Three Daring Daughters (1948)

Three Daring Daughters is one of those films with a misleading title. There is nothing really daring about what the three daughters of a hard working mother who marries someone they do not approve of.

            A young girl named Tess (Jane Powell) graduates from a formal girl’s school. At graduation she is singing lead in the choir when she notices her mother Louise (Jeanette MacDonald) is not there. Latter Tess finds out Louise fainted due to over work. Tess and her sisters Ilka and Alix think the reason their mother is upset is because she is missing their father who she divorced. Louise lets her daughters think their father was a good man when he really just left them and made her bring up the girls alone.

            The doctor thinks Louise needs a vacation by herself. Louise does not want to go and leave her daughters behind. She then changes her mind knowing her girls will be fine. While their mother is away Tess, Ilka, and Alix track down their father’s boss Robert Nelson (Edward Arnold). Robert tells his secretary that Charles Morgan is their foreign correspondent and he is away in Africa. The girls tell Robert that the divorce was not permanent their mother wants their father home too.

            On the ship with Louise is the famous piano performer Jose Iturbi. At dinner a waiter brings a letter to Jose from a Mrs. Smith. He looks over and thinks Louise is Mrs. Smith. He likes what he sees. Latter in the night he finds Louise and talks to her. The next night he becomes jealous when Louise dances with the captain. Jose pleads with her to get off the ship when they come to Cuba to see his concert. She had not planned on getting off in Cuba but decides to go and see his concert. Jose plays like he has never played before. Louise was not too happy and too shocked to hear she inspired him. Louise and Jose get married on the ship.

            When they arrive back in New York City Louise wants to tell the girls about him before they meet him and has him go to a hotel. The girls tell their mother about their father coming home. Louise is upset and yells at them. She feels bad at yelling at the girls. They do not know why Louise is upset about their father coming back and they tell her they went to his boss. Louise goes to see Robert. She tells him that she never told her children the truth about Charles they would think she was lying about him the whole time she told them the truth now. While Louise is out Jose comes by the apartment. The girls know who he is but they are confused as to why he is there.

            Jose invites Louise and the girls to his performance that night. Ilka notices Jose and Louise looking at each other. She talks to her mother that night. Louise explains to Ilka that she was in love with Charlie when they were first married and that in time they will come to like Jose. Ilka gets upset and tells Tess and Alix. Tess says they will make life miserable for Jose so he will have to leave.

            Their plan works and soon Jose and Louise are thinking over their marriage. But with all happy Hollywood films in the 1940s Louise and Jose get back together and the girls come to accept him.

            Despite the misleading title Three Daring Daughters was cute. Jeanette MacDonald was great. I was so happy that she only had two singing number. I do not mind her singing I just like her as an actress more. It was odd seeing MacDonald playing a mother to three young girls, I cannot explain why it just was. Edward Arnold was perfect as the boss whose nerves and patience get a great work out. He had the look of a boss who could be cold but also has a big heart. Three Daring Daughters is not a film I would say you must see but if TCM ever airs it again give it a try.

 

The Sun Comes Up (1949)

There is a rule in Hollywood that you never kill a dog. People do not want to see a dog get hurt in any way. It is so traumatic to see a cute dog get hurt or killed. I never thought I would be one of those people who almost cry when a dog, or any animal for that matter, has something bad happen to it but now that I have a cute Yellow Lab puppy (who looks like she is one she is so tall and so big) named Indy (full name is Indiana Bones, of course, after Indiana Jones) I go crazy if a dog or animal gets hurt. Fortunately in the 1949 film The Sun Comes Up the only things that hurts poor Lassie (this is a Lassie film) are his feelings.

            Helen Lorefield Winter (Jeanette MacDonald) is an opera singer. She has not sung live in three years since her husband died and she now has to look after her son Hank. Helen’s agent tells her she has been away too long and has been keeping too much of an eye on Hank. She replies that she does not care she will quit everything if Hank feels he is not getting the mother he deserves. Eventually Helen gets talked into giving a performance. Her driver brought Lassie to pick Helen and Hank up after the show. Lassie jumps out of the car in the middle of a busy street. Hank goes to get Lassie and he is hit by a truck and killed.

            Helen has been in a depression for months. She finally wants to get up and get away. She hates Lassie she will not even acknowledge he is around. The maid convinces Helen to take the go away after all the dog is lonely without Hank too and Hank would not like the way she (Helen) has been treating the dog. Helen goes out into a small town in the mountains. She is not too crazy about being up there at first but then she gets the hang of the way of life and enjoys herself. One day a kid named Jerry walks past the house. When he comes around the following day Lassie runs out to him to play. Jerry is a handy boy and Helen pays him to do things for her. After a while she does not want Jerry to come around anymore. It pains her to see the boy she thinks too much of Hank. She changes her mind though after Jerry saves Lassie from a deadly rattlesnake. He is surprised Lassie does not know how to survive in the mountains. Helen has Jerry teach the dog about the area and to play with him.

            Jerry makes Helen very happy. She becomes so happy she calls her agent to say she wants to go out on tour again. Eventually there is nothing Helen will not do for Jerry. She comes to love the boy very much.

            This was the last film Jeanette MacDonald made. MacDonald was fabulous. The more of her films I see the more I enjoy her. She is very watchable she seemed professional and comfortable in front of the camera playing different characters. Although I liked the film I kind of feel bad MacDonald had to end her career with a Lassie film. At MacDonald’s acting was top notch because it helped to watch the film.

            The Sun Comes Up was cute but to me the story was a bit dragged out. There were some shots that could have been cut down. This is not one of Jeanette MacDonald’s greatest but The Sun Comes Up is worth watching just for her. And also for Lassie who was adorable and sweet

Rose Marie (1936)

"I thought all this would make you more merciful"

"Don't ever think that Nature is merciful.Nature is the cruelest policeman.When an animal sickens, the others turn on him and kill him"

            Rose Marie is the second Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy film I have seen. Quite fitting that this the second of the pair’s films I have seen and this was the second film they had made together. Like all their films this is an operetta this one set in the Canadian woods.

            Marie de Flor (MacDonald) is a famous Canadian stage actress. Her latest show is a musical of Romeo and Juliet and it is a huge hit. A rich man named Teddy wants to marry her. Marie does not want to marry him she says she has everything she could want in fame and money. What she really wants is her brother John (James Stewart) out of jail. John was put in jail for having a gun that someone used to shoot a man. Marie is upset that he is not being released for the crime he did not commit.

            Marie has the Premier of Quebec to her apartment. The staff has to get everything prepared in a hurry. Myerson, her agent, can see that something is worrying Marie. She said she will tell him her trouble another time. A comes to the apartment. He gives Marie a ring that belongs to John. The man tells Marie that her brother has escaped from prison and is now hiding out in the woods in the Quebec wilderness. Marie wants to get to John to help him as soon as she can.

            Marie arrives at a port town in Quebec. The small town is rough and hickish for Marie. There are Indians and half breeds all over the town. A man named Boniface has been assigned as her guide. He is not a very good man he steals Marie’s wallet when he saw how much money she was carrying around with her. The owner of the hotel tells her to go to the Mounties to possibly get her wallet back. Out on the streets Marie panics when she sees a wanted poster for John. Marie cannot find Boniface and her money which she needs. She goes into a saloon and asks for a job which she lands. No one pays attention to Marie at first because she is singing an opera song. Then she starts singing a new tune that the locals can understand and they turn their attention to her. A man named Sgt. Bruce (Eddy) had been put on her brother’s case after he escaped. He followed Marie out to Quebec. He talks to her and asks her questions and even takes her to an annual Indian fest. Marie does not tell St. Bruce the real reason she is in town. At the fest she finds Boniface and makes him give her money back and to be her guide.

            Bruce falls in love with Marie. He was talking to someone about her and he realized her last name in English means Flower. Bruce puts two and two together and knows the real reason Marie is in town. Out in the woods Marie sings a song. Bruce hears her and picks up her trail. He saves her from drowning after she falls off her horse in a lake. Bruce makes a camp for the night. Marie does not want to stay with him she is anxious to find Boniface and get to her brother. Bruce knows she will come to his camp and she does when she gets scared of a deer. He tells Marie to give him her clothes to dry off. When he gets the clothes he looks for any evidence of John.

            Marie gets away from Bruce and finds someone who will bring her to John. Bruce catches up with them. He had planned on taking her to John he made the whole thing a game. The whole situation is made harder because they really loved each other.

            Back in the city, Marie is in the middle of performing on stage when she thinks she can hear Bruce singing to her. She collapses on stage. For months Marie has not sung a note she says she does not care if ever sings again. Everyone knows she is saying that because she is heartbroken. Out of nowhere Marie thinks she can hear Bruce sing. When she turns around Bruce is really there singing to her.

            I adore Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald together. I love their chemistry. From the little I have read about MacDonald she and Eddy were apparently in love in real life so their chemistry on screen was very real. As I did with Sweethearts I fast forwarded through the musical numbers. I love musicals but the opera music is just too much for me so I skip them. I like Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald as actors better than singers. James Stewart was just at the beginning of his career. It is funny to see him in his early roles. It seems MGM had no idea what to do with Stewart at this time. The same year he was in After the Thin Man and played a not so good character (which was also directed by W.S. Van Dyke). With his looks Stewart could never have been a believable bad guy.

            Rose Marie is dated now but back in 1936 in the Depression this was the perfect kind of film to lift spirits and just to have a good time watching. As I said I enjoyed the acting more than the singing. I really liked the ending for some reason it was a bit cheesy but very sweet. Rose Marie was made for audiences to forget their cares and have fun for its run and even to this day it makes you forget your cares and have fun watching.