as Sam Martin, an honest American charter boat captain who is forced into running guns for the Cuban revolution.  Murphy became a so-so actor after winning the Medal of Honor and lot more medals.He was  the most decorated soldier of World War II. The lobby card for this one says, in big red print: Hemingway-Hot Adventure!  And it does have lots of excitement and a decent plot. This story was earlier made a film in 1950 (The Breaking Point) with John Garfield. It is just as good, but instead of guns the captain is running crooks. The lobby card for this one reads: Screaming Off The Pages Of A Hemingway Story! Wow.

Hemingway’s Adventures of a Young Man (1962) Ernest got the right to approve everything in this one. After all, they did pay him to use his name. He wrote a bunch of excellent short stories about Nick Adams, and their popularity led to this movie. Richard Beymer plays Nick. He is bored with his Michigan parents, roams the country finding adventures and eventually enlists as an ambulance driver for the Italian army during World War I. He is seriously wounded and finds himself back in Michigan to recover. 

We have to fast forward forty years for the last film in this article. Across The River and Into The Trees (2022) has Liev Schreiber as Colonel Richard Cantwell slowly dying from a heart condition. Flashbacks are used to tell the story of his time as a soldier in World War I, first in the Italian arm and later in the American. The book got bad reviews but became a best seller. The film hews close to the novel of the same name and is pretty good. 

All of these movies are for adults.