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Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949) starring Lucille Ball, William Holden, James Gleason

Miss Grant Takes Richmond [Lucille Ball]

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Miss Grant Takes Richmond  (1949) starring  Lucille Ball, William Holden, James Gleason

Miss Grant Takes Richmond  begins at a secretarial school. The grave-looking Charles Lane is overseeing his class, including Ellen Grant, played by the lovely  Lucille Ball.   Most of the class is performing well, but not Lucille Ball’s character. She demonstrates this to the audience in a battle with an old-style typewriter — and losing.   It’s a quiet  slapstick routine, and sets her character for the audience. Effectively, she’s playing her Lucy Ricardo character from  I Love Lucy  (before she met Ricky).   Hard working, diligent, intelligent, but accident prone — and cooking up a scheme to “help” other people.  

At home that evening, she’s practicing her typing, in hopes of graduating from secretarial school the next day.   She’s living with her aunt and uncle — the uncle is a Judge, and someone highly respected in the community.   Likewise, her boyfriend is assistant District Attorney.

Miss Grant Takes Richmond [Lucille Ball]
Yours, Mine and Ours (1968), starring Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, Van Johnson, Tom Bosley

Yours, Mine and Ours

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Yours, Mine and Ours (1968), starring Lucille Ball, Henry Fonda, Van Johnson, Tom Bosley

 I can honestly say that  Yours, Mine and Ours  is one of my family’s favorite movies.   It’s a wonderful story, about the merging of two large families. The Beardsley family of ten children, with the widowed father played by  Henry Fonda. And the North family of eight children, with the widowed mother played by  Lucille Ball).   First comes the courtship of the father and mother… Awkwardly, clumsily, with the very understandable resentment of the children who don’t want their deceased parents ‘replaced’. This leads to “An alcoholic Pearl Harbor” that gives Lucille Ball an opportunity to play the drunk. It’s reminiscent of the classic  Vitameatavegamin episode of her classic  I Love Lucy  series. Ending with the dramatic revelation that she’s fallen in love again.

Yours, Mine and Ours
Bachelor in Paradise, starring Bob Hope, Lana Turner

Bachelor in Paradise

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Bachelor in Paradise (1961), starring Bob Hope, Lana Turner

I have to admit, I recently enjoyed  Bachelor in Paradise on TCM, and found myself enjoying it very much. Bob Hope plays  Adam J. Niles, author of a series of books detailing the romantic life of the bachelor in a variety of foreign locales.  As the movie begins, he’s working on his latest volume in Italy. When he’s unexpectedly brought home, to deal with the issue of back taxes to the IRS.

Bachelor in Paradise
The Cat and the Canary, starring Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard

The Cat and the Canary [1939]

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The Cat and the Canary, starring Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard

Synopsis of  The Cat and the Canary

The classic “old dark house” motif is given sterling treatment in The Cat and the Canary.  Bob Hope’s status as a star was assured with his role as Wallie Campbell. He becomes the cowardly protector of Joyce Norman (Paulette Goddard). She, in turn, who must spend one night in the eerie mansion of her late, eccentric, millionaire uncle. If she can make it through the night without losing her mind, Joyce stands to inherit her uncle’s entire fortune. Of course, all the other potential heirs now have a motive to drive her insane.

The Cat and the Canary [1939]
Rhythm Romance, starring Bob Hope, Shirley Ross, Gene Krupa, Una Merkel

Rhythm Romance

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Rhythm Romance, starring Bob Hope, Shirley Ross, Gene Krupa, Una Merkel

Editorial review of  Rhythm Romance courtesy of Amazon.com

Bob Hope puts his best talents forward as Nicky Nelson, a fast-talking promoter with more angles than a funhouse. Originally titled Some Like It Hot (and since renamed for obvious reasons), the film follows the desperate schemes of a would-be entrepreneur seemingly on the verge of success. He’s got Gene Krupa’s band under his management and he’s in love with aspiring singer Shirley Ross, but after gambling away all his chances he’s left in the cold while his discoveries rise to glory without him, and he has one last shot to prove his worth.

Rhythm Romance
Thanks for the Memory, starring Bob Hope, Shirley Ross, Charless Butterworth, Roscoe Karns, Patricia Wilder

Thanks for the Memory

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Thanks for the Memory, starring Bob Hope, Shirley Ross, Charless Butterworth, Roscoe Karns, Patricia Wilder

Synopsis of Thanks for the Memory

buy Thanks for the Memories from Amazon.com  Newlywed novelist Steve Merrick (Bob Hope) has his hands full trying to finish his first masterpiece in the romantic classic, Thanks for the Memory. While Steve’s beautiful bride Ann (Shirley Ross) dreams of a better life for them, their eclectic group of friends drop in and ou, keeping Steve away from his typewriter. Meanwhile, Louella (Patricia “Honey Chile” Wilder), a beautiful Southern Belle from next door, keeps meddling into their blissful lives. When Ann resumes her modeling career to allow Steve some freedom, housekeeping gets the best of him causing a muddled mess.

Thanks for the Memory
Son of Batman (2014) starring Jason O'Mara, Stuart Allan, Thomas Gibson,Morena Baccarin, Giancarlo Esposito, Sean Maher

Son of Batman

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Son of Batman (2014) starring the voice talents of Jason O’Mara,  Stuart Allan,  Thomas Gibson,Morena Baccarin,  Giancarlo Esposito,  Sean Maher

buy Son of Batman from Amazon.com  Sadly, this is less of a review, and more of a warning, about  Son of Batman. While watching  Son of Batman, my children and I laughed out loud multiple times — but not during the comedy moments. In short, it’s a bad movie, which is too bad, since the source material is quite good, and the various actors and actresses have proven themselves to be better than this in other performances.

Son of Batman
The Adventures of Marco Polo, starring Gary Cooper, Basil Rathbone, George Barbier, Sigrid Gurie, Alan Hale

The Adventures of Marco Polo

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The Adventures of Marco Polo (1938), starring Gary Cooper, Basil Rathbone,  George Barbier,  Sigrid Gurie,  Alan Hale

The Adventures of Marco Polo
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