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Sunday, March 21, 2010

GingerMarch, Week Three: Essentials!

...In this week's offerings, TCM's GingerMarch will air some pretty heavy hitters... would really classify most, if not all, of these as essential viewing for Gingerologists! Let's jump right into the synopsi... (BTW...still waiting for someone to reveal the plural for 'synopsis'...guess I could crack open the Webster's, eh?) - I found some interesting posters for a few, some of which are languages other than English - interesting...



Vivacious Lady (3/24/10 - 8:00 PM Eastern): Ginger portrayed Francey Morgan a nightclub singer who is being courted by Keith Morgan (James Ellison); Keith, however, does not give Francey her married name, but rather, his brother, Peter Morgan (James Stewart). Peter was sent to retrieve Keith from his ‘lost weekend’ in NYC and take him back to Old Sharon, where they work at the college that is led by their father, Mr. Morgan (Charles Coburn). However, when Keith sneaks out to evade Peter, Francey has her performance, and Peter is basically ‘hit by a truck’… Peter and Francey go out for dinner, and eventually spend all night roaming NYC. Not into long courtships, Peter asks for Franceys hand in marriage the next morning, and she becomes Mrs. Morgan. They meet up with Keith, who is a good sport about it, and they all catch the next train to Old Sharon. The remainder of the movie generally involves Peter’s attempts to inform his folks that he has married Francey, but results in a deeper hole being dug. The infamous(?) fight between Francey and Peter’s (unwanted) fiancĂ©e, Helen (Francis Mercer), is one of the funniest moments of Ginger’s career.

Bachelor Mother (3/24/10 - 9:45 PM Eastern): Ginger portrayed Polly Parrish, a struggling single girl who has just been axed from her job at Merlin’s Department Store, just in time for Christmas. On the way to the employment agency, she watches a lady leave a newborn at the stoop of an orphanage; being worried the child gets hurt, she picks it up and takes it in, saying someone left this baby outside for you all…of course, she is pegged as the actual mother by the folks, and she gave them just enough info for them to track her down after she leaves. She gains her job back after the orphanage boss talks with David Merlin (David Niven), the playboy son of the Big Boss, J.B. Merlin (Charles Coburn); the catch is she must keep the baby in order to keep her job. David begins to take an interest in the single mom, at first ‘platonically’, but then romantically as well. Rumors soon circulate that David is the father, and J.B., who has all but given up on David ever settling down and raising a family, seeks to basically ‘abduct’ the baby from Polly, as he thinks it is his grandson. Everything works out in the end as one would suspect… this movie is honestly one of my top 5 Ginger movies ever…just very entertaining from top to bottom…why it isn’t on DVD is a great mystery! Funniest scene is when Polly pretends to be Swedish… and when she walks into David’s office to be reinstated, she is just so beautiful in that scene…


Stage Door (3/24/10 - 11:15 PM Eastern): Ginger portrayed Jean Maitland, who, along with a WHOLE bunch of other young ladies, lives in a ‘boarding house’ for actresses aspiring to make it to Broadway. Many ‘subplots’ occur in this movie, but ultimately Jean and her new roommate, Terry Randall (Katharine Hepburn) are the main focus, as they try to ‘one-up’ each other in various fronts; the primary one involves a Broadway producer, Anthony “Tony” Powell (Adolphe Menjou), who picks Jean out of a dance revue one night and invites her to ‘interview’ for a role in his new production. Jean becomes Tony’s ‘flavor of the month’, but eventually, a ‘serious’ production is lined up, and there are several girls who pursue the female lead. Among those are Kay Hamilton (Andrea Leeds), who has performed the exact role previously to good reviews, thus she feels she is a shoo-in. However, she doesn’t get a shot at it, but Jean and Terry each have ‘private auditions’ in Tony’s penthouse; Neither ends up being what Tony was looking for, but eventually, Terry is chosen, since a major financial backer for the production required her to have the role. As a result, Kay is driven to the point of madness upon hearing the role is taken. I will leave the rest for you to watch. This movie has many young actresses who ended up being big, including Lucille Ball, Ann Miller, Eve Arden, and Gail Patrick, among others.




Having Wonderful Time (3/25/10 - 1:00 AM Eastern): Ginger portrayed Teddy Shaw, a frustrated typist who is burned out from her job and is recuperating from a breakup with her ex-boyfriend, Emil Beatty (Jack Carson); time for a vacation to Camp Karefree, basically a summer camp for ‘grown-ups’. Teddy is a bit apprehensive about the whole thing, and has some trouble warming up to the fellow campers in general. A major setback for relations occurs when Chick Kirkland (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) drops her luggage and she snaps at him. However, Teddy later defends Chick when he is reprimanded by the boss while waiting on tables in the Mess Hall. As a result, the two eventually become friendly and, wouldn’t you know it, they fall in love. But Chick tries to ‘put the cart before the horse’, as it were, and they have a falling out. Teddy finds refuge with Maxwell ‘Buzzy’ Pangwell (Lee Bowman), who just happens to be involved with Teddy’s bunkmate, Miriam (Lucille Ball). When Teddy and Buzzy retire to his cabin, both Chick and Miriam catch wind of it, and case the place out to see what transpires between the two – nothing, except for a hot session of backgammon. Meanwhile, Emil shows up from NYC and tries to patch things up with Teddy, who decides to make up with him, just to make Chick jealous…and it does the trick. Look for funny stuff from the camp social director, Itchy (Richard “Red” Skelton).



Fifth Avenue Girl (3/25/10 - 2:15 AM Eastern): Ginger portrayed Mary Grey, a struggling lady who is currently ‘in-between jobs’; Mary is befriended by Mr. Timothy Borden (Walter Connolly), who just happens to be a self-made millionaire. However, he is quite depressed, since he has basically lost any connection with his family; his wife Martha (Verree Teasdale) gallivants around nightclubs with young ‘escorts’, and his son Tim (Tim Holt) and daughter Katherine (Kathryn Adams) are hellions as well. So, for his birthday, which his family has forgotten, Timothy seeks the companionship of someone, if anything to celebrate his birthday; who better than Mary to fit the bill? Well, after Martha (with an escort, of course) spies Timothy with Mary in a nightclub, Timothy gets an idea; he will actually ‘hire’ Mary as his ‘personal assistant’, among other things – or at least that is what the family is led to believe. In the process, Timothy hopes to win back his family through sheer jealousy, if nothing else. Mary is quite hesitant in this role, but it beats any other job prospects she currently has… of course, many issues and misunderstandings arise, but eventually things turn out for the best… A neat film directed by Gregory DeCava, of “Stage Door” and “Primrose Path”…much witty banter, at a rapid pace in some segments, not unlike scenes in “Stage Door.”


In Person (3/25/10 - 3:45 AM Eastern): Ginger portrayed Carol Corliss (a.k.a. Clara Colfax), a famous movie star who suffers from agoraphobia, that is, fear of being in public places. Therefore, she treks outside incognito, as the rather homely Clara Colfax. She is helped by Emory Muir (George Brent) after she faints while out one day; he escorts her back to her hotel, which happens to be where he is staying. Emory and his uncle, judge Thaddeus Parks (Grant Mitchell) are later at the hotel lounge speaking of retreating to their mountain cabin; Clara overhears this, and asks Emory if she could join him in the trip, so she can ‘get away’ for a bit. He agrees, and they are off. They stay in separate cabins, of course, but Clara is told to clean up and cook. This does not sit well with Clara, who, after out swimming one day is spotted by Emory, who figures out she is in reality Carol Corless by seeing pictures of her on movie magazines. After she reveals her true identity, Emory decides to act unconvinced she is Carol Corliss, but just a lady who has problems; ultimately in the hopes of prolonging their stay together. After a series of events, Emory finally relents and admits she is Carol. He gives up any hope of winning her love, and plans to take her back ASAP… but not before they get married (at gunpoint) by the local justice of the peace, who was told they were in the same cabin, but not man and wife. They fall away from each other, but get back together in the end. Ginger has a few dance routines in this one – “Got a New Lease on Life” and “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”, along with a ‘non-dance’ tune, ‘Don’t Mention Love to Me’ (one of my faves).



Twenty Million Sweethearts (3/25/10 - 5:15 AM Eastern): Ginger portrayed Peggy Cornell, a radio singer who falls for Buddy Clayton (Dick Powell). Buddy is also a singer who was convinced by talent scout Rush Blake (Pat O’Brien) to quit his ‘singing waiter’ gig and go with him to New York as a new radio singing sensation. After a few ‘misfires’, Buddy finally catches on and becomes famous. Peggy and Buddy get engaged, but Buddy has second thoughts, due to his popularity with his lady fan base. Will they end up together in the end? Hmmm… a cute movie, with the big tune 'I'll String Along With You', and one of my fave Ginger tunes, "Out For No Good."




Upper World (3/25/10 - 7:00 AM Eastern): Ginger portrayed Lilly Linder, a burlesque performer who gets plucked out of the river by railroad tycoon Alex Stream (Warren William), who just happened to be passing by on his yacht. Alex and Lilly hit it off, to the point of striking up a ‘deep friendship’…trouble is, Alex is married to Hettie (Mary Astor), although their relationship has grown cold. He continues seeing Lilly, until one day, Lilly’s boyfriend Lou Colima (J. Carroll Naish), gets wind of her relations with Alex, and, knowing he is a millionaire, Lou schemes a way to blackmail Alex with the extramarital affair. Things go quite south from there…but no spoilers here.



Romance in Manhattan (3/25/10 - 8:15 AM Eastern): Ginger portrayed Sylvia Dennis, a young chorus girl who befriends Karel Novak (Francis Lederer), who is a Czechoslovakian immigrant who made it to Ellis Island, but not through it…legally, that is. He jumps off the boat taking him back to Czechoslovakia when he does not have the money to obtain citizenship - and when he is fished out of the bay, he is spending the rest of the movie evading the ‘immigrant board’. With money tight, Karel moves in with Sylvia and her young brother Frank (Jimmy Butler); they all hold down jobs, and scrounge up enough money to make it…for awhile. Karel tries to assimilate into the American society and work force, but after some missteps, the immigration board finally catches up with him…in a way. Pretty good movie – Ginger role is pretty ‘normal’ in this one, but she plays it very well.



Star of Midnight (3/25/10 - 9:45 AM Eastern): Ginger portrayed Donna Mantin, who is the sidekick for detective Clay Dalzell (William Powell). Their case involves a kidnapped actress, who is the star of a theatrical play, Midnight. The plot gets quite involved, a murder occurs, and it becomes a tale of ‘whodunnit’…not unlike many of the “Thin Man” series. Ginger is very cute in this one, although her character is at times a bit clueless… but in a very cute way.


Perfect Strangers (3/25/10 - 11:30 AM Eastern): Ginger portrayed Terry Scott, who has been recently separated from her husband. She is called in for jury duty, which is for a murder trial; a man is accused of throwing his wife off of a cliff after she refused a divorce so that the man could marry his secretary. Among the twelve jurors chosen is David Campbell (Dennis Morgan), who is married with two kids. Of course, after a few days of being sequestered, David and Terry hit it off, although they try to avoid it, knowing it would be an ill-fated affair; of course, the case they are involved with seems to parallel the probable path they could be on together. There are other interesting and funny characters in the jury, and the typical bantering back and forth about whether the defendant is guilty or not occurs, but in an entertaining manner. Terry has a different conclusion about the case than everyone else, and gets to prove a point about how the crime scene may have happened. After the trial, David and Terry must decide their fate together.

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Well, hope these run-throughs help you out with your recording / viewing strategy - again, ALL of these are worth a look, and most are needed for the typical Gingerologists' collection (well...of course, ALL of them are REQUIRED, but..let's say the 'casual' G-oloist...if there IS such a thing...). If I had to narrow it down to a few, then "Bachelor Mother" and "Vivacious Lady" would be mandatory, "In Person" and "Fifth Avenue Girl" at the next level of necessity, then all of the others really falling just under that... of course, "Stage Door" is a bit out of place here - it really should have been shown last week, it seems, since Ginger was one of a ginormous cast...although it is obviously required viewing and taping/burning (or whatever it is you kids call it these days...), if just for the barbs traded between Ginger and Kate...how classic can you get?
Until next time,
Keep It Gingery!!!
VKMfan
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13 comments:

  1. I liked Romance in Manhattan. I thought Ginger looked really pretty/cute in the laundry scene when her hair was all swept up. Theres a really good picture of it in the book...might have to scan that one!

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  2. That's a neat poster for VL.

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  3. I'm so excited!! There are so many movies in this line-up that I really want to see. Namely, Vivacious Lady, Bachelor Mother, Having Wonderful Time, and Fifth Avenue Girl. I don't work until the evening on the 25th so I'm kind of planning to pull an all-nighter to watch these (I can't record or else I'd do that). I'd love to rewatch Star of Midnight, but I'm not sure I'll last that long!!

    P.S. I love the poster for In Person. Beautiful!

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  4. This is a collection of really good movies. My favorite Ginger movie is Bachelor Mother. But I love Vivacious Lady, Star of Midnight (I'm a big Wm Powell fan, too), oh and just about all the others. Ginger had lesser roles in Upper World and 20 Million Sweethearts, but all the others are must-see as far as I'm concerned. And finally I'll be able to track down that elusive Perfect Strangers.

    BTW, Huey, I bet you never were more attracted to Ginger than when she played Clara Colfax. LOL!

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  5. SG - wondering - how are you liking the 'book'? I haven't honestly read thru it, but need to soon - I look at it more as a 'handy reference guide' for when info on a specific movie is needed... although my mom said there are a few errors in it...need to make sure what they are!

    Tom - that IS a cool one - tried to use a few different ones than the 'familiar' ones... the one for VL I used awhile back for the 'best poster poll' is also cool, the white with VL in bold red across it... Addiitonally, I had never seen the 'Stage Door' poster - and it MUST be from a 're-release' from the late 40s or so, since the Ginger pic on it appears to be from that time frame.

    Sally - hope you get to watch the ones you need! AND, hope you can get someone to tape/burn for you...heck, ask around - I have done that a few times, when we went on vacation, I got a bud to tape a football game for me... and yes, I LOVE the 'In Person' poster...would LOVE to have one of those!!!

    Fioraon - HI!!! Hope all is well for the "PG Queen!" This week may be the OVERALL best set, top to bottom - of course, the GandF week is kinda hard to compare with... Clara -the 'Ouchface'... must admit it was a pretty good get-up - but I think her eyes would have given her away, for me, anyway... PS - HELP! Lauren and Katie are ganging up on me over on the Ginger 'Gorg' page!!! Only you can restore order!!! - well, at least Ginger is keeping 'bumped' to the top of the list, right???

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  6. O, this is so swell! I still love Ginger, although Jean 'kicked' her out. Ginger was my great idol since I was quite young and learned tap dance myself. Last fall Jean Arthur became my number one, because ... (explanation would require 798 pages) ... - Well I still love Ginger very much: Her tap dancing, her clothes, her accurate curls (two weeks ago I bought dozens of curlers, to try that!), her nerve ... - But I got to complain: I always get "We're in the Money" with Fred on CD, never with Ginger. Fred is ok, but he is rather not Ginger (he hasn't got neither the Ginger-Charm, nor the Ginger-Nerve)! I guess Ginger made records too in 1933, didn't she??

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  7. Well, glad to have you aboard, CS!!!

    Hey, I love Jean, too! 'You Can't Take It with You' is really one of my all time favorite movies - she is so cute in that!! I need to check out more of her movies...

    ...but, glad you are still a Ginger fan, too! I have grown to follow quite a few other actresses (like Jean) and even a few actors, too, as a direct result of my 'Relentless Pursuit of Gingerology'...general 'exploration' turns up unexpected treasures more often than not!

    As for Ginger tunes, one of these days SOON (hopefully), I am going to get some of her tunes up on here for play... in some form or fashion. I have 2 or 3 LPs worth of Ginger music (i.e., about 90 minutes or so), the means to 'translate' it to mp3 format, and will get ALL of it here....still trying to find some, but have a fair collection thus far.
    Weird you have Fred doing 'We're in the Money', never heard that... he did a lot of tunes - Ginger did, too, but it isn't easy to find them, and if you do, ya gotta break out the Visa card, cause they ain't cheap!

    Anyway, glad you have found G-ology, Clarissa! ...and as we like to say,

    Keep It Gingery! (or Jean-ny, if you prefer!)

    VKMfan
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  8. Make it two VKMfan. I made a deep study in Gingers [quote:VKMfan]science[/quote], being naughty and well mannered at the same time (called it the "Ginger-Charm" and the "Ginger-Nerve"): But I can't do it, because I'm more like Jean - always pondering and pondering, and people around me get headache ...

    But it's mighty interesting to compare Ginger to Jean: They're both pretty cool, but in a totally different way. Ginger was devorced several times, but she tried it again and again - NOT JEAN, she was pondering and pondering after her divorce and she stayed alone (and as an old woman she met him again to talk the past over). Both women actually were dark and turned blond, but they're still different.

    Now, Freddy: It's the NAXOS-Nostalgia label, Volume2, "Night&Day, Fred Astaire, 1931-1933" and there you will find WE'RE IN THE MONEY (Volume2 is 1933-1936, called: "Top Hat White Tie & Tails"). Dick Powell sings WE'RE IN THE MONEY too, same label, "HITS of the 1930s, vol.2 1931-1933". But those two fellows haven't got the Ginger-Nerve and they haven't got the Ginger-Charm, so they'd better let her sing that, instead of sleeping during the last two lines!

    I'm still a Ginger-fan? YES SIREE!! Jesus claimed, you couldn't serve two masters, but girls have different rules ... I'm still tap-dancing, watching Ginger.

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  9. Well, Ginger is quite unique, for sure... but I am really checking out other actresses as well (let's not tell Ginger tho, ok? :-] )...there are SO many cool and beautiful ones from the past... but obviously, yes, Ginger trumps all of them in my book.

    Nice to hear the quote from scripture... of course, He is the only TRUE Master... everything else (yes, including G-ology) is just folly, honestly... but hopefully not TOO much of a waste of time.. :-]

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  10. Sorry, I'm a bit late, but I stuck in Laurens net.
    http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/tistj/GingerNetHat.jpg

    I've been looking for those net-hats for months. Since 1939 they where quite common, but Irene Dunne does wear one in „The Awful Truth“ (1937). When Ginger was gonna marry that certain latin orchestra leader in „Swing Time“ (1936) she wore such a net too.

    Does anybody know when this photograph was shot? Her hair is not too long, so it may even have been 1935 ... - The point is, that I rather like the early 30s, though finding those net-hats very stunning (if someone gets on your nerves, just lower the 'shutters'). The earlier this fashion started, the better.

    VKM*fan, I hope I'm not to blame for you thinking of other girls but Ginger!

    * I found this: "Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials)"

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  11. ...Love that pic... and the hat/net deal is very cool...(is there a name for that type of hat - with netting?)
    Not really sure when that 'style' came into being... I guess from olden times when veils were used... but Ginger ROCKS it, no doubt!

    Well, Ginger will always be...well, GINGER! But yes, there are many other beautiful ladies from the 'Golden Age' which are cool, too... 'Gingeyginge' posts a lot of info on different actresses over the years...great site!

    Well, I would like to have my car tag state 'VKMFAN', but 1) Nobody unfortunately would understand it; 2) It may be initials for some freaky deal as you have discovered; and 3) Personalized license plates are expensive!
    But I would like to make up one of those 'white oval' bumper stickers with intitals of places on it, of course, with 'VKM' on it, then on the edges write out 'Virginia Katherine McMath... a.k.a. Ginger Rogers!!!'

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  12. Oh gee! I have all those informations about Ginger, but even if you'd posted 'GGG', I wouldn't have recognized Jean.

    Ginger's Tap-Dance solo in front of Mr. Nolen – in „Follow the Fleet“ - is a delicacy: Although Freddy shows trickier steps in this film, Ginger's strong expression and humorous, witty way, pleases me much more. Eleanor Powell is technical top, but isn't she a little cold, making noise as if someone scratches at a comb? Ginger is a real master of rhythm-accents: Suddenly she makes a break, pointing with both fingers in the air and looking very funny at Nolen (now, have you seen THAT, old boy?). Her drive is enormous in that moment - it simply cracks! She showed the same hot drive in "We're in the Money", rushing, chasing like a jazz trumpeter, while singing that last line: "Let's lend it, spend it, send it ..." - That's real dynamite! Ginger is a power plant. Many fans of her look just at her fancy clothes and make-up. That's all beautiful, but her mystery is her character, her strong personality. I like her very much in that plain suit, when Fred comes with his little monkey to her appartement. To me THIS is the typical look of the 30s. And you can still find skirts like that in shops, if you keep your eyes open.

    Instead of the car tag please install a video screen and let Ginger's movies run nonstop there. In a traffic jam she would have quite an audience and in the meantime your wife could sell plenty of ginger-ice-cream.

    A NetHat is a hat with a HatNet. I don't know any other definition. But I'm sure, that this fashion started during the late 30s. In movies of the early 40s almost everybody is seen with that kind of net, but in 1936 you can wait very long, until you see it. What Ginger's wearing in "Swingtime" is actually not a bridal veil, it's a real net-hat, although she was gonna marry Astaires rival. Irene Dunne wears a black net-hat in "The Awful Truth" (1937). Since 1939 it was quite common then. - But as you perhaps know, in history of fashion everything new was started by a few freaks. And I wouldn't be surprised, if there was a single hat-net-freak in 1935. I'll get that girl someday, no use hiding ...

    So nobody knows the date of Lauren's photo. I guess it's 1936, 1937 at the most. In 1938 the hair was longer.

    O my gosh, another opus!

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  13. ...good stuff about Ginger's 'drive' when performing... one moment I LOVE is when she kicks in the final chorus of 'Let Yourself Go'...the 'chord change' or whatever...jsut love it...it sends shivers down my spine, literally...REALLY! Also, have you seen Ginger's tap routine in Roxie Hart? On the steel stairs? It is just SO cool... never really talked about that one much before, but every time you watch it, you catch a bit different rhythm in it... I bet she would have been a great drummer, if so inclined!

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