Midnight Oil:Movies and More

“The List of Adrian Messenger” (1963)  a film directed by John Ford, produces an interesting mystery and an even more interesting list of cameo character appearances by famous Hollywood stars of the day. The premise of the film has a semi-retired MI6 officer, George C. Scott, investigating the whereabouts of a puzzling list of men who appear to have all gone missing. Kirk Douglas pops up throughout the film, eventually revealing himself to be one George Brougham, a long lost son who re-emerges from the Colonies (a.k.a Canada).

A fox hunt and a manhunt ensue. Will the fox be caught? Will the innocent young heir to the family fortune be spared a gruesome fate? Will his attractive widowed mother end up with the right suitor? All is set right in the end and the villain is “unmasked”.

But what really kept my interest the first time I saw the film on SNAM in the wee hours of the morning many moons ago was the hunt for the Hollywood stars. I just couldn’t figure out how you could manage to get Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, Robert Mitchum and Burt Lancaster into this odd little production. The joke was on the audience of course. The ending reveals all!

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“The Who Never Was” (1956) IMDb with Clifton Webb spins an intriguing yarn about British military intelligence during WWII. Apparently based on actual events, Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu (Clifton Webb) finds himself with the challenging and somewhat gruesome task of diverting the attention of the German High Command away from a planned invasion of the continent through planting misinformation on a dead body. Montagu and his team are indefatigable in their efforts to serve the national interest. In contrast, the cost of the war in terms of personal loss is depicted through the part of the grieving father of the dead man and the distraught girlfriend (Gloria Greene) who is told that her beloved is dead. Though perhaps not the greatest spy thriller every made, I find this film to be interesting enough to be watchable. The fictionalized account of actual spy stuff certainly makes this movie of historical interest for WWII film buffs.

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See the TVO SNAM preview for “The Man Who Never Was” (1956)

Catch the video trailer for the opening credits of “The Man Who Never Was” 1956. I believe that the dramatic reading in the opening is from a poem by H.G. Wells.

“The More the Merrier”(1943) IMDb starring Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea and Charles Coburn is indeed a merry little tale set in war-time Washington. A severe housing shortage in the city serves as the pretext for throwing together the unlikely trio. The well put together Miss Constance Milligan finds herself discombobulated by her two new housemates in more ways than one. Chaos ensues that ends with a complete reconfiguration of living arrangements and relationship status. As they say, “All’s well that ends well.” The mores of the times on display in this romantic comedy might be considered quaint these days. However, once you are ready to entertain the pretense of the whole scenario, there really are some funny bits to be enjoyed.

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Catch a video excerpt of the "front steps" scene from "The More the Merrier" (1943)

"The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943) INDb is quite an unusual Western looking at some of the social, psychological and ethical problems arising from rough and ready frontier justice. Dana Andrews along with Anthony Quinn are ordinary folk who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time as victims of a lynching party. Henry Fonda and his sidekick Harry Morgan give voice to the doubts that ordinary folk caught up in the mob madness  might have while at the same time being powerless to stop "the course of justice".

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Catch the video preview of "The Ox-Bow Incident" from TVOntario here.

"Philadelphia Story" (1940) IMDb stars Katharine Hepburn whose ex, played by Cary Grant, complicates her present wedding plans enormously, as recorded by a tabloid reporter, James Stewart. The star-studded cast goes down in film history in this classic romantic comedy. The broadway hit, which also starred Ms. Hepburn in the lead female role, was recycled into a highly successful film adaptation thanks to great casting and wonderful dialogue. Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) takes us all on a roller coaster ride leading up to the big day of her society wedding accompanied by a great assortment of annoying relatives, expensive wedding gifts, a knock-out wardrobe, interfering members of the press and a bothersome ex-husband or two hanging around in the wings. Cary Grant is perfectly understated until just the right moment as C.K. Dexter Haven (I just can't resist letting that lovely name just roll off the tongue). Plans come more than slightly unraveled as a result of prying eyes, a drink or two too many and general foolishness and pride. But, all's well that ends well. Everyone, including the audience, is most content with the state of matrimonial bliss by the film's finish.

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Catch the video clip for "Philadelphia Story" (1940) here.