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celtagalego's rating
"The Model Teacher" is one of the wittiest episodes ever written for a sitcom. It starts out brilliantly, with slapsticky scenes of Connie being awakened by Stephanie Forest of "Snap" Mgazine. The cat-and-mouse between Stephanie and Connie produced some of the best sitcom lines ever. The running gags of Stephanie manipulating every man she sees and narrowing down who submitted Connie's name to "Snap" builds logically yet crazily into the conclusion, which, came as a surprise to me but was a masterful way to end the episode! "The Model Teacher" deserves wider exposure! It's a shame that the actress playing Stephanie Forest wasn't credited, either in the episode or on IMDB.
I had not seen "The Last Train from Madrid" since I was a child when it was broadcast regularly on KTLA-5 in Los Angeles. I watched it tonight, not expecting anything beyond a B film. I watched it because I like Lew Ayres' acting and I didn't realize that he was in this film.
I watched it and, although the film put a disclaimer about not taking sides in the Spanish Civil War (which was a recent world event and going on when this film was made), the script displayed enough anti-militaristic messages and a sense of dread offer a muted, veiled support of Republican Spain. Nonetheless, the film states that it is focusing on the dramas that play out in times of war among people.
Many commentators are judging this film with 21st Century eyes. No one can go back in time and redo the film to suit subsequent historical research and people's sense of justice. It was made in 1937 and reflected the largely isolationist attitudes that most Americans had about the war. It was writers and actors, in and out of Hollywood, that were committed to tell Americans about the horrors of the civil war. To be fair, no other film industry was making films with the Spanish Civil War as a theme.
Nevertheless, I was engrossed way beyond my expectations by the story written by Robert and Elsie Fox, writers that I had never heard of before but I will research them now that I've seen one of their scripts produced. While there are elements of "Grand Hotel" and "Shanghai Express" in this film, the interweaving of characters surviving to get out of the Spanish Civil War was done masterfully and, with the exception of Dorothy Lamour's character, the other characters were compelling individuals, within the constraints of an 87-minute running time and plausibility. Although I felt that Robert Cummings displayed the weakest acting of the entire cast, I was taken with the complexity of behaviors displayed by Karen Morley's, Lee Bowman's, Helen Mack's, and Anthony Quinn's characters. They were as three dimensional as such a film would allow in that period about so complex a topic. Anthony Quinn was impressive in his acting and in the fact that, only a year acting in films, he gets and commands a lion's share of importance to the plot and characterization. He carried the weight of this film beautifully. Although Lee Bowman played a stock character, his short time onscreen was effective and nuanced, displaying, once again, what an underutilized actor he was by studios, showing an acting range that was rarely utilized and developed. See his portrayal of Gary Mitchell in the Doris Day musical "My Dream is Yours" to show how he had presence to carry a film. Gilbert Roland displayed more acting range than he was usually allowed, making his story suspenseful and intriguing. If anything, the script left me wanting to know more about Roland's character of Eduardo de Soto and his friendship with Capt. Alvarez, Anthony Quinn's character. A fine ensemble chat!
The cinematography is pure 1937 Paramount and that's, overall, a good thing. The cinematography at Paramount during this period was still being influenced b Lee Garmss and Leo Tover, who were influenced by one of Paramount's premier directors of this period, Josef von Sternberg. Whenever a Paramount film of this period had a foreign locale, the black and white photography gave a sensual, exotic, hothouse effect that was both inappropriate for realistically portraying a place and time but it was also exciting to watch, making it easy to immerse oneself in the world the Paramount cinematographers created. This has the virtue of really placing me in a world I would never otherwise experience but it does make the scenes of the film involving Lola's lover being shot dead or Maria escaping the march to Cardoso jarring in their artificiality. To the credit of director James Hogan, the bombing scenes filmed at Paramount had almost-seemless intercutting with newsreel footage of the bombings in Spain during the war.
All in all, this film, while not of the top tier of classic films, is fascinating as a time capsule, better-than-expected characterizations, and good acting from a true ensemble cast that gave some of these actors one of their best roles. It was an effective story of suspense and character. "The Last Train from Madrid" does need critical reconsideration, greater opportunities to view it, and deserves far more recognition than it currently has.
I watched it and, although the film put a disclaimer about not taking sides in the Spanish Civil War (which was a recent world event and going on when this film was made), the script displayed enough anti-militaristic messages and a sense of dread offer a muted, veiled support of Republican Spain. Nonetheless, the film states that it is focusing on the dramas that play out in times of war among people.
Many commentators are judging this film with 21st Century eyes. No one can go back in time and redo the film to suit subsequent historical research and people's sense of justice. It was made in 1937 and reflected the largely isolationist attitudes that most Americans had about the war. It was writers and actors, in and out of Hollywood, that were committed to tell Americans about the horrors of the civil war. To be fair, no other film industry was making films with the Spanish Civil War as a theme.
Nevertheless, I was engrossed way beyond my expectations by the story written by Robert and Elsie Fox, writers that I had never heard of before but I will research them now that I've seen one of their scripts produced. While there are elements of "Grand Hotel" and "Shanghai Express" in this film, the interweaving of characters surviving to get out of the Spanish Civil War was done masterfully and, with the exception of Dorothy Lamour's character, the other characters were compelling individuals, within the constraints of an 87-minute running time and plausibility. Although I felt that Robert Cummings displayed the weakest acting of the entire cast, I was taken with the complexity of behaviors displayed by Karen Morley's, Lee Bowman's, Helen Mack's, and Anthony Quinn's characters. They were as three dimensional as such a film would allow in that period about so complex a topic. Anthony Quinn was impressive in his acting and in the fact that, only a year acting in films, he gets and commands a lion's share of importance to the plot and characterization. He carried the weight of this film beautifully. Although Lee Bowman played a stock character, his short time onscreen was effective and nuanced, displaying, once again, what an underutilized actor he was by studios, showing an acting range that was rarely utilized and developed. See his portrayal of Gary Mitchell in the Doris Day musical "My Dream is Yours" to show how he had presence to carry a film. Gilbert Roland displayed more acting range than he was usually allowed, making his story suspenseful and intriguing. If anything, the script left me wanting to know more about Roland's character of Eduardo de Soto and his friendship with Capt. Alvarez, Anthony Quinn's character. A fine ensemble chat!
The cinematography is pure 1937 Paramount and that's, overall, a good thing. The cinematography at Paramount during this period was still being influenced b Lee Garmss and Leo Tover, who were influenced by one of Paramount's premier directors of this period, Josef von Sternberg. Whenever a Paramount film of this period had a foreign locale, the black and white photography gave a sensual, exotic, hothouse effect that was both inappropriate for realistically portraying a place and time but it was also exciting to watch, making it easy to immerse oneself in the world the Paramount cinematographers created. This has the virtue of really placing me in a world I would never otherwise experience but it does make the scenes of the film involving Lola's lover being shot dead or Maria escaping the march to Cardoso jarring in their artificiality. To the credit of director James Hogan, the bombing scenes filmed at Paramount had almost-seemless intercutting with newsreel footage of the bombings in Spain during the war.
All in all, this film, while not of the top tier of classic films, is fascinating as a time capsule, better-than-expected characterizations, and good acting from a true ensemble cast that gave some of these actors one of their best roles. It was an effective story of suspense and character. "The Last Train from Madrid" does need critical reconsideration, greater opportunities to view it, and deserves far more recognition than it currently has.
This is one of those episodes of television shows that one says, "They don't make them like they used to!". This episode has laughs but it also has what "Hazel" and the best pre-2000 sitcoms had: lots of heart. While many sitcoms and dramas today believe snarkiness and "pushing the envelope" sexually and verbally makes for great television, what really can make great television appears lost: writing that displays "great heart"., wherein the main characters express their feelings for each other in an honest, heartfelt way that cuts across all times. This is part of what makes a sitcom a classic sitcom, as "Hazel" is.
I was surprised by the honesty in which Harold's fear of losing Hazel to an old beau was honestly and sensitively portrayed, as it would happen in real life, not in any contrived way. The way in which the expectations that old flames or "the one that got away" returning to one's life and promising a second chance at love really displays how far both former lovers have changed in their lives was also accurately and sensitively displayed by Hazel and the one man who she almost married and returned to her life, Gus. While it could be argued that Hazel might've married Gus in real life, leaving an emotional vacuum for the Baxters, particularly, Harold, the logic used by Hazel to turn down Gus' marriage proposal showed an insight and maturity that sitcoms don't display and seem to, categorically, run away from. How sad that displaying honest, non-four letter word sentiment seems to be ridiculed, unknown, and shunned by comedy writers on American television today. It seems that the more shocking and controversial a show's content is, the better the quality, which believes the honest, warm sentiment displayed in this episode of "Hazel" as a relic from the Victorian Era and is not realistic for today's audiences. How sad and untrue! Future television writers could learn tremendous lessons from Peggy Chantler, who wrote this episode. I hope they do!
I was surprised by the honesty in which Harold's fear of losing Hazel to an old beau was honestly and sensitively portrayed, as it would happen in real life, not in any contrived way. The way in which the expectations that old flames or "the one that got away" returning to one's life and promising a second chance at love really displays how far both former lovers have changed in their lives was also accurately and sensitively displayed by Hazel and the one man who she almost married and returned to her life, Gus. While it could be argued that Hazel might've married Gus in real life, leaving an emotional vacuum for the Baxters, particularly, Harold, the logic used by Hazel to turn down Gus' marriage proposal showed an insight and maturity that sitcoms don't display and seem to, categorically, run away from. How sad that displaying honest, non-four letter word sentiment seems to be ridiculed, unknown, and shunned by comedy writers on American television today. It seems that the more shocking and controversial a show's content is, the better the quality, which believes the honest, warm sentiment displayed in this episode of "Hazel" as a relic from the Victorian Era and is not realistic for today's audiences. How sad and untrue! Future television writers could learn tremendous lessons from Peggy Chantler, who wrote this episode. I hope they do!