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Beyond Tomorrow (1940)
Sentimental fantasy
I found this little gem buried in one of those 50-movie megapacks of public domain movies put out by Treeline Films; you can probably find it on any number of DVDs from the PD houses. It is not something a viewer is going to actively seek out, it apparently has no reputation that brings it to the attention of cinephiles, and that's a shame. Released in 1940 by Academy Productions, which disappeared soon after, (If anyone knows what happened to it, if it possibly merged with other poverty-row studios in the 40's, I'd like to hear about it); the film does disguise its low-budget origins expertly behind atmospheric photography and skillfull editing and direction.
The story begins with Milton, Chadwick and O'Brien, wealthy but friendless owners of a engineering firm, living (together!) in a mansion, presumably in New York. It's Christmas Eve, and through a naive plot device end up inviting two young strangers to have dinner with them. The girl works at a pediatric clinic, the boy is from Texas and apparently broke and wandering the streets. They are both easily convinced to staying for dinner despite being lured into the mansion under questionable circumstances, and she ends up letting the young stranger walk her home. Such is the sensibility of a movie from 1940.
Back then, we still had the Great Depression, as uneasiness over possible war made a movie-goer look for a positive feeling towards humanity. If it can be argued (and I think I will) that 1939's "Wizard of Oz" pandered to desire for isolationism ("There's no place like home"), then 1940's "Beyond Tomorrow" offers reasons to go out of your way, even over-extend yourself to help another human being in need. In fact, I would recommend showing this film in a double feature with "Oz."
This movie does this in an almost film noir style (darkness helps disguise the limited budget and optical effects). All the characters are come from easily identified stereotypes, and the use of familiar character actors, including the sublime Maria Ouspenskaya, creates a visual short-hand so we recognize who they are immediately. The three old gentlemen all come from the same font, but each has their different origins and characteristics to portray distinct human qualities. The most interesting is Harry Carey's George, troubled by a dark deed in in his past that calls into question his admission through the Pearly Gates.
When the three old codgers are killed in plane crash, their ghosts remain here for a while to finish guiding their young couple through the standard plot: They love each other, he is tempted by success and a bad woman, a jealous husband (it could be her ex-, that's what she said, and in 1940 we would have taken that at face value, but in 2004 I would expect that to be a lie); he needs to be shown that the good girl is one he should be with.
The side story regarding the two Russian emigres Josef and Madame Tanya is deftly sketched in with a few key shots of family photos, a war medal and a conversation about their past, but also fleshes out our knowledge about the three men whose generosity enables them to survive. In true stereotypical old-lady-from-Europe form, Mme. Tanya presages the airplane crash, but her warnings are ignored. She is also the most sensitive to the presence of the three spirits in the house.
The script is credited to two women, Mildred Cram and Adele Comandini. Ms. Cram was something of specialist in the extremely sentimental tearjerkers, her best known story idea being used in 1957's "An Affair To Remember." Ms. Comandini was active from the silents right up until the 1992 TV-remake of "Christmas in Connecticut," but none of her efforts seem to be as weird or fantastic as "Beyond Tomorrow."
If you decide to sit and watch this film, you will enter into an agreement with the characters that the over-the-top sentimentality and naivete is OK, we can bend some rules of logic, and that we can learn something simple: It's perfectly fine to help anyone without question, even forego your own trip to Heaven.
Top Banana (1954)
Chopped bananas can still be good
As a record of a type of Broadway entertainment we see very little of nowadays, plus a documentation of classic Vaudeville material presented by the people who actually performed it, this movie should be a little gem.
Should be, but it ain't. The version foisted on us by MGM/UA Home Video is a total travesty and completely unrepresentative of the original film. "Top Banana" as released in 1953, had at least 2 more musical numbers, a number of Vaudeville acts (hello, Hogan the Talking Dog), and 3-D sequences(!).
There's got to be a complete print of this film out there for us to appreciate the genius of Phil Silvers. The version of this movie put out on VHS is an abomination.
To understand why, you have to realize the what was going on at the time of the creation of "Top Banana:" This was a low-budget exploitation flick capitalizing on Phil Silvers' surge in popularity on TV following his winning a Tony award for the original Broadway version of Top Banana. 1950's Hollywood, in it's paranoid fear of television, loves another chance to sneer at cheesy variety programs that seem to be recycling Vaudeville material ad nauseum.
OK, it looks like virtually no money is spent on production values: they apparently transported the play, sets, costumes, and all to an L.A. theater and set up a couple of cameras. Sound recording of dialogue is done with little or no technical enhancement, unless we are hearing playback of songs. And yes, the director apparently never heard of a closeup, let alone anything but straight-ahead shots of the cast moving right to left across the screen.
But look at what it purports to be: Basically a filmed record of a Broadway musical comedy. Jeez, PBS does it and everyone thinks it's brilliant. Somebody at the studio apparently tried to dress it up by inserting shots of a live audience..."Hey, I get it, Mabel! We are watching a PLAY!"
But within the little universe of the movie, it makes no sense, since the audience does not make one peep during the most of the show. Actually with the butchered print, it's hard to follow what was going on. The long takes where Silvers and cast perform straight-ahead old-time comedy are interesting, and make you wish the whole movie was intact.