and thankfully some of ours.kingrat wrote:Maven, the "No Talent Joe" number should indeed make you think of Jane Russell's number from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes because Jack Cole choreographed both of them. He was apparently given free rein to indulge his own fantasies.
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I watched On Approval and Exit Smiling last night, and although they probably didn't begin to show half of Bea Lillie's comedic talents, I enjoyed them immensely for what they were.
On Approval by Frederick Lonsdale was adapted by, directed by and starred Clive Brook... who blew me away! Brook was funny! He somehow combined stuffiness and naughtiness in such an engaging way that I couldn't help but snicker through the entire movie. The switch on the typical boy-meets-girl-but-falls-for-best-friend-instead plot was wonderfully adapted to make fun of marriage. It showed, in much the same way Mr. and Mrs. Smith does, that couples would never marry if they actually lived together beforehand....knowing how horrible the other one was in everyday life would naturally kill any inclination ever to marry. The pace was excellent, the characters were deluded enough to make me laugh out loud a few times, and there were some surprises which kept me interested and well entertained. The dialogue was snappy, if not sparkling. The conceit of having characters stay together under the same roof before marriage 'on approval' was just shocking enough for me to enjoy it, since American films of that time would never have allowed such a thing to be shown. It was nice to see something saucy like this in the forties, especially in a costumed drawing-room comedy.
Lillie rules the roost in this comedy of marriage and manners.
Bea Lillie was surprisingly elegant and engaging as an autocratic middle aged noblewoman who thinks herself quite a catch....until told off at the end by her eager-to-please lover. Her delivery was clipped and to the point. What would be unbearably honest in a real person was delightful in a screen character. I liked her in spite of her vanity, and the same goes for Brook's character. The quartet of players - Brook and Lillie as the overbearing objects of affection who can't stand one another, and demure Googie Withers and Roland Culver as the unassuming, undemonstrative worshipers from afar - were all on the same page style-wise. The quips were quick to drop but the actors never lost the reality of their characters. Brook's and Lillie's noblesse oblige, awful everyday behaviors almost destroy any chance to make a match with the quieter lovers, so they join forces in order to earn their way back into their loved ones' hearts.
The inclusion of this ridiculous dog who looks suspiciously like Lillie herself was one of the comic details that made this movie so enjoyable.
Roland Culver and Lillie get the most hilarious scene - Culver assuming his bride-to-be was testing him during their month 'on approval' by being as horrid as possible... Lillie admitting that she was just being herself! Her seriousness here was so comical. Culver's shock and subsequent turn-around really made me laugh. There's nothing like a good straight man and Culver had been one up until that point, when the two switched roles effortlessly. I hoped that things would work out between all the lovers, and they did, but not the way I expected. The ending was a lovely surprise.
Exit Smiling, a silent, was a great contrast to the previous film. It was an adorable little comedy about a young woman (Lillie) who is gopher and chief bottlewasher in her local theatre group, who dreams of being the leading actress.
Lillie's rube character falls for innocent newcomer Jack Pickford, who only has eyes for the real leading lady.
Lillie saves the day for Jack when he can't go onstage as the villain in his own home town due to past troubles there.
Lillie has a great air of aplomb as her dreamy comic waif accidentally destroys the sets and costumes at the little playhouse without realizing it. When she goes on as the villain, she executes a stunning pratfall on entering stage right. Of course, the audience loves it... and Lillie continues to demolish the ultra-serious play to their delight. It's refreshing to see an actress bring so much panache to a basic goof character. She has a subtle wistfulness, never cloying, just a simple way of letting her character's dreams shine through. I liked it a lot.
Lillie is about the most ladylike, delicate comedienne I've ever seen, but the contrast between that delicacy and her grandiose ideas and enlarged image of herself is where her biggest laughs seem to come from. I found her charming, rather prettier than I expected, and there's that airy, yearning quality that I found disarming and sweet and never overdone. That being said, if she erred (which I contend she didn't), she erred on the side of being funny, rather than gaining your sympathy and this is where she really stands out from other film comediennes. I found her approach completely refreshing, never hitting you over the head with sentimentality. She stops just shy of sadness. Jack Pickford also has a somewhat naive quality that I like, and they were well matched here.
Pickford and Lillie on the set of Exit Smiling.
The story ended in just the right way, neither breaking your heart, nor ending happily ever after. In fact, if I had to compare it to any other film, it would be Alice Adams. I wonder if the book was an inspiration for this lovely little film?
I liked Bea Lillie so much that I sat through half of Thoroughly Modern Millie even though I had to get up at 5:45 this morning. I'm always surprised that its mixture of mystery and musical is so much fun. The songs are terrific. I wished Bea Lillie had made dozens of movies. But alas, it was not meant to be....according to RO, she was never comfortable making films. She needed the audience's reactions in order to perform at her best, so she only made seven movies throughout her long lifetime. Maybe in the afterlife I can go back in time to see her on stage. Despite her own opinion of her screen appearances, I felt after watching these movies that she was an excellent if subtle screen comedienne.