Reaching for the Sun (1941) User Reviews

Clams Clams Clams

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 7 January 2013]

This was a quirky but interesting film about a free footloose sort of fellow played by Joel McCrea who lives in the north Michigan woods and who has an ambition to get an outboard motor for his rowboat. He earns a most comfortable living digging for clams in the lake, but if he had a motor he could range far in the lake and get even more clams and make more money. Who knows, he might even find a pearl.

When a passing truckdriver tells him that he can make a ton of money working in Detroit in one of the automobile plants and get his outboard motor quick enough, McCrea goes to Detroit to get a job. He gets more than a job, he gets a wife in lunch counter girl Ellen Drew, a sidekick in Eddie Bracken and his outboard motor which he carries lovingly like a newborn.

Of course when a real newborn comes along and responsibilities do add up, Drew is not so intrigued by her husband's dream of living on the lake and digging clams. That's when the crisis comes to a head.

Watching this film I thought this might have been a property that Paramount had in mind for Bing Crosby. I could see where a few musical numbers could have been dropped in. In the Tony Thomas book on The Films Of Joel McCrea, it was mentioned that McCrea's fans wanted to see some action and he has one humdinger of a fight with heavy industrial machinery with rival Albert Dekker. I agree that the sequence was probably put in the film for McCrea and his fans.

Reaching For The Sun is not one of McCrea or director William Wellman's best or best known. But it's good entertainment and fans of these two will enjoy rediscovering this film.

You can take the boy out of the country...

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 29 January 2019]

I noticed that one of the reviews complained about the quality of the print on the DVD for this film. I saw it on YouTube instead...and the print was also pretty poor as well. Not sure if there's a better copy out there somewhere.

Russ (Joel McCrea) is a man of simple wants and needs. He works part of the year as a lumberman and the rest of the time he digs clams for a living. However, when he is told that the auto assembly plant in the big city pays great wages, he goes there to earn the money to buy an outboard motor for his clam-digging boat. But his new buddy Benny (Eddie Bracken) warns him that many folks come to the city for a short-term job but end up staying. Naturally, this foreshadows Russ falling in love and getting married to Rita (Ellen Drew)...and his dreams of returning to the countryside seem distant...if not gone forever. On top of that...Rita has absolutely no interest in living in the woods.

Overall, this is an okay film. It does give you a glimpse at the tail end of the Depression...which is unusual as most films give viewers the impression there never was a depression! But the story provides nothing that exciting or interesting...and it's a decent time-passer and nothing more.

Natural Man And Urban Woman

[boblipton · 7/10 · 1 February 2019]

Joel McCrea wants an outboard motor so he can dig more clams, his summer job. He heads down to Detroit, where they pay $5 a day, and hooks up with Eddie Bracken, the wise city dweller. Soon they have the motor and are paying it off, when Joel ups and marries Ellen Drew. He's been wrangling with her since the first reel, so you know they're in love. Ellen has no interest in smelly motors or the open pleasures of the forest. Plus they have a baby.

There's plenty of arguing between McRea and Drew, and a great fight at the plant between McRea and Albert Dekker using heavy equipment, but remarkably little cynicism in this rare William Wellman movie. Instead, it's about types of people and what they need to make them happy. If I wanted to be pompous, I would suggest that McRea is a natural, almost Rousseau-like man. More than that, he sees his woodland life as part of his identity. Throughout the movie, people tell him he can be just like everyone else. He doesn't want that.

It's a particularly good role for Ellen Drew. She was one of those actresses who had a few good roles and did a lot with them, yet never made it to the A list. Here she plays a Wellman woman, smart, argumentative and willing to hold her own.

They love each other, but barely get along, but can they live without each other?

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 16 November 2018]

Let's face it here. The characters here played by Eddie Bracken and Joel McCrea are not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier. In fact, their brains together might be barely more than a half wit. But they are very likable characters in spite of their inability to get a clear thought out of their mouths that doesn't need some sort of correcting. It takes outspoken waitress Ellen Drew to provide the intelligence in their home, created out of the blue when Drew, in spite of her initial annoyance at McCrea, accepts his proposal. Where exactly does Bracken fit into their home life? He's the best friend that just won't go away, and for some reason, McCrea and Drew don't mind having him around. That is, until romance lights a fire under their outboard motor, and he's outta there!

The film starts off with clam digging McCrea realizing that indeed he does need an outboard motor so he can get to the areas where clams are more prevalent. He head to Detroit, nearly creates a riot along with Bracken for creating his own line in a long line of job hunters, yet manages in spite of his dimwit brain to get the job. So who is dumb and who is dim? That is yet to be seen, as earthy McCrea seems to have an angel on his shoulder overlooking his every move. In a very funny scene that could be straight out of "Three's Company", McCrea and Bracken try to practice getting the outboard motor to do what they need it to do, making landlady Eily Malyon misinterpret it as the two of them killing an unseen woman. The way Drew and McCrea fight from the time they meet until their marriage, brief separation and ultimate realization that they are meant for life could lead to murder if their characters were any less down to earth and real in spite of their differing levels of smarts.

Good performances and amusing situations allows this slice of life comedy become a memorable sleeper, and perhaps William Wellman's least known film. Now considered one of the best directors of all time, Wellman was known for his rugged manly characters, and if rugged as far as outdoors-men go, McCrea needs someone to help him through the thinking process, and that necessity goes to Drew. She's one of those women that doesn't take guff from any man (a rarity on the screen outside Ida Lupino and Barbara Stanwyck), yet its obvious that she sees something in McCrea that makes her want to marry him. This film doesn't have a strong plot in the regular tense, but tells the saga of a real marriage where the characters love, fight, hate, make up, fight again, yet can't live without each other. A super supporting cast including Albert Dekker, Billy Gilbert and George Chandler add more earthiness to the film that show that even the simplest of minds can reach for the sun and end up with the stars.

It's Unique, Rare and still Reaching for the Sun

[krocheav · 8/10 · 4 October 2015]

How many remarkable veterans can you have in one movie? well, this picture seems to have them all...laid on in every vital department of cinematic craftsmanship. Where do you start introducing this abundance of special talent?

For anyone new to this vintage it might be best to start with a brief overview of the Director: William Wellman. His early life is as fascinating as his Hollywood years. During WW1 he was an Ambulance Driver...then joined the French Foreign Legion, became the first American to fly with the Les Chats Noir (Black Cat Group). He survived being shot down by the Germans, leaving him with a lifelong limp. Back in America, acrobatic star Douglass Fairbanks Sn. notices some amazing moves made by Wellman while he was playing professional Ice Hockey. Fairbanks invited him to Hollywood to test for a possible screen career. Starting with youthful acting roles that he disliked, Wellman would eventually go on to direct the first motion picture to win the Academy Award, "Wings" '27. He has since directed no less than seven actors to each win an Academy Award. Add to this, winning the Oscar for his own story in the self directed "A Star is Born" '37. Was married five times, with his last wife being his lifelong soul-mate (saving him from himself he admits!). His list of striking film achievements include: Beau Geste '39 ~ Ox Bow Incident '43 ~ Story of G.I. Joe '45 (a few among many!). For his Paramount film "Reaching for the Sun" he also takes on the role of producer.

This interesting oddity has been in limbo since Universal/MCA purchased the rights to a great many Paramount features from this era (the acclaimed "Alias Nick Beal" '49 is another). Sadly, Universal have not been known for their interest in DVD releases for these acquisitions....so we miss out. My existing old film print, while the image and sound are clear is unfortunately falling victim to 'Vinegar Syndrome' - so will soon be no more. Today, it seems not much is known about this curious movie which just about offers something for everyone! Comedy, Human Interest, Social Drama, with a surprisingly spectacular sequence involving a clash using gigantic industrial machines!

Veteran all rounder the very likable Joel McCrea, is perfect as the nature loving small scale North Woods Clam Fisherman, who ventures to Detroit, to earn money for a much needed outboard motor for his rowboat. His problems have just began, with an easy going nature, he is no match for the hardened big city types he not only encounters but must also compete with for work in a massive automobile factory. He teams up with fellow job seeker Eddie Bracken --veteran of the Our Gang series who, with his owl type facial features looks curiously not unlike today's Sean Penn!-- Next he is picked on by the plant bully, energetically played by another veteran, Albert Dekker (Dekker was adept at playing jovial or sinister characters - he was somewhat chilling as the heavy in the Hemingway based classic "The Killers" '46).

While employed on a fast paced assembly line McCrea, through a series of circumstances, is drawn to a kiosk girl played with gusto by delightful Ellen Drew, but she too is a sassy city wise battler and is suspicious of his naivety. In a small but highly effective role as Drew's mother, veteran, Bodil Ann Rosing shines in several scene stealing moments (sadly this lovable actress would die soon after the film's release). Nine years later McCrea and Drew would work together again in "Stars in my Crown" '50. The smouldering animosity between easy going McCrea and bully Dekker, builds to an eventual all out conflict - this occurs while both are operating gigantic, 25ton red-hot steel handling machinery. The result is a surprisingly spectacular and very dangerous stunt where these two enemies engage in an out of control battle. With the absence of anything like CGI, Wellman would have had to hire/take over the super heavy duty steel plant. I wonder if he told the owners what he intended to do? IE: actually tip one of their gigantic rigs over in battle! It's to be hoped no-one lost life or limb in a huge scene that could only be performed once...no rehearsals are possible when staging expensive, dangerous scenes as these!

Other veterans, each with 100s of movies to their credit include: Regis Toomey as a Dr, Nella Walker as a baby care class instructor, and John Kelly, very funny as a diminutive fellow baby class member with a big gruff voice. On the production side, another wealth of veterans were busy giving this underrated film a terrific look. Oscar wining Cinematographer of 100s of movies: William C. Mellor, known for classics like "The Great MacGinty" '40 ~ "A Place in the Sun" '51 ~ "Bad Day at Black Rock" '55. The Camera operator (2nd unit) was out-door cinematographer: Dewey Wrigley (My Friend Flicker '43). Working on Special Visual effects was guru: Farciot Edouart (Sunset Blvd '50 and Rosemary's Baby '68). Two top Art Directors were employed: German born Hans Dreier known for: "The Lost Weekend" '45 ~ Sunset Boulavard" '50, and A. Earl Hedrick (Sullivans Travels" '41 ~ "Ace in the Hole" '51. All combine to create a professional finish. Finally, the Music is scored by Oscar winner: Victor Young.

There's not a great deal more you could ask for in an entertaining 40's movie and it's a pity this film is now so rare. If you get the opportunity to see this 'little gem', treat yourself. My sister ordered a DVD copy from one of those Public Domain suppliers, but the print it was taken from was little short of appalling, multiple scratches, tracking flaws, poor image focus, you name it. Sadly quite unwatchable. It's quite criminal that MCA buried this gem (and many others!) somewhere in a dark void where it remains forever Reaching for the Sun!------- KenR.