Sunday, December 30, 2018

"RIVER LADY" (1948) Review






"RIVER LADY" (1948) Review

While perusing the Internet on the career of actress Yvonne De Carlo, I noticed that she made a handful of conventional costume pictures for Universal Pictures, after she had signed a long-term contract with them in 1946. One of those films was the 1948 movie,"RIVER LADY"

Set in the upper Mississippi River Valley during the decade after the Civil War, "RIVER LADY" is an adaptation of Frank Waters and Houston Branch's 1942 novel. It told the story of a conflict between the citizens of a Minnesota mill town, the loggers who worked downstream and the lumber mill owners. The representative of a local lumber syndicate named Bauvais wants to purchase a struggling lumber mill from its owner, H.L. Morrison. But the latter refuses to sell. However, the owner of a gambling riverboat owner named Sequin manages to purchase the mill in order to provide a reputable job for her boyfriend, Dan Corrigan, a lumberjack whom she loves. However, Sequin has a rival in Morrison's only daughter, Stephanie. When the latter learns about Dan and Sequin's engagement, she exposes Sequin's purchase of the Morrison mill. Dan becomes enraged when he realizes that his fiancee has manipulated his life and in a drunken fit, rejects the riverboat owner and marries Stephanie. Business sparks eventually ignite between a vengeful Dan and an angry Sequin, who has aligned herself with the mercenary Bauvais.

What can I say about "RIVER LADY"? I have seen my share of minor period dramas from "Golden Age of Hollywood" over the years. Some of them have been decent. Some of them have been surprisingly pretty good. Others have been . . . well, a waste of my time. "RIVER LADY" was a waste of my time. 

Did "RIVER LADY" have the potential to be a pretty good movie? I do not think so. Frankly, I found it difficult to summon the energy to get excited over a messy rivalry involving the lumber business in 1870s Minnesota. And I am confused over Sequin's role in this story. She purchased part of the Morrison lumber mill for lumberjack Dan Corrigan. But once he had dumped her, why was there no conflict between her and Morrison over Dan's role in the business? Instead, she sat back and watched him use the business to engage in a conflict with her other business partner, Bauvais. Would it have not been easier if the writers could have found another reason for Sequin and Dan's breakup? And why would Dan be so upset over Sequin manipulating him into a major position with the Morrison lumber mill . . . and not express any anger over the ugly manner in which Stephanie Morrison had interfered in his upcoming marriage? Odd.

Then again, I also realized that I did not really like most of the characters in this movie. To be honest, I just did not find them that interesting. Except for two . . . namely Sequin and Bauvais. I would never regard either of them as nice, but Yvonne De Carlo and Dan Duryea did such excellent jobs in making both of them interesting and dynamic that it seemed a pity that neither ended the movie on a happy note. Rod Cameron and Helena Carter gave solid performances as lumberjack-turned-businessman Dan Corrigan and his bride, Stephanie Morrison. But to be honest, their performances seemed like a walk in the park in compare to DeCarlo and Duryea. And as a leading man, Cameron did not exactly rock my world . . . if you know what I mean. The movie also featured solid performances from John McIntire, Lloyd Gough, Florence Bates and Anita Turner. Only Turner really impressed me, for I found her portrayal of the Morrisons' maid Esther rather witty. However, none of the cast members were not helped by D.D. Beauchamp and William Bowers' dialogue, which seemed more appropriate for a 1940s crime melodrama, instead of a film set in the mid-to-late 1800s.

I have no idea on whether "RIVER LADY" was a "B" movie or not. It feels like a "B" movie, despite having a cast that featured the likes of De Carlo, Duryea, Cameron and McIntire. As a frequent visitor of the Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park, it is pretty obvious that a good deal of the movie was filmed on that studio's back lot. And although the costumes designed by Yvonne Wood struck me as pretty colorful, a bit too much of late 1940s fashion seemed to have crept into some of De Carlo and Carter's 1870s costumes. 

What else can I say about "RIVER LADY"? Despite first-rate performances from Yvonne De Carlo and Dan Duryea, along with the colorful production; this is a movie that I doubt I would be interested in watching again. Once was enough.

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Top Ten Favorite CHRISTMAS Television Episodes

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Below is a list of my favorite television episodes about the Christmas holiday: 



TOP TEN FAVORITE CHRISTMAS TELEVISION EPISODES

1 - Friends - 6.10 The One With the Routine

1. "Friends" - (6.10) "The One With the Routine" - Joey Tribianni's girlfriend invites him, Monica and Ross Gellar to accompany her to the taping of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve". Meanwhile, Chandler Bing, Rachel Green and Phoebe Buffay try to search for the Christmas presents that Monica gave them, so they can give her appropriate presents in return.



2 - The West Wing - 2.10 Noël 

2. "The West Wing" - (2.10) "Noël" - Christmas bells and music forces Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman to deal with the aftermath of being shot during an assassination attempt earlier in the season.



3 - Chuck - 2.11 Chuck vs. Santa Claus

3. "Chuck" - (2.11) "Chuck Versus Santa Claus" - An amateur criminal on the run from the police crashes into the Buy More and takes Chuck Bartowski, his sister Ellie, her fiance Devon and the Buy More employees hostage on Christmas Eve.



4 - Seinfeld - 6.10 The Race

4. "Seinfeld" - (6.10) "The Race" - Jerry Seinfeld meets an school old rival, who suspects that he had cheated in a high school race and wishes to re-run it. Elaine Benes finds out her boyfriend is a Communist, who convinces Cosmo Kramer to become one.


5 - Magnum PI - 4.10 Operation Silent Night

5. "Magnum P.I." - (4.10) "Operation Silent Night" - Christmas Eve holds some unusual surprises for Thomas Magnum, T.C. (Theodore Calvin), Rick Wright and Jonathan Higgins when their helicopter crash on a deserted island via that the a Navy is planning to use for artillery practice.



6 - Remington Steele - 4.09 Dancer Prancer Donner and Steele

6. "Remington Steele" - (4.09) "Dancer, Prancer, Donner and Steele" - The Remington Steele Detective Agency's Christmas party is interrupted by three gun-wielding Santas, who take everyone hostage and threaten to blow up the building.



7 - Monk - 4.09 Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa

7. "Monk" - (4.09) "Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa" - Police consultant Adrian Monk investigates the death of a police detective who dies at a S.F.P.D. Christmas party after drinking from a poisoned bottle of port that was delivered to Captain Leland Stottlemeyer.



8 - Twilight Zone - 2.11 The Night of the Meek

8. "The Twilight Zone" - (2.11) "The Night of the Meek" - Art Carney starred in this classic episode as a drunken department store Santa Claus, who is fired on Christmas Eve before finding a bag that gives people anything they want.



9 - Homicide Life on the Streets - 3.08 All Through the House

9. "Homicide: Life on the Streets" - (3.08) "All Through the House" - When the squad face duty on Christmas Eve, John Munch and Stanley Bolander investigate the death of a streetside Santa Claus. Meanwhile, Meldrick Lewis and Megan Russert try to find a young woman's killer. And Tim Bayliss tries to hustle his colleagues in cards during a quiet night in the squad room.



10 - Scarecrow and Mrs. King - 1.10 The Long Christmas Eve

10. "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" - (1.10) "The Long Christmas Eve" - Agency spies Amanda King and Lee Stetson's violent encounter with two KGB agents lead to a long night of détente on Christmas Eve inside an isolated cabin.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

"HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART I" (2010) Photo Gallery



Below are images from "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART I", the 2010 adaptation of the first half of J.K. Rowling's 2007 novel. Directed by David Yates, the movie stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson: 




"HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - Part I" (2010) Photo Gallery