Casablanca (1942)

USA/B&W/102m./Dir: Michael Curtiz/Wr: Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch/Cast: Humphrey Bogart (Rick Blaine), Ingrid Bergman (Ilsa Lund), Paul Henreid (Victor Laszlo), Claude Rains (Captain Renault), Dooley Wilson (Sam), Conrad Veidt (Major Strasser)

Everybody comes to Rick’s, and eventually everyone watches Casablanca. It is the finest example of glossy studio moviemaking from the classic period of Hollywood; and with eighty percent of the action taking place within Rick's Café Américain, it is also unequivocally a “booze movie.”

Casablanca, we are told, is an important stop that World War II refugees must make on their route to America, and Rick's Café Américain is the most popular stop in Casablanca. The bar is owned and managed by Rick Blaine (Bogart), an American expatriate who cynically observes the dealings of the petty thieves, refugees, corrupt police, and Nazis that gather at his watering hole. He doesn’t drink with the customers, and he doesn’t stick his neck out for nobody. But all of that changes when a resistance leader (Paul Henreid) walks into the bar with a woman from Rick’s past (Ingrid Bergman). For the first time in years, Rick takes action--both in terms of his love life and by ingesting large quantities of bourbon.

Over the years, Casablanca has come to be regarded as a cinematic classic (ranking #2 on the AFI’s 2007 list of the 100 greatest American films), but no one, with the possible exception of producer Hal Wallis, expected much of the film back in 1942. It was just one of many flicks that Warner Brothers cranked out that year, and it was a bit of a gamble in that it starred Bogart, an actor mainly associated with gangster pictures, and Bergman, a Swedish actress with only a few moderately successful American films under her belt. Of course, Bogie triumphed in the part, proving once and for all that a short, ugly man with a toupee and a speech impediment could pull off a romantic lead. The camera also fell in love with Ingrid Bergman, even though she was forced to perform much of the film in a slouch, because she was actually a few inches taller than Bogart. The rest of the ensemble, including many of Warner’s finest character actors, all provide fine work; but the real unsung star of the film is Claude Rains as the corrupt, skirt-chasing Captain Renault. He plays the part with a glass in hand and a twinkle in his eye; and his enthusiasm is infectious.

Part romance, part war film, part musical, Casablanca is a complex cocktail that holds together wonderfully well, despite the diverse ingredients. It is a true classic that deserves its classic status.

Drinks Consumed--Champagne, whiskey, brandy, cognac, wine, and unnamed cocktails

Intoxicating Effects--Slurred speech, soused sentiment, harmonizing, and bar tossed

Potent Quotables--MAJOR STRASSER: What is your nationality?

RICK: I’m a drunkard.

RENAULT: And that makes Rick a citizen of the world.

Video Availability--DVD and HD-DVD (Warner Brothers)

Similarly Sauced Cinema--Bogie juggles booze and romance once again in The African Queen (1951).

Booze News: Deadwood R.I.P.

JOANIE (pouring drink): What's your preference?

JANE: That it ain't been previously swallowed.

Although not officially a "booze movie," HBO's Deadwood featured stronger writing, acting, and direction than 99% of the films that hit the multiplex since the show premiered in March of 2004. Deadwood was also no slouch in the booze department. With the majority of the action centered within three saloons--"The Gem," "The Bella Union," and "The No. 10"--Deadwood was wetter than The Wet Parade.

When HBO unceremoniously canceled the show after 36 episodes, it was with the promise that Deadwood would return for two made-for-television movies, which would send the series out in style. Now, 26 months later, comes official word that those films just ain't gonna happen. As Al Swearengen once said, "Announcing your plans is a good way to hear God laugh."

Drink a toast to Deadwood this evening, and be grateful that we enjoyed three seasons of television that was better than any of us deserved. That said, HBO sucks cocks by choice.

Booze Movies TV Schedule: July 2008

This month I'm bringin' in the Booze Movies TV Schedule just under the wire. If you know of any other flicks airing in July that are sure to appeal to soused cinema enthusiasts, please post a comment.

Also, don't forget that Season 2 of AMC's cocktail-soaked series Mad Men premieres on July 27th at 10PM Eastern!

Cheers,
garv

All Times Eastern

1 Tuesday

6:00 AM Roaring Twenties, The (1939) TCM

Cagney makes his fortune through bootlegging after returning from WWI. Cast: James Cagney, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart. Dir: Raoul Walsh. BW-107 mins

2 Wednesday

5:30 AM Reckless (1935) TCM

A theatrical star gets in over her head when she marries a drunken millionaire. Cast: Jean Harlow, William Powell, Franchot Tone. Dir: Victor Fleming. BW-97 mins

10:45 AM Guilt of Janet Ames, The (1947) TCM

A hard-drinking reporter (Is there any other kind?) tries to help the embittered widow of the soldier who had saved his life during the war. Cast: Rosalind Russell, Melvyn Douglas, Sid Caesar. Dir: Henry Levin. BW-83 mins

8:00 PM Roadhouse (1989) AMC

Patrick Swayze does some barroom bouncin' at the Double Duce. Cast: Patrick Swayze, Kelly Lynch, Sam Elliott. Dir: Rowdy Herrington. C-114 mins

3 Thursday

5:30 PM Roadhouse (1989) AMC

(Repeat. See 7/2)

8:00 PM National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) AMC

Toga! Toga! Toga! Cast: John Belushi, Tim Matheson, John Vernon. Dir: John Landis. C-109 mins

10:00 PM Tom Jones (1963) TCM

It wouldn’t be a ribald classic without booze. Cast: Albert Finney, Susannah York, Hugh Griffith. Dir: Tony Richardson. C-122 mins

4 Friday

7:30 AM Notorious (1946) TCM

Bergman hits the bottle and does some spying. Cast: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. BW-101 mins

5 Saturday

4:15 PM Thunder Road (1958) TCM

A fast-driving moonshiner locks horns with a Chicago gangster. My money’s on the moonshiner. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Gene Barry, Keely Smith. Dir: Arthur Ripley. BW-93 mins

6 Sunday

6:00 AM Small Town Girl (1936) TCM

After marrying a drunken playboy, a young girl tries to capture his heart while he's sober. Cast: Janet Gaynor, Robert Taylor, James Stewart. Dir: William A. Wellman. BW-106 mins

12:00 PM Casablanca (1942) TCM

Everyone comes to Rick’s. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-103 mins

10 Thursday

1:00 AM Paris When It Sizzles (1964)

A Hollywood producer hires a beautiful secretary to keep his drunken screenwriter on track. Yeah, that’s gonna work. Cast: Audrey Hepburn, William Holden, Noel Coward. Dir: Richard Quine. C-110 mins

4:00 PM Thunder and Lightning (1977) FMC

A Florida moonshiner challenges the father of his girlfriend to a frantic racing contest. Cast: David Carradine, Roger C. Carmel, Kate Jackson. Dir: Corey Allen. C-95 mins

11 Friday

2:15 AM Miracle of Morgan's Creek, The (1944) TCM

There’s little booze in this comedy classic, but I have to promote my favorite film whenever it airs. Cast: Eddie Bracken, Betty Hutton, William Demarest. Dir: Preston Sturges. BW-98 mins

6:00 PM Father Goose (1964) TCM

A Scotch-loving drifter finds himself protecting schoolgirls and their teacher during WWII. Cast: Cary Grant, Leslie Caron, Trevor Howard. Dir: Ralph Nelson. C-116 mins

12 Saturday

10:30 PM Rio Bravo (1959) AMC

Dino tries to give up whiskey by drinking beer. Cast: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson. Dir: Howard Hawks. C-141 mins

13 Sunday

4:00 PM Some Like It Hot (1959) TCM

Marilyn likes bourbon. Cast: Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis. Dir: Billy Wilder. BW-121 mins

14 Monday

11:00 PM North By Northwest (1959) TCM

Spies try to kill Cary Grant with booze. Cast: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. C-136 mins

15 Tuesday

4:30 PM Pal Joey (1957) TCM

The quintessential Sinatra flick. Cast: Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak. Dir: George Sidney. C-111 mins

17 Thursday

6:00 AM Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1961) TCM

A factory worker drinks on the weekends. Cast: Albert Finney, Shirley Anne Field, Rachel Roberts. Dir: Karel Reisz. BW-89 mins

19 Saturday

2:00 AM Kids Are Alright, The (1979) TCM

The Who drink their medicine. Cast: Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon. Dir: Jeff Stein. BW-109 mins

21 Monday

11:00 PM Kiss Me, Stupid (1965)

Dean Martin plays a popular singer named “Dino.” Not exactly a stretch. Cast: Dean Martin, Kim Novak, Ray Walston. Dir: Billy Wilder. BW-124 mins

22 Tuesday

7:30 AM Tales of Manhattan (1942) FMC

An all-star cast appears in a series of vignettes woven together to tell the story of a formal tailcoat that is passed to a collection of owners. Includes excised W.C. Fields segment. Dir: Julien Duvivier. BW-127 mins

8:00 PM Roadhouse (1989) AMC

(Repeat. See 7/2)

26 Saturday

5:30 PM Roadhouse (1989) AMC

(Repeat. See 7/2)

8:00 PM Bad and the Beautiful, The (1952) TCM

Lana Turner has problems with the bottle in this entertaining 50’s soaper. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Dick Powell. Dir: Vincente Minnelli. BW-118 mins

28 Monday

12:00 PM Some Like It Hot (1959) TCM

Marilyn still likes bourbon. (Repeat. See 7/13.)

29 Tuesday

2:15 PM Thin Man, The (1934) TCM

Nick and Nora play detective between drinks. Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan. Dir: W.S. Van Dyke II. BW-91 mins

8:00 PM Auntie Mame (1958) TCM

Life is a banquet, and Mame Dennis is going to need a few cocktails to wash it down. Cast: Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne. Dir: Morton Da Costa. C-144 mins

30 Wednesday

10:45 AM Old Dark House, The (1932) TCM

A storm strands travelers in a house full of dangerous gin-loving eccentrics. Cast: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton. Dir: James Whale. BW-72 mins

4:00 PM Thunder and Lightning (1977) FMC

(Repeat. See 7/10)

6:15 PM Stagecoach (1939) TCM

An outlaw, a drunken doctor, and barroom floozy, and others travel through Indian country in this Western classic. Cast: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, George Bancroft. Dir: John Ford. BW-96 mins

31 Thursday

3:30 AM High Society (1956) TCM

Musical version of The Philadelphia Story. Whatta swell party this is. Cast: Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra. Dir: Charles Walters. C-107 mins

10:30 PM National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) AMC

10 (1979)

USA/122m./Dir: Blake Edwards/Wr: Blake Edwards/Cast: Dudley Moore (George Webber), Julie Andrews (Samantha Taylor), Bo Derek (Jenny Hanley), Robert Webber (Hugh), Dee Wallace (Mary Lewis), Brian Dennehy (Don)

Having written and directed three Pink Panther movies in a row, Blake Edwards longed to produce a film that was more sophisticated, hip, and adult. The resulting picture, 10, proved not only to be a box office smash; it also introduced the world to Bo Derek (a dubious distinction) and cemented the stardom of Dudley Moore (sans comedy partner Peter Cook).

Moore stars as George Webber, a songwriter who feels “betrayed” by age and dissatisfied with life, despite wealth, success, supportive friends, and a long-time relationship with a theater star (Julie Andrews). While stopped at a traffic light, George happens to catch a fleeting glimpse of a beautiful bride (Bo Derek) in another car, and his general malaise blossoms into a full-on midlife crisis. He becomes obsessed with the girl, but being that 10 is a comedy, George’s attempts at stalking generally degenerate into drunken slapstick. Eventually, bolstered by pain pills and liquid courage, George decides to travel to Mexico to interrupt the girl’s honeymoon.

Looking at 10 today, it seems anything but hip and sophisticated. This isn’t due to the film’s 70’s setting. I can’t imagine 10 having ever appeared hip. Although Edwards would create other fine films (most notably Victor/Victoria), he was far past his freshness date. Edwards hadn’t been on the cutting edge since the early 60’s; and his middle-aged lead character is far from “with it.” At one point he even forces Moore to complain about “today’s” music. Overall, the film is as melancholy as it is funny, and its observations about life are about as deep as a wading pool. If I was to limit my review to a single word, it would be “overrated.”

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the film. Few actors are as likeable as Dudley Moore, and the film gives him numerous opportunities to show off his musical and comedy chops. It helps that his character is intoxicated much of the time, because Moore’s slurred slapstick is inspired (his double-glass approach to drinking while on pain pills is particularly memorable). The rest of the cast is capable, and a young Brian Dennehy is a standout as an extremely supportive bartender.

Edwards’ film, while no classic, is diverting and well-made. Today it works best as a time capsule of the late 70’s--a far-off world of 8-tracks, short shorts, wet bars, psychoanalysis, and orgies. I’ll drink to that.

Drinks Consumed--Wine, whiskey, brandy, vodka (Bloody Mary), and unnamed cocktails

Intoxicating Effects--Slurred speech, staggering, stumbling, sauced sentimentality, passing out, drunk driving, soused sex, and public nudity

Potent Quotables--COP: You better take it easy. Pain pills and alcohol don’t mix.

GEORGE: You could have fooled me.

Video Availability--DVD (Warner Brothers)

Similarly Sauced Cinema--Dudley Moore went on to soused cinema immortality with Arthur (1981).

Booze News: Update on Bob and Doug MacKenzie and AFI's Top 10 Top 10

Back on April 28th, I wrote that Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis would be returning to the small screen for an animated Bob and Doug MacKenzie series. However, at that time, no U.S. network had agreed to air the show. Since then, it has been announced in the Hollywood Reporter that Fox is picking up The Animated Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie for some unspecified date in 2009. Thirteen episodes have been ordered.

Also, I did my part to promote the American Film Istitute's Top 10 Top 10, which aired Tuesday night. After having seen the show, all I can say is...

Sleepless in Seattle?! Really?! You're kiddin' me; right?!

On the whole, I thought the "Top 10" selections skewed a little too much toward recent fare. That's to be expected, I guess. The members of the American Film Institute are getting younger, and many classics are not as well remembered as they once were. That said, the Romantic Comedy "Top 10" really irked me. Sleepless in Seattle?!

Not a single film by romantic comedy masters Ernst Lubitsch, Leo McCarey, Howard Hawks, Preston Sturges, or Billy Wilder ranked in the "Top 10." Do you really expect me to believe that Sleepless in Seattle is a more essential and iconic romantic comedy than His Girl Friday, Bringing Up Baby, My Man Godfrey, The Awful Truth, Ninotchka, Sullivan's Travels, or Some Like It Hot? Oy!

I realize that any "Top 10" list is bound to encourage debate and voting for such things is more or less a popularity contest. But Sleepless in Seattle?! Geez! Have a little taste.

You can find all of the "Top 10" selections on the AFI's site. To end on a positive note, the inclusion of Cat Ballou and City Lights were welcome surprises.

Public Hero #1 (1935)

USA/B&W/89m./Dir: J. Walter Rubin/Wr: Wells Root/Cast: Chester Morris (Jeff Crane), Jean Arthur (Maria Theresa O’Reilly), Lionel Barrymore (Dr. Josiah Glass), Joseph Calleia (Sonny Black), Arthur Housman (Drunk)

MGM tried its hand at Warner Brothers-style gangster action with Public Hero #1; and while not on the level of the Cagney/Bogart classics, the resulting film is a fast, diverting crime flick. Chester “Boston Blackie” Morris stars as Jeff Crane, an undercover federal agent, who is placed in prison to befriend and bust out mobster Sonny Black (Joseph Calleia). The feds hope that Black will lead Crane to the rest of his gang, but the plan hits a hitch when the mobster is wounded in the jailbreak. In order to keep the gangster alive long enough to lead the feds to his hideout, Crane tracks down an alcoholic mob doctor (Lionel Barrymore), but traversing flooded roads and keeping the soused sawbones sober may be too large a job for any one man. To complicate matters further, Crane falls for a smart-talking cutie (Jean Arthur) that he meets while trying to transport the drunken doctor. Of course, she turns out to be the gangster’s sister.

Public Hero #1 is not the type of film that any actor would put towards the top of his or her résumé. It starts as a hardboiled prison drama, turns into an undercover FBI thriller, flirts with romantic comedy and booze humor at its center, before touching down for a rat-a-tat action climax. In other words, the movie is a total mess. Still, it works, due almost entirely to its above-average cast. Chester Morris, a grade-“A” over-actor, does a good job keeping things moving during the film’s few slow patches; but it is really the work of Arthur and Barrymore that elevate the movie above “B” status. Jean Arthur brings a screwball breeziness to her line readings that enliven every bit of dialogue she’s given. Best of all, Lionel Barrymore has a ball staggering, slurring, and hamming his way through every scene.

In no way is Public Hero #1 an essential “Booze Movie,” but soused cinema enthusiasts will find plenty to like in Barrymore’s Dr. Josiah Glass and the schizophrenic little gangster flick that he inhabits.

Drinks Consumed--Whiskey, brandy, and applejack

Intoxicating Effects--Staggering, slurred speech, sneaking sips, public disturbance, harmonizing, and drunk driving

Potent Quotables--DOC GLASS: I’m on a case.

MARIA: And two bottles to go.

DRUNK: Better wait until it stops raining. The bridge is under three feet of water.

DOC GLASS: Water! Water ruins everything. Now, if that bridge was under three feet of whiskey…

Video Availability--Never released on video

Similarly Sauced Cinema--Director Rubin produced a near-identical remake of Public Hero #1 in 1941. The new version, The Get-Away, starred Robert Sterling as the hero, Donna Reed as the girl, and Charles Winninger as the alky doctor.

Blazing Saddles (1974)

USA/93m./Dir: Mel Brooks/Wr: Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Alan Unger/Cast: Cleavon Little (Bart), Gene Wilder (Jim, the Waco Kid), Slim Pickins (Taggart), Harvey Korman (Hedley Lamarr), Madeline Kahn (Lili Von Shtupp), Mel Brooks (Governor William J. Le Petomane)

Blazing Saddles has been called the greatest Western comedy ever made. It is certainly that, but it is much, much more. It’s stiletto-sharp satire of racial prejudice. It’s a boundary-busting celebration of vulgarity. It’s nearly a Warner Brothers’ cartoon. It’s almost a musical. And, like most Westerns, it also happens to be a booze movie.

First and foremost, it’s a parody--a film about jokes rather than plot. However, the story, what there is of one, is as follows. It’s 1874 in an unnamed Western state, and the Attorney General, Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman), hatches a scheme to make a quick profit by buying up land when he discovers that the railroad must divert through the backwater town of Rock Ridge. He sends a band of cutthroats to run off the residents; but rather than pulling up stakes, the citizens wire the governor (Mel Brooks) to send them a new sheriff. Undaunted, Lamarr convinces the governor to appoint Bart (Cleavon Little), a black railroad worker, to the post, certain that the citizenry will never accept the new sheriff due to the color of his skin. Can Bart defeat frontier racism and the nefarious schemes of Hedley Lamarr? With the help of alky gunfighter, the Waco Kid (Gene Wilder) and a lot of ingenuity, Bart manages to save the day.

Blazing Saddles is an exceptionally funny film--so funny that it garners a guffaw before the first word is spoken (thanks to the exaggerated whip crack that precedes the lyrics of the opening theme). The writers take aim at every Western cliché, including the whiskey-sodden gunfighter (in the form of Gene Wilder’s shaky-handed Waco Kid), and few comedies have a better hit to miss ratio. Many of the pop culture jokes, such as references to Olsen and Johnson, Laurel and Hardy, Randolph Scott, and Douglas Fairbanks will likely to go over the heads of younger viewers, as will the comically exaggerated imitations of Gabby Hayes and Marlene Dietrich. However, silliness is eternal, and Mel Brooks’ inspired lunacy will stand the test of time.

The movie will also endure because it is one of the smartest films ever produced on the subject of racism. Like Dr. Strangelove (1964), Blazing Saddles ridicules its dark subject with subversive humor and is a more effective statement for the use of the jokes. It isn’t an easy to create an entertainment that is sophisticated and juvenile simultaneously, but Brooks and his sparkling cast make it look easy. The cast is, of course, top notch; and Korman, Kahn, Little, and Pickins give career-topping performances. Like good whiskey, this comic gem has just improved over time.

Drinks Consumed--Whiskey, beer, and wine

Intoxicating Effects--Hangover, the shakes, passing out, bad breath

Potent Quotables--BART (regarding the Waco Kid’s boozing): A man drink like that and he don’t eat, he is going to die.

JIM: When?

Video Availability--DVD (Warner Brothers)

Similarly Sauced Cinema--For more alky gun slinging, check out Lee Marvin as Kid Shelleen in Cat Ballou (1965).