The Silver Screen Oasis

Wee Willie Winkie is also a strikingly *beautiful* movie to look at.

And even though it stars Shirley Temple, it's not a "Shirley Temple film." It's a John Ford film, and it's wonderful how he manipulates her adorable little persona to his own ends.

A great catch for five dollars. It's not my favorite Ford film. But it has its moments; it has its Victor McClaglen. Polar opposites. A cute little girl and a big, brash Irishman! A friend, a big boisterous Scot, to be specific, lists it as one of his favorite movies. This is not the guy I mentioned on another thread. I'm like Tom Destry. "I had a friend once..."

An interesting bunch of Ford films are on the lineup for March 15th on TCM. I am hoping to finally see Flesh (1932) in its entirety (does that sound odd, or is it just me?).

All times shown are ET

8:00 PM
Drums Along the Mohawk (1939)
A young couple fights off Indian attacks to start a farm in the Mohawk Valley.
Dir: John Ford Cast: Claudette Colbert , Henry Fonda , Edna May Oliver .
C-104 mins, TV-G, CC, Letterbox Format

10:00 PM
Whole Town's Talking, The (1935)
A gangster hides from the law by trading places with a mild-mannered double.
Dir: John Ford Cast: Edward G. Robinson , Jean Arthur , Arthur Hohl .
BW-92 mins, TV-G, CC,

11:45 PM
Mary of Scotland (1936)
Biography of the flighty Scottish queen who was brought down by love.
Dir: John Ford Cast: Katharine Hepburn , Fredric March , Florence Eldridge .
BW-124 mins, TV-G, CC,

2:00 AM
Stagecoach (1939)
A group of disparate passengers battle personal demons and each other while racing through Indian country.
Dir: John Ford Cast: Claire Trevor , John Wayne , Andy Devine .
BW-96 mins, TV-G, CC,

4:00 AM
Flesh (1932)
A simple-minded wrestler falls for a woman with a dark secret.
Dir: John Ford Cast: Wallace Beery , Karen Morley , Ricardo Cortez .
BW-96 mins, TV-G,

Oh goody! I'm always happy when they devote time to Pap.

Flesh is super.

MissGoddess wrote:I think it's been a while since TCM aired Mohawk.

I love Drums Along the Mohawk for a couple of reasons: the beautiful use of color by Ford in the exterior scenes, the settings, Edna May Oliver, and Francis Ford, who is a wonderful scalawag. I do have difficulty with Claudette Colbert on the frontier and I found Fonda sort of subdued for most of the movie. Overall fine stuff that I wouldn't mind seeing again--though this one has been on Encore a lot.

MissGoddess wrote:Hope you like Flesh, I really do even though neither Wallace Beery nor wrestling do much for me. I thought Karen Morely excellent and Ricardo Cortez is at his most treacherous.

I've seen several parts of Flesh and liked what I saw, especially Karen Morley. I set the DVR, so I'm hoping to see this one.

It's a dumb thing about "Drums" that gives me pause. Could Henry Fonda really outrun Indians over that long a period? I love Cluadette but she spends a bit too much time crying. She has reason to be scared but it's often and it's loud.

I like it, and although I feel the same about Claudette's crying, I think it works for the character. Knowing a little about Claudette's demanding nature behind the scenes, do you suppose Ford was making fun of her in some little way?

Her state probably does work. As I recall her situation couldn't be more foreign to her given her background. On your question about Ford - I haven't a clue. (I wish I did.)

JackFavell wrote:I like it, and although I feel the same about Claudette's crying, I think it works for the character. Knowing a little about Claudette's demanding nature behind the scenes, do you suppose Ford was making fun of her in some little way?

Maybe, though I wonder if Colbert was simply working too hard to please Ford? Reportedly, he had originally cast Nancy Kelly in the part of the Albany socialite transformed into a frontier woman, but Colbert got the role--perhaps due to her star status. According to one biography, the actress was not too happy roughing it on the set in Cedar Breaks, Utah, Colbert was sometimes late on the set, requested a bathtub that Ford paraded around the set with a sign stating "See Miss Colbert's bathtub. 25¢ without Miss Colbert. 10¢ with." I doubt if she ever felt comfortable there. The director is said to have chided her privately for her characteristic demands (i.e. photographed from only one side and off the set by 5pm) so I wonder if her copious tears might have been real. Since the director clearly adored the portrayal by Edna May Oliver I do wonder if Colbert received much direction from Ford other than "...now start the waterworks again..."

According to Joseph McBride's bio of Ford, the resentful director would often say "They pay me to direct, honey, what do they pay you for?" No, I don't think there was much rapport between the two and I really think it showed in the story.

Two other things I find uncomfortable about Drums Along the Mohawk, despite some beautiful shots and fine supporting performances: the Indians and the English are almost all hateful and inhuman. Even Blue Back (Chief Big Tree), who is described as a "tame Indian" at one point is barely recognizable as a person, but he seems to have no ties emotionally or any other way to his own people. Doing everything except twirl a mustache, John Carradine's British agent provocateur character is straight out of a D.W. Griffith movie and is simply a striking cypher, not a person.

All this probably makes it sound as though I don't like the movie at all. I really do, but with reservations.

I caught Flesh the last time it was on, and was amazed by Wallace Beery's performance. He is a gentle giant in this movie, and is really wonderful. I don't care for him usually, I have heard too many stories about his 'real' life, he apparently was a boor and a true stinker. But he sure is powerfully moving in this movie.

I've seen several parts of Flesh and liked what I saw

Does that sound odd, or is it just you?