CHARLES BOYER

[charliechaplinfan]

Today, again thank to Christine I got to see Appointment for Love with Margaret Sullavan and Charles Boyer, he plays a playwright, andre Cassil and she is a hardworking doctor who falls asleep at his play, she leaves without her purse and returns to collect it from the opening night party. He's intrigued with her, pursues her and marries her, she has a very open view of marriage wanting to retain her own apartment and not giving in to jealousy. Her career gets in the way time after time and the marriage remains frustratingly unconsummated. Much us made of the elevator going between floors and appartments Boyer and Sullavan are light enough and seem to be having a good time, I just wished the director had allowed the film freer reign and allowed them to be a bit sillier, it's as if he doesn't want Margaret Sullavan or Charles Boyer to get to messed up or be too silly. In the hands of Mitchell Leisen or Ernst Lubitsch there would have been a lot more suggested and it would have felt more grown up. As it is it's a fun film with two of my favourite actors of the era, the second they made, Margaret Sullavan had a reputation of not being easy to work with but two films in succession means she can't have been too bad.

[Rita Hayworth]

Today, again thank to Christine I got to see Appointment for Love with Margaret Sullavan and Charles Boyer, he plays a playwright, andre Cassil and she is a hardworking doctor who falls asleep at his play, she leaves without her purse and returns to collect it from the opening night party. He's intrigued with her, pursues her and marries her, she has a very open view of marriage wanting to retain her own apartment and not giving in to jealousy. Her career gets in the way time after time and the marriage remains frustratingly unconsummated. Much us made of the elevator going between floors and appartments Boyer and Sullavan are light enough and seem to be having a good time, I just wished the director had allowed the film freer reign and allowed them to be a bit sillier, it's as if he doesn't want Margaret Sullavan or Charles Boyer to get to messed up or be too silly. In the hands of Mitchell Leisen or Ernst Lubitsch there would have been a lot more suggested and it would have felt more grown up. As it is it's a fun film with two of my favourite actors of the era, the second they made, Margaret Sullvan had a reputation of not being easy to work with but two films in succession means she can't have been too bad.

I will be seeing that movie next month when I visit my friends in Vancouver B.C. CCFan!

[charliechaplinfan]

I'm sure you'll love it Kingme. Two stellar performers like Boyer and Sullavan, I'm looking forward to what you have to say about it.

[Rita Hayworth]

I'm sure you'll love it Kingme. Two stellar performers like Boyer and Sullavan, I'm looking forward to what you have to say about it.

I will be seeing it this Saturday ... in Vancouver B.C.

[charliechaplinfan]

Lucky you, I'd love to watch Boyer with friends, my husband is immune to his charms.

[JackFavell]

I don't even attempt anything I really love with Andrew, most of the time. I watched Summertime recently with him in the room - and he said it was a really lame movie, and giggled at the end. What am I gonna do with him? Just when I thought he was getting it, he takes a nosedive.

Even worse than his comments is that I start watching from his point of view, and realize every off moment and stupid line.

[charliechaplinfan]

I just don't bother anymore, there are films he will watch and I reckon he spent a lot of his younger years watching movies because he's always seen the film before, whereas in my house we always had a football match on, it was difficult to watch a movie all the way through. The amount of films I've seen a snippet of the plot and then the channel would be changed and I was left wondering for years. Most of this was before I had any idea who was in them so I've almost nothing to go on to trace the movies.

[JackFavell]

How frustrating! But think of how wonderful it is when you discover one of the ones you have been looking for!

Andrew sat down yesterday and suddenly started watching Courtship of Eddie's Father. I was surprised. He seems to like sixties comedies... and rather oddball ones too, like The Fortune Cookie, which no one likes much (though it's grown on me lately). Anyway, he's watching, and I came in because I just love Stella Stevens and her drum solo. The a little while later, he says, "Not a very good dad, is he? Why doesn't he hug him?" and we watched to the end, and I swear, that last shot of little Ronnie Howard, we were both all verklempt! I think it's the music, and Howard's cute face. Anyway, it was all Ron Howard, he was just marvelous in the movie, but now I can't be mad at Andrew about Summertime, because he is trying.

I will NEVER let him see Brief Encounter with me now though.

Back to the subject, I tried to watch I HAD A BALL the other night, but I got one look at Glenn Ford's hair and shut my eyes. Next thing I know it was morning and I had slept through it. Boyer's first scene did crack me up... but Boyer and the Riviera were trumped by Glenn Ford's awful hair.

[Rita Hayworth]

Appointment for Love
Starring Charles Boyer and Margret Sullavan ... with Rita Johnson and Reginald Denny in excellent supporting roles.

Note: Text in Red ... written by charliechaplinfan.

This movie has some charms of its own; however this Boyer's film is so different than all the other Boyer's film that I watched of where I felt has some sense of awkwardness of its own. I love the confused look on Gus Schilling who played Gus ... the Hotel Operator (of an elevator operator) to trying to make sense of the antics of Boyer and Sullavan views of marriage. I can see why they wanted separate apartments but me and my friends were talking about this and felt that this movie would had been scandalous back in 40's because this movie preaches open marriage. We talked about this extensively.

Her career gets in the way time after time and the marriage remains frustratingly unconsummated. Much us made of the elevator going between floors and appartments Boyer and Sullavan are light enough and seem to be having a good time.

My friends and I totally agree that both Boyer and Sullavan seems to be having a good time with that and that alone made the movie great. I wished it had more comedy ... I would like to see more ( I just wished the director had allowed the film freer reign and allowed them to be a bit sillier ) screwball in this movie so that it will be more enjoyable for me and my friends to watch. I like Allison take that the marriage is frustratingly unconsummated. Well put Allison!

The text in red in the preceding paragraph was Director William A. Seiter's biggest mistake. I wished it was sillier ... and my friends and I talked about that too.

I felt that with their two totally diverse occupations ... Sullavan (who played the Doctor in this film) and Boyer (who played a playwright in this film) shows the wide range of problems that they faced. Just like the time when Sullavan fell asleep in the theater and left her purse there and got it back later on shows how hard it is for them to make their marriage (open) works.

Since, this is the first time I saw this movie; I felt that this movie not as nearly great of the many movies that I seen in the past two years. I would give this movie 3 stars out 5 ... just barely. I wish it was a little more sillier and little more fast paced and I would like to see more of Rita Johnson and Reginald Denny in this movie to give it a little more friction and drama. I would like to see more drama in this delightful movie.

[charliechaplinfan]

I agree with you Kingme. It's so charming because it is Charles Boyer and Margaret Sullavan with a good supporting cast, they carry it and give the it's rhythm and joy but had the director had more guts to just be silly, I'm sure the actors would have been up for moving away from their usual serious roles and having more silly fun. As it is it will be a film I'll see again for the charms of Boyer and Sullavan.

The other day I got to watch Le Bonheur a movie Boyer made in 1934 with Gaby Morlay, it was in French a language I certainly haven't mastered but I could follow the jist of the movie. It is Boyer at his most soulful and giving a heart felt performance as a would be assassin to Gaby Morlay's musical diva. After standing trial for her attempted murder they end up getting into a relationship together, lucky Gaby Morlay, he was in romantic overdrive in one of his first romantic roles. Thank you Christine.

[Professional Tourist]

A 1948 advertisement:



Served yes, but, did they imbibe? Hmmm.

[JackFavell]

I LOVE those beer ads from the forties! The only one more incongruous than the Boyers version is the one with George Sanders:

[charliechaplinfan]

I love them PT and Wendy, where do you find these articles?

[RedRiver]

I'm from Milwaukee, and I ought to know
Why Blatz Beer tastes great wherever you go.
Smoother (something something) that's clear.
Blatz is Milwaukee's finest beer!

[Rita Hayworth]

Professional Tourist and Jack Favell ... thank you for sharing those two advertising photographs here on CHARLES BOYER thread.