Gentleman's Agreement

"The world is stirring in very strange ways. Maybe this is the century for it. Maybe that's why it's so troubled. Other centuries had their driving forces. What will ours have been when men look back? Maybe it won't be the American century after all... or the Russian century or the atomic century. Wouldn't it be wonderful... if it turned out to be everybody's century... when people all over the world - free people - found a way to live together? I'd like to be around to see some of that... even the beginning."---Mrs. Green to Phil (Gentleman's Agreement, 1947)

I was reluctant to see this film, as I have never been one to enjoy a film of moralizing and platitudes.  I knew that the purpose of this film was to expose anti-semitism, and I was afraid this would turn into another "The Life of Emile Zola."  Much pontificating without plot or purpose.  But I didn't give credit to the fact that ten years have passed since that film, and therefore Darryl Zanuck was able to craft a much subtler, worthier film.  This film is a story about average people first, and a political piece second.  It's why the message manages to be heard.  Zanuck doesn't hit you over the head with his point, but he sneaks it into the lives of his characters.  Though sometimes redundant and choppy, I appreciated this film--especially when I discovered the interesting 
historical ramifications that occurred years later.

Mrs. Green speak to her son, Phil

The Plot
Philip Schuyler Green, played by Gregory Peck, is a widowed journalist of some success, who has just moved to New York City with his mother and young son to pursue a new job with a liberal magazine, Smith's Weekly.  His publisher, John Minify, wants him to do a story on anti-semitism that will "blow the lid off it." Phil is disappointed, and feels that it has been done before, but he allows Minify to bring him to his home for a party where he meets Minify's niece, Kathy, a young socialite and divorcée who was actually the driving force behind Minify's story.  Kathy, played by Dorothy McGuire, and Phil hit it off right away and begin dating.

Phil and his family

Phil then agrees to do the story once he decides on the perfect angle: he will pretend to be Jewish.
Minify is thrilled and agrees to keep Phil's true faith a secret from the rest of the magazine.  But Kathy is confused that he might really be Jewish and concerned for him, though she eventually agrees to play along.  The two fall in love and decide to marry.  Meanwhile workers at the magazine have found out Phil is Jewish.  His new secretary, Elaine Wales, confesses that she only got this job after she changed her name from Estelle Walofsky.  Phil tells Minify who then changes their hiring policy.  But when Wales discovers the changes, she confesses to Green that she is worried that this will allow them to let in a "kikey" Jew.

Phil and his secretary, Elaine

After suffering through discrimination at both his apartment building and workplace, Phil talks to Kathy who asks that they be able to tell her sister Jane about the ruse before their engagement party at Jane's house in Connecticut.  Phil wonders why it matters, and Kathy says that she doesn't want any confusion.  At the same time his mother, played by Anne Revere, has been suffering from heart problems.  When Phil asks the doctor if she should see a specialist (who happens to be Jewish) the doctor asks if he is sure he wants to see someone who might raise his prices and behave sneakily.  Soon after, Phil's best friend Dave Goldman, played by John Garfield, arrives in New York having finished his tour in the army.  He has gotten a great job, but needs to find a home so he can bring his family over from California.  He stays with Phil and advises him on being Jewish while searching for a home.

Phil tells Kathy the plan

Phil and Dave meet up with Anne, the style editor at Phil's paper who is attracted to Phil.  Dave is insulted at dinner and almost punches another customer for calling him a "kyke."  Anne begins spending time with Phil and Dave, and she is one of the few people who is completely unprejudiced, though she doesn't know the truth about Phil.  Kathy and Phil continue to fight, espeically when she asks him again not to bring up his article at their engagement party.  She finally agrees with Phil and tells her sister that Phil will not hide his article.  Phil and Kathy make up, and he goes to Darien, Connecticut for the party.  He is pleasantly surprised by how supportive everyone at the party is, unaware that Jane has screened the guest list and only invited those neighbors she knows won't cause a problem.  Kathy shows Phil her cottage nearby, claiming that she never lived in it with her ex-husband as she only wanted to live there with someone she loved.  She says that she and the house have been waiting for Phil.

Kathy, Phil, Dave, and Anne

Two days before the wedding, Anne tells Phil and Kathy that the swanky hotel they were planning on staying in for the honeymoon is "restricted" and therefore won't allow Jews.  Phil's mother has another attack soon after, and Kathy stays to care for her while Phil goes up to the hotel to see if they really won't let him in.  When he asks the hotel if they will refuse him his room because he is Jewish, they insist that his room is not available and ask him to leave.

Phil is rejected at the hotel

Phil returns to find that Dave is considering giving up his new job because he cannot find a home for his family.  After Dave leaves he asks Kathy why she didn't volunteer her empty cottage.  Kathy confesses that she is worried about trouble from the neighbors should they learn a Jewish person is living next door.  She mentions that Darien has a "gentleman's agreement" about selling their homes to Jews.  Tommy, Phil's son, interrupts in tears and says he was chased by the other boys and called a "dirty yid" and "stinking kyke."  Kathy hugs him and tells him not to worry because it isn't true, but Phil pull him away and calms him.  He then lectures Kathy on comforting Tommy not by telling them prejudice is wrong, but by confirming it's okay because he isn't Jewish.  He says he has learn that the "nice people" continue prejudice by not protesting it.  Kathy says she is grateful she doesn't have to deal with prejudice and is tired of feeling sorry for it.  They decide to break up.
  

Kathy embraces Tommy

Dave and Anne come back from going out on the town, and Phil tells Dave what happened with Tommy.  Dave tells him he can quit now, because he finally understand the worst of prejudice.  Phil writes and prints his story,  "I Was Jewish for 8 Weeks," and announces that he is returning to California.  Anne realizes he is upset about his break-up with Kathy and asks him over for drinks.  Meanwhile Kathy asks Dave to meet her at a restaurant to talk about her break-up with Phil.  She tells him that she's not prejudiced, and hates thinking that she is.  She tells Dave about a party she just attended where someone told a racist joke, and no one said anything.  It made her feel sick inside.  But then Dave continues to ask her, "but what did you do?"  Kathy realizes that Phil was upset with her because even though she wasn't prejudiced, she wouldn't fight prejudice along with him.  Dave tells Kathy that she's not a bad person, and that a man just wants to have a wife that will stand beside him during the rough times.

Kathy and Dave have dinner

Anne and Phil have a drink at her apartment, while Phil confesses what happened with Kathy.  Anne tells him that he should want a wife who will raise his children the right way, with the same morals he possesses.  "Are you proposing, Anne?" Phil asks.  Anne replies that she is, but it is clear Phil does not care for Anne the way he does for Kathy.

Anne proposes to Phil

When he arrives home his mother is reading his manuscript, and she stops to tell him how proud she is of him. Dave comes in and calls his boss in front of him, saying that he has finally found a house.  He reveals that Kathy has agreed to rent him her cottage, and she will live next door at her sister's house to help challenge the prejudice there.  Phil goes to her apartment and embraces her.

Phil comes back to Kathy

The History
Post-World War II America was doing its best to forget the horrible images of genocide and racial hatred.  In any event, prejudice of that kind was a European problem, best underscored by the continuing reports of the Nuremberg Trials.  Americans were the conquering heroes, and now all the problems were over.  But America had its own brand of prejudice, and in 1946 author Laura Z. Hobson wrote a book about a journalist who pretends to be Jewish in order to expose prejudice in America.  The book received rave reviews, and was an instant best-seller.

An important Jewish executive tells Minify to "leave it alone."

It is a historical irony that in a time when the majority of Hollywood's powerful producers were Jewish immigrants, the myth of the homogenized American ideal was first propagated.  Jews didn't exist in film at all, or if they did, they existed only as a gross parody.  Scripts were purged of references to other ethnic identities or diversity.  So despite the success of a book like Hobson's Gentleman's Agreement, most of the Hollywood big-wigs refused to touch it, and even tried to persuade Darryl Zanuck to shelve the project, claiming it would stir up too much trouble.  Zanuck was undeterred, and even added a scene to the film (when Phil first meets the members of his paper) that mirrored Zanuck's issues with the studio bosses.  He also received flack from various Catholic groups, claiming that the leading lady couldn't be a divorced woman.

Gregory Peck and Dorothy McGuire

Zanuck himself was not Jewish, although with his foreign sounding name was often mistaken as such.  There is a rumor that he was inspired to attempt the project when refused membership to the elite Los Angeles Country Club after being mistaken as Jewish.  He gathered a strong cast, headed by new heartthrob Gregory Peck, and a relatively new Broadway director, Elia Kazan, fresh off A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  Popular Jewish actor John Garfield agreed to play a much smaller part in the film, just to be a part of it.
  

Darryl Zannuck and his contemporaries

The film opened to rave reviews, and Zanuck began winning awards for the "advancement of democracy" and for making "strides against intolerance."  But Zanuck wanted to make one point clear, insisting that, "I would like to emphasize that Gentleman's Agreement was primarily planned for entertainment rather than for any social message.  I believe this is the chief reason for the success of the film."  While the message was important for Zanuck, he strongly believed that films were meant to entertain first if they had any hope of reaching people with a message.

Phil and his mother and son

Gentleman's Agreement wasn't the only film about anti-semitism that year; another picture called Crossfire, produced by RKO, was also nominated for an Oscar for tackling the subject in a film-noir.  But before they could congratulate themselves, both the director and producer were cited for contempt of Congress for not testifying before the House of Un-American Activities Committee or HUAC (they would later become part of the Hollywood Ten).  The studio refused to promote the film, and both men were fired.  In the wake of the scandal, new RKO head of production Dore Schary pushed his lighter, less controversial films.  Films like The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer, The Farmer's Daughter, and The Bishop's Wife, were all to be promoted throughout the year.  Editor of Daily Variety agreed with Schary, blasting Hollywood to start "making pictures for the public, not the Academy."  He claimed that films were getting too artsy, and that the advent of television was starting to drain the movie-going audiences.  Hollywood would have to "lighten up" if they wanted to continue to attract patrons.

Protesters for the "Hollywood Ten"

Just a few days before the awards, Daily Variety released a poll predicting the results, ended up with a about an 83% accuracy.  Despite the lack of suspense, the public was excited going into the awards.  ABC began its fourth annual radio broadcast to 45 million listeners, and five thousand fans waited outside the Shrine Auditorium to listen to the speakers blast a medley of Oscar winning songs and catch a glimpse of the giant birthday cake--Oscar turned 20 that day.

Edmund Gwenn as Santa Claus on Miracle on 34th Street

This year heralded a new innovation; the Academy decided to jumble the awards, instead of awarding the Technical Awards first before moving onto the major awards.  The Academy claimed that this was to make each award equally important; Daily Variety quipped that it was in order to keep "a rush to the exits when the big awards are made" from happening.  Tweety and Sylvester in "Tweetie Pie" beat out the perennially winning Tom and Jerry for the Cartoon Award, and Edmund Gwenn won the Best Supporting Actor award for playing Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street, after which claiming that "Now I know there's a Santa Claus."  

Ingrid Bergman awards James Baskette the Oscar

Almost all the Art Direction and cinematography awards were given to foreign films, prompting Academy President Jean Hersholt to suggest that "an international award, if properly planned and carefully administered, would promote a closer relationship between American film craftsmen and those of other countries."  Interestingly, the now notorious Disney film Song of the South (google it, seriously) won both Best Song, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," and a special Oscar for "Uncle Remus" played by James Baskette, making him the first male African American actor to receive an Oscar, albeit a non-competitive one.  Hedda Hopper wrote in her autobiography that she had suggested it as a great humanitarian move, as members had apposed it because Baskette played a slave and, according to Hopper, "The feeling was that Negroes should play only doctors, lawyers, and scientists."  Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was when Loretta Young won for Best Actress in The Farmer's Daughter beating out heavy favorite Rosalind Russell.  Frederic March actually started to read Russell's name and then started again when he saw Young's instead.  Russell took the disappointment well, and reportedly told her husband, "We're going to the party afterward anyway.  I won't be bitter."

Celeste Holm wins his Oscar

Gentleman's Agreement was nominated for eight awards, and won three of them, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture.  Celeste Holm was sitting in her seat, knitting, when she won, knocking her ball of yarn off her lap and under a few tables.  At the podium she exclaimed, "Thank you for letting this happen.  I'm so happy to be part of an industry that can create so much understanding in a world that needs it so much."  Zanuck hosted the big after-party and everyone congratulated themselves on a good year, although the Hollywood Citizen-News suggested the Academy go all out with a variety show, saying, "Why not have some big production numbers, too, a few hundred dancing Oscars, say.  Or a couple of bird acts, maybe."

From left: Darryl Zanuck, Edmund Gwen, Loretta Young, Ronald Colman,  and Celeste Holm

While Gentleman's Agreement has not maintained the popularity it had in 1947, it did pave the way for socially conscious films by proving that they could be commercially viable.   However, there were serious consequences that none of the people involved could have predicted.  Based on the HUAC's tendency to associate Judaism with communism, in the early 1950s Elia Kazan, Darryl Zanuck, John Garfield, and Anne Revere were all called to testify.  Celeste Holm tried to protest the treatment of those on the Hollywood Blacklist, but her lawyer warned her to stay out of it.  According to Celeste Holm, he said "Darling girl, you're only going to get yourself in trouble.  People are going to think you're a Communist."  To which she replied, "It isn't illegal to be a Communist!"  Her lawyer laughed and said, "People have forgotten that."

House of Un-American Activities Committee

Darryl Zanuck ultimately had to succumb to the pressure to fire of the Hollywood Ten who refused to testify, Ring Lardner Jr.  Anne Revere refused to name names before the committee in 1951, and did not appear in films afterwards for another twenty years.  Elia Kazan was subpoenaed in 1952, and while he at first refused to name names, upon his second hearing he caved and began to name people, a decision that has branded him a traitor to many Hollywood historians.  He refused to apologize in later years and stood by his decision, and has even mentioned that Gentleman's Agreement is his least favorite film because of its sentimentality and forced romantic elements.  John Garfield, a popular and well regarded actor, freely admitted his own left-wing past, but like Anne Revere, refused to name names.  For the next year, Garfield was blacklisted in Hollywood, and the FBI followed his every move, even attempting to get him to testify against his wife.  The night before he was to appear at his wife's hearing, Garfield suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 39.  Many believed he died of a broken heart.

John Garfield as Dave fights in a restaurant

While the film may have faded in popularity with time, its message of tolerance is an important one.  Even more important perhaps is the aftermath of the film, and an audience that wasn't really paying attention.


The Verdict?
There are many things I found fascinating about this film, and not all of them involve staring at Gregory Peck.  Just most of them---kidding!  Does that lighten the mood or undermine it?

Gregory Peck

Yes, Gregory Peck is very pretty.  But more importantly this film does very interesting things with the subject of prejudice.  As a modern viewer, I was struck by two ideas.  One, that it was strange to see a film about prejudice that involves average people in an upper middle-class environment.  I think these days a film about prejudice would inevitably be about African Americans, or maybe Native Americans.  Even Asian Americans.   And isn't it interesting that the year this film wins is the year Song of the South gets a special Oscar?  Anyway, all this leads me to my second point.  Any film that discusses anti-semitism in today's world has to involve the Holocaust in some way.

 Celeste Holm with Gregory Peck

Now I'm sure you could throw several movies at me to make your point that a modern day film about anti-semitism doesn't have to involve the Holocaust.  And you'd probably be right, because I just don't have enough background in that kind of film to be sure.  But generally in the wake of Jon Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld, Barbara Streisand and Woody Allen, I think a film like Gentleman's Agreement just can't be made.  One could make the argument that we've gotten past it, and anti-semitism is a thing of the past.  Do I think this film's message still applies?  Absolutely, but I'll get to that in a second.

Publicity still from Gentleman's Agreement

What I find so fascinating about this film is that it was filmed and released in 1947, just two years after the end of World War II.  They were in the midst of the Nuremberg Trials.  And yet there is not one reference to Hitler or the Holocaust.  Even the character of Dave Goldman, an Jewish officer returning from the war, does not mention it.  It's as though no one has heard of concentration camps, when I know that wasn't the case.  I do know that the message of the Holocaust hadn't really hit home, and wouldn't for several years.  But in a time when the Holocaust is almost interchangeable with the phrase "anti-semitism" and when Hitler is plastered on every protest poster, no matter what the protest, it is mind boggling for me to find a film about Jewish prejudice and not see references to any of that.

Phil and Kathy fight

For me, this makes this film all the more powerful.  Because even though it is about anti-semitism, ripped of it's biggest modern day standard, I am able to focus more on the issue at hand.  This film could apply to any number of prejudices.  Now I know this film is criticized because it deals with white, middle to upper class Americans.  But I think that just makes this film applicable to a whole host of people who believe themselves "above" racial prejudice.  How many times have you heard someone make an inappropriate joke or comment, and kept silent?  I know I have.  I found myself squirming in my seat just as Kathy does, knowing that while I don't agree with prejudice, I'm comfortable in the knowledge that I don't have to face it.

Kathy leaves Phil

Despite all of Gregory Peck's posturing, moody speeches about equality and what's "right," my favorite moments in this film don't come from the fighting crusader, but from some of the quieter characters.  Dorothy McGuire's face as she stutters, "Jewish?  But you're not Phil--are you?" manages to convey fear, confusion, and a desperate attempt to "be cool with it."  John Garfield's quiet insistence to Kathy of, "But what did you do about it?" is incredibly powerful.  But the best line in this movie comes when Phil and Anne are sitting at a cocktail table having a drink with a co-worker who has inadvertently made an anti-semitic remark.  When called on it, he anxiously backpedals, before becoming defensive, saying "Why, some of my best friends are-"  Celeste Holm cuts him off and says, "I know dear, and some of your other best friends are Methodist, but you never bother to say it."

But some of my best friends are Jewish!

The message of this film is that prejudice will always exist unless people decide not to give into it.  I found myself constantly thinking, "I do that," or, "I've seen friends do that."  Between that, and its interesting historical connections, I found I enjoyed this film.  And as a reflection of post-war America, I think it is certainly an unusual one.  If I told you that you were about to watch a film about anti-semitism from 1947, this is not the movie you would expect.  In a good way.

Baby Boomers and Ducks with Additude

In honor of watching a film about a generation of people who are about to give birth to one of the biggest population booms in our history "Baby Boomers" I decided to showcase my latent cupcake talents.  Also I had to go to a baby shower.

I have recently come into possession of some books on cupcakes, called Hello, Cupcake and What's New, Cupcake and have finally decided to use some of their recipes.  I always thought these cupcakes beautiful but was concerned that there was no way I could even make them, despite what the clever cookbook said.  But upon investigating the website I saw one of the creators, Karen Tack, blithely making adorable ducks.  And I thought, she makes it look so simple.  I could totally do that!

As you may have noticed on this blog, when I say "I could totally do that!"  trouble inevitably follows.  I am far too stubborn for my own good, and have a never say die attitude when it comes to baking.  I made duck and flower cupcakes.  The flowers I would definitely make again.  The ducks...not so much.

Cute Ducks from the Devil
You'll need:
10 vanilla cupcakes in yellow wrappers
2-3 cans of vanilla frosting (yes, cans.  Only the synthetic stuff has the write consistency, much to my chagrin)
yellow food coloring
5 large marshmallows
10 plain doughnut holes
10 orange fruit chews (or gross orange peanut candies)
20 brown M&Ms

1. Mix together about two cans of frosting with enough food coloring to get that bright yellow ducky color in a microwavable measuring cup.  Set aside.
2. Cover all the cupcakes with a light layer of the white frosting.
3. Use a scissors to divide the marshmallows in half, and attach both the marshmallows and the doughnut holes to the cupcake.  The doughnuts are the heads, the marshmallows, the tails.  Use the white frosting in a frosting piping bag (or ziplock with the tip snipped off) to help secure both ends.  Think of the frosting like glue.  Place all the cupcakes in the freezer for 15 minutes or until a little frozen.
4. Microwave the yellow frosting, stopping to stir frequently, until the frosting has a liquid consistency.
5. Remove each cupcake one by one from the freezer, and then dip upside down in the yellow frosting, coating the cupcake all over and allowing the excess frosting to drip back into the measuring cup.  Set aside and let cupcakes dry.
6. For the beaks, use the scissors to snip the candies, and attach to the doughnuts.  Use the white frosting in the piping bag to attach the M&Ms as eyes.
7. Drink a large glass of wine, because man was that a bitch.

Yup, you can tell from my many sarcastic comments that these ducks were not easy, nor as perfect as I would have liked.  Damn you, Karen.  Luckily I did not make that many of these.  Also luckily, the flower cupcakes were much MUCH easier.  And very pretty.  Does anyone know why my ducks are so creepy?

Chrysanthemums from Marshmallows

You'll Need:
24 chocolate cupcakes with paper liners
1-2 cans of vanilla frosting
1 bag of mini marshmallows
Various colored decorating sugars
Left over yellow frosting from ducks, or appropriate yellow candy for center

1. Separate each different color sugar into individual bowls.
2. Using sharp scissors, cut the mini marshmallows in half and place them sticky side down in the sugars.
3. Toss the marshmallows to coat, the sticky side should be completely covered in colored sugars.
4. Frost each cupcake individually, placing the marshmallows in concentric circles.  See my pictures below.  DO NOT frost all the cupcakes and then stick the marshmallows on.  The frosting will harden, making it more difficult for the marshmallows to stick.
5. Leave a small space in the center and fill with yellow candy or yellow frosting.
6. If you want to go crazy (like Karen) use green licorice as stems on your plate.

These were great.  It was an easy project to do in front of the television, didn't take very long, and the results were gorgeous and impressive.  They were also much easier to transport than the ducks, which were pretty top heavy.  These are great for Mother's Day, Baby Showers, or just a Birthday!

So in case you weren't paying attention...flowers=good.  Ducks=sent from the Devil.  I'm also waiting for the point when one of my friends sees this post and asks me why I have so much time on my hands.  Hush.  These are awesome.  And you said I'd never make anything from these books!

I would also like to mention that Martha Steward makes an amazing cupcake carrying case.  One side is a flat tray for cookies, but if you flip it upside down it has little holes to hold cupcakes.  There are two interlocking tiers that fit inside the case.  It's totally worth it.  Look!

PS-All recipes are from the delightful books above.  I can't take credit for any of it!

The Best Years of Our Lives

"Give 'em time, kid; they'll catch on. You know your folks'll get used to you, and you'll get used to them. Then everything'll settle down nicely. Unless we have another war. Then none of us have to worry because we'll all be blown to bits the first day. So cheer up, huh?"---Butch Engle to his nephew, Homer (The Best Years of Our Lives, 1946)

I don't know now whether I am searching for meaning and emotion in these remaining films of the 1940s to suit my own thesis or whether I'm actually catching on to something.  I feel like this film is what would happen if Father O'Malley left the church and went to war for a few years, came back, and started hanging out with Don Birnam after he tried to sober up.  I loved it--even with the corny and predictable ending.  Because I felt that maybe, just for a moment, it might not end so happily.  For making me question the sunshine ending, and for making me yell at my television screen, this movie makes it near the top of my list.

The Plot
It's the end of World War II, and soliders are trying to get home.  Three different men are all trying to get to their hometown of Boone City in the mid-west.  The men, Air Force Captain Fred Derry, sailor Homer Parrish, and Army Sergeant Al Stephenson, all come from different backgrounds, but bond quickly in their shared insecurity about finally coming home as civilians.  Al, played by Fredric March, is a former banker, an older man with a wife and two nearly grown children.  Fred, played by Dana Andrews, is a former soda-jerk with a new bride and big dreams, though he comes from a lackluster upbringing.  Homer, played by Harold Russell, the youngest, has lost both hands in the war and must return to his close-knit middle class family and girl-next-door fiancée.  As the three nervously take a taxi home, they pass a tavern run by Homer's black sheet uncle, Butch, and are happy that there is at least one place they know they'll be welcomed.

Three Veterans on their way home.

Homer is dropped off first, joyfully welcomed by his parents and fiancee, Wilma Cameron, though his mother can't help but sob as she sees his prosthetic hooks.  Al is dropped off next at his high-end apartment, where he is greeting in shock and joy by his wife Milly, played by Myrna Loy. His children have grown up in his absence, and while his son Rob is still in school, Peggy, played by Teresa Wright, has become a young woman.  Lastly Fred is dropped off at the shanty where his alcoholic father and step-mother live, only to find that his wife Marie, played by Virginia Mayo, whom he married while in training in Texas after a whirlwind courtship, has moved out.

Al has come home.

All three are unexpectedly jarred and uncomfortable by being home and end up heading individually to Butch's tavern.  Homer, knowing his family are uncomfortable with him, goes to visit his uncle, where he finds Fred brooding and unable to find his wife.  Al joins them after dragging Milly and Peggy around for a night on the town.  Homer makes it home unscathed, but when the bar closes, Peggy drives the heavily intoxicated Fred and Al back to their apartment, when it becomes clear that Fred still can't find his wife.  Fred has a nightmare about a battle gone wrong and wakes up Peggy, who comforts Fred as he falls back asleep, sobbing.  The next morning she drives the apologetic Fred to his wife's apartment, and he confesses that while he doesn't know what he will do, he knows he won't go back to being a soda jerk.

Peggy comforts Fred during his nightmare.

Al meanwhile wakes with a hangover, and finally embraces his loving wife.  Later, Al must contain his irritation at his former boss, Mr. Milton, who wants Al to start back up right away with a promotion to the head of the loans department at the bank.  Though Al knows he is lucky to have a job, he is having trouble adjusting, and saddened by all those who didn't come back.

Al and Mr. Milton

Meanwhile, Fred has found his wife, Marie, a gorgeous blonde who has been supporting herself by dancing at nightclubs, and seems far more interested in showing off her cute husband in his army clothes than actually getting to know him.  Fred visits his old boss, only to discover that the pharmacy has been bought out by a larger chain.  His old boss tries to introduce him to the new manager, but Fred rebuffs the low-paying and menial job offer.  Homer's fiancee, Wilma, keeps trying to connect with Homer, and loves him as much as she ever did.  But Homer's anger at seeing his little sister and her friends staring at him and his hooks cause her to run away sobbing and Homer to isolate himself even more.

Fred finds his wife, Marie.

A few weeks later, Fred and Marie argue about Fred's dwindling money.  Fred has made Marie quit her dancing job, but Marie can't understand why she still can't go out and have fun every night.  Fred finally concedes and accepts the job at the drugstore.  Peggy comes to visit him at the store, and he takes her for lunch.  Fred confesses how his dreams of getting a decent job and starting a family with a little home have quickly deteriorated against harsh reality.  Peggy is understanding, mature, and sympathetic.  As he walks her to her car, Fred kisses her.  That same afternoon Al grants a loan to a fellow veteran, who is looking to work hard and establish himself after the war.  Though he has no collateral except his skills, Al grants him the loan, only to get gently admonished by his boss for "gambling with the depositor's money."  That night, preparing to go to a banquet in Al's honor, Milly confesses that she thinks Peggy has feelings for Fred.  Peggy has invited Fred and Marie out on a double date that night, and confesses to her parents that she is in love with Fred, but is trying not to be.  She hopes that seeing Fred with his wife will snap her out of it.

Al at the banquet in his honor.

At the banquet, a drunken Al gives a rambling and somewhat caustic toast, but ends by saying that he will gamble to depositors' money on the future of his country.  Although his boss is annoyed, Milly is proud of her husband.  Meanwhile Peggy's double date has backfired, showing her just how wrong for Fred Marie is.  She comes home and tells her parents that she is determined to break up their marriage and fight for Fred.  Her parents try to caution her, but Peggy is too emotional to think rationally.

Peggy's double date.

The next day, Al meets Fred at Butch's and asks him if he is in love with Peggy.  When Fred confesses he is, Al suggests that he prove it by doing the right thing for Peggy.  Fred then calls Peggy and lies, saying that she is the kind of girl who takes things too seriously and he has only been flirting with her.  He staggers out of the bar past Homer, who has come in to show Al that Butch is teaching him to play the piano with his hooks.  Peggy tells her mother of the phone call and bitterly says that she sees things more clearly now.  Some time later Homer visits Fred at the drugstore and gets into an argument with a man at the county who says that the war was unnecessary and a waste.  He insults them both, and Fred asks him to leave.  Homer goes after the man, but Fred pushes him aside and slugs the man.  He is then fired from his job.  As the two walk home, Fred advises Homer to tell Wilma how much he loves her and marry her as fast as he can.

Butch teaches Homer to play the piano while Fred breaks Peggy's heart.

Later that night Wilma comes to see Homer and says that her parents want her to go away with family, as it is clear that Homer no longer loves or wants to marry her.  Homer tries to tell her that she doesn't understand the reality of living with someone like him, but she insists that he let her try.  So he lets her see that after her takes his prosthetics off for the night, he is completely vulnerable.  Wilma, instead of running away, says she will always love him and never leave him, as she tucks him into bed.

Homer is vulnerable to Wilma.

Later, Fred has a final quarrel with Marie, who he surprises at home, about to go out with an old boyfriend.  She tells Fred, who has been unable to find a job, that she wasted the best years of her life on him and wants a divorce so she can go back to being a woman who works for a living.  Fred visits his father one last time and tells him he is leaving Boone City.  He leaves his many military awards with his father, as he now feels they are worthless.  Waiting for his flight at the airport, Fred sees a field filled with now useless military planes being taken apart for scrap metal.  Fred climbs into one and remembers the atrocities he encountered during the war.  The man who owns the salvage yard, Karney, startles him and asks him to get out of the plane.  Pale and shaken, Fred gets out, and after mentioning that he used to fly one, tentatively asks for a job.  Karney explains that they are using the plane metal to create pre-fabricated houses, and after some deliberating, gruffly offers Fred a job.

Fred in the plane's cockpit.

A few weeks later, everyone is gathered at Homer's house for his wedding to Wilma.  Fred is the best man, and nervous about seeing Peggy again.  At first they are pleasant, but awkward with one another.  But the beauty of the ceremony and the obvious love of Homer and Wilma effect them both.  While the rest of guest rush to embrace the happy couple, Fred strides up to Peggy and kisses her.  He pulls away and says, "You know what it'll be, don't you, Peggy? It may take us years to get anywhere. We'll have no money, no decent place to live. We'll have to work, get kicked around--"  But Peggy just smiles, pulls him close, and kisses him.

Peggy and Fred

The History
The Hollywood moguls got down to Oscar campaigning in earnest in 1946, releasing all their big films in the fall, right before the selections.  They had some major competition from foreign films this year, from Roberto Rossellini's Open City to the French film Children of Paradise.  The Brits had three big contenders: melodrama The Seventh Veil, Noel Coward's Brief Encounter (James McAvoy's favorite film, FYI), and Laurence Olivier's reenactment of Shakespeare's Henry V.  Henry V ran for forty-six weeks straight in New York City.

Laurence Olivier in Henry V

Hollywood began to take notice of the growing trend for serious, realistic subject matter.  Samuel Goldwyn decided to produce The Best Years of Our Lives, inspired by a Time magazine article about the difficulties facing soliders after leaving the service. He hired famed war correspondent MacKinlay Kantor to write a story and Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Robert Sherwood to adapt that story into a script.  He then assigned the film to his best director, William Wyler, and began assembling a cast of stars, all to counter statements that were being made about the state of the film industry.  Producer Walter Wanger, on a trip back from the continent, said that the industry was in trouble because of the  foreign market as audiences now wanted "true-to-life" and "mature" viewpoints in movies.  Goldwyn responded, "Times have changed but Hollywood hasn't...to maintain its place, Hollywood must set aside the old formulas.  It must find honest stories, stories with something important to say, stories that reflect these disturbing times in which we live."  What a coincidence that he should make this statement right before the release of his new film....

Filming of The Best Years of Our Lives

Wyler himself seemed unconcerned with political wrangling, and far more interested in making a good picture.  For a realistic feel, he hired recent World War II veterans as most of his crew (props, grips, mixers, etc) and bought all the costumes off the rack.  He also insisted on life-size sets, instead of the usual large scale ones.  This was Wyler's first post-war film, and he modeled several of the scenes and characters after his own life.  He was a major in the Air Force, and flew B-17s just like Fred.  He also modeled the reunion of Al and Milly on his own reunion with his wife.  The character of Homer was originally going to be a man suffering from combat trauma, but when Wyler saw Harold Russell in an army training film called, "Diary of a Sargent" about the rehabilitation of wounded servicemen, he changed the character and hired Russell.  Russell wasn't really an actor, but Wyler liked his natural, unstudied way.  When Russell came on set, he shook all the actors hands with his hooks in an attempt to put them at ease.

Hoagy Carmichael teaches Harold Russell to play the piano

Other studio heads soon got on the bandwagon, and each one tried to outdo the next.  But Goldwyn was determined that The Best Years of Our Lives would be this year's big film, and rode the wave of positive reviews.  Unfortunately, he couldn't control his star director.  Wyler claimed the producer had reneged on a promise to bill the film as "A William Wyler Production" and bilked him out of the profits.  Wyler left Goldwyn to form his own production company, Liberty Films, with Frank Capra.  After working together since 1936, Goldwyn and Wyler were no longer on speaking terms going into the Awards.  Eleven years later Wyler sued Goldwyn for $400,000.00, which would be settled out of court.  The two would never work together again.

William Wyler on set of The Best Years of Our Lives

The year continued as expected.  Each producer tried to outdo the next, while David O. Selznick continued his tireless crusade to top Gone with the Wind with yet another lavish epic (he wouldn't).  Still, Hollywood managed to deliver on the gauntlet thrown down by the Europeans with films like The Razor's Edge, The Yearling, The Best Years of Our Lives, and To Each His Own.  And of course, this year would also bring the return of Jimmy Stewart in my absolute favorite film, It's a Wonderful Life.  Despite its current reputation as one the best film of all time, it did not fit well into the current fad for realistic, grittier films.  It was a moderate success, and going into the Awards, it was considered to be an "Academy Awards dark horse."

Olivia de Havilland receives her Academy Award

The War was over and this year's Awards were a lavish affair filled with Greek columns, a five foot replica of the statuette,16 multicolored search lights, and a 66-piece orchestra.  Unfortunately, the show did not sell out and the left over seats were filled by servicemen hanging around outside.  The program opened with actor Ronald Reagan narrating a silent compilation of the Oscar-winning films of the past.  Unfortunately, due to a production glitch, the entire film was shown upside down and backwards, unbeknownst to the future president, who just continued to read.  Laurence Oliver was given a special Oscar for "his outstanding achievement" with Henry V.  Though Harold Russell was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor," he was considered a long shot at best, and was given a special Oscar for "bringing hope and courage" to the other veterans.  Olivia de Havilland received the award for "Best Actress," in To Each His Own, but created the big scandal of the night by publicly snubbing her sister, Joan Fontaine, and her attempts at congratulations.  The Best Years of Our Lives would go on to sweep the Awards, winning "Best Picture," "Best Director," "Best Actor," "Best Writing," "Best Film Editing," "Best Score," and yes..."Best Supporting Actor."  Harold Russell is the first and only actor to win two Oscars for the same role.  He was so overcome on stage that he was reduced to tears.

Frederic March in The Best Years of Our Lives...in his pajamas...

The Best Years of Our Lives marked the beginning of a new trend in films.  The days of "Capricon" films were over.  Penny March, daughter of "Best Actor" winner Frederic March, was less concerned about a new breed of films and more concerned about "the embarrassing fact that her classmates saw her dad in his pajamas [on screen] and that he drank too much in the picture."  This film would go on to be one of the first films to be selected by the Library of Congress to go into their newly created National Film Registry in 1989. It was the winner of the very first BAFTA award and remains one of the top 100 highest grossing films in U.S. History, and the 6th most attended film of all time in the U.K.  Though not as popular as it once was, this is still an enjoyable and relevant film.

Harold Russell with his two Academy Awards

After the film was finished, William Wyler told Harold Russell to take his money and go back to school, as there were not many opportunities in Hollywood for a man with no hands.  Russell took the advice and got a business degree from Boston University, authored two autobiographies, acted in the occasional film, served three terms as National Commander of AMVETS, and from the 1960s to the 1980s served as the Chairman of the President's Commission on Employment of the Handicapped, an unpaid position.  In 1992 Russell made the controversial decision to sell one of his Oscars to pay for his wife's medical bills.  Since 1950, the Academy had made all recipients sign an agreement saying they won't sell their statue, and they were rather upset with his choice.  Russell didn't care about the condemnation, claiming his wife's health to be more important.  He died of a heart attack in 2002.

Harold Russel with his two Oscars.

The Verdict
This year is the year of my favorite film of all time, It's a Wonderful Life.  So I was always rather surprised that it had never won the Award, and even more surprised that it wasn't exactly popular.  What movie could possibly have bested it?  I was ready to do battle on behalf of Frank Capra.

Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life

But if there's one thing I'm learning, it's that the movie to win each award is more indicative of the current cultural trend than the actual quality of the film.  So while I may think It's a Wonderful Life is the better film, I understand why The Best Years of Our Lives won.  Not that this isn't a great film!  I've actually come to decide that this film is one of my favorites of the new films I've watched.  And very interesting.

Night out on the town at Butch's bar

I can agree with the people of 1946, there is something compelling in cinema that attempts to follow the lives of real people.  All film is a fantasy world, but the best film finds a way to connect with the lives of real people.  Now, it is still the 1940s, so of course there is the perfect ending we've been waiting for.  There are moments of melodrama that would not be allowed in a film today.  But I loved this movie all the more for it, because again--it is a movie.  What fun would it be if Fred just left Peggy, never to be seen again?  You have to have some hope!

Homer has hooks for hands.

Still, the best part of this film is that it is about what happens to the hero after his war is over.  What was life like for Odysseus once he finally returned to Penelope?  For real people--not so easy.  Al can't slide back into his comfy banking job, Fred doesn't have the perfect wife and job he thought he would, and Homer--well Homer doesn't have hands.  Which actually seems to bother him less than it does everyone else.  And while everyone's life does end happily, this film doesn't tie everything up in a neat bow the way pre-war movies would have.  Al finally stands up to his boss, but he does so while intoxicated and the boss doesn't seem too thrilled.  Fred finally gets Peggy, but both know that it will be awhile before his life is back on track.  And while Homer does end up with Wilma, well, he still doesn't have hands.  He won't have hands.  Not ever again.

Wilma and Homer marry as Fred watches Peggy

I believe the message of this film is to find your happiness where you can.  Life will never be the perfect ending you envision.  But if you can adapt, stay strong, and maybe be a little bit lucky, you can carve out a life for yourself.  It has hope even through the darkness of reality, much like the ending of The Lost Weekend. How does this fit into my idea of post-war realism?  This movie is not Going My Way.  The ending is murky, with definite dark elements scattered throughout the film.  And yet, it did phenomenally well at the box office.  And even though nothing happens to Mr. Potter, everything wraps up quite nicely at the end of It's a Wonderful Life.  Box office results?  Not so great.  What does that tell you?  We'll see what happens next as we roll towards the 1950s...

A Post-Season Oscar Post

So I balked tradition, and didn't set out to write up a witty, glib accounting of the ceremonies this year.

Actually that's not true, I set out to write it.  It just never materialized for me.

I think this is because while I enjoyed having my friends over, making food, and commenting on the show--this year's awards fell a little flat with me.  I had such high hopes and expectations.  I really enjoyed watching the films this year.  There were so many incredible movies, and so much potential for great cinema.  Even though I had a pretty clear idea of the winner going in--it didn't diminish the fine films I had the privilege to watch.  So maybe that should have been enough for me.

But the Oscars are as much about great film as they are about show.  And this year's show fell horribly flat.  First of all were the hosts--what was the Academy thinking?  James Franco and Anne Hathaway are fine on their own, but together they are a total mismatch.  I get that they were trying to appeal to a younger audience, but why not then someone like Seth Rogen?  Someone with actual stage presence!  Don't get me wrong, I love James Franco, and I think he is an incredible actor.  But host?  Stand up comedian?  Not so much.

I am seriously interested in what drugs Franco took before the show.  He looked like Anne Hathaway's marionette/ventriloquist dummy.  It was just embarrassing.

And poor Anne Hathaway.  I think, starting to realize the show was going south, she amped up the perky vibe so much it felt like she was reenacting her own version of Little Orphan Annie.  As annoying as she was to watch, I sympathized with her; she basically had the carry the show on her own.  But did she have to be so cloyingly desperate?

Didn't they rehearse at all?  Didn't someone see a train wreck in the making?  But more than the hosts, I found my biggest disappointment lay in what no one could control.  The complete lack of drama.

Everyone looked very...nice.  No one wore a stuffed swan doll as a dress (but I really had my hopes on Helena Bonham Carter).  Oh, there were a few missteps here and and there but nothing glaring.  Nothing garish.  No risks, no flair, no drama.

None of the actors/producers/writers/directors gave a wildly inappropriate speech.  No one had to be dragged away from the podium, clutching their statuette and gesticulating.  I found the whole thing exhaustingly boring.  Wake up, Hollywood!  Are we so jaded that even this most fascinating and historically outrageous of award ceremonies can fail in such a spectacularly boring way?

Which is why I sat back for awhile dreading having to write this post.  Or write at all.  But in the end I think I lost my perspective along with everyone else.  If they were going to toss 80 years of history down the drain then what was I doing here?  After a month of brooding, however, I watched a short show on ABC chronically the top categories of fan favorite movies.  Best Musical--The Sound of Music.  Best Action Hero--Indiana Jones.  And I started to remember why I loved movies so much in the first place.  It's because like a good book, a good film can reach down inside you and make you thrill to dream the impossible.

I'm getting maudlin, I know.  I try not write in sappy moods; it turns my writing into "dear diary" entries.  But there is something wonderful in the discovery of cinema that can rock your world and make you view it differently.  So I'm grateful I got to watch all those films for this year's Awards.  And I'm glad that I'm going to keep on keeping on.....