Robinson, Dietrich, & Raft’s Star Power Gives ‘Manpower’ a Boost 1941

 

"Manpower," with mega-watt star power of Marlene Dietrich, Edward G. Robinson,
 and George Raft. 

Raoul Walsh was a WB director up to the task of putting high-voltage stars like Edward G. Robinson, Marlene Dietrich, and George Raft through their paces in the action triangle, 1941’s Manpower. Walsh specialized in masculine stories, but also with strong female characters. The star trio is game here, but the script is strictly by the numbers.

Bachelor # 1! The lovable lug Edward G. Robinson, gaga for Marlene Dietrich,
in 1941's "Manpower. "

Bachelor #2! George Raft's tough guy plays hard to get, but so does Marlene Dietrich,
  in WB's "Manpower."

In a nutshell, Robinson and Raft play Hank and Johnny, best buddies who work as California electrical line men. Hank is lovelorn but keeps up a steady patter of girl talk; Johnny is a man of few words, but actually gets the girls. Their job is fraught with danger, often brought on by deadly weather. First, Hank’s leg gets electrocuted, and later, Johnny takes a bad fall. In between this, Johnny’s voice of doom old pal, Pop Duval, asks him to take him to his daughter, Fay, who’s getting out of prison. Raft and Dietrich’s characters have an instant love-hate attraction. This is complicated when Pop’s gloomy prediction comes true and he gets fried on the job. When Hank and Johnny go to Fay to give her the bad news, guess who also becomes gaga for Dietrich’s tough cookie? From there, Manpower alternates between the men’s dangerous occupation and their preoccupation with her.

Marlene Dietrich has her hands full in 1941's "Manpower!" With George Raft
and Edward G. Robinson. 

Off-camera, there was friction, as well. Raft resented being third-billed, while playing the lead. He also didn’t like the way Robinson was performing certain scenes together. And rumor had it that Raft was romancing Dietrich, and was suspicious that Eddie was smitten with her, too! It all came to a head when the boys got into a heated argument and shoving match—all captured on-camera by a visiting Life photographer! For more dish, here’s the skinny: https://starsandletters.blogspot.com/2018/12/controversy-on-set-of-manpower.html

 

George Raft and Edward G. Robinson play besties in 1941's "Manpower."
Off-camera, things got a bit beastly between the two stars.

Much of WB's They Drive by Night, from the previous year, had the same talent: director, writer, producer, composer, and several of the cast members. Part of what enlivened They Drive by Night was a juicy subplot lifted from 1935's Bordertown, with Paul Muni as the male lead and Bette Davis as the unhappy wife who bedevils him. Night’s Ann Sheridan and Ida Lupino were far more realistic leading ladies in a WB melodrama than languid and lacquered Marlene Dietrich. Not that Marlene is bad, just very miscast. And what would possess her Fay to marry a homely little man who has a thankless job as an electrical line man?

Eve Arden's fellow "hostess" reacts to Marlene Dietrich’s Fay and her ambivalence
 over marrying a man she doesn't love, in 1941's "Manpower."

The men of 1941's "Manpower!"

The juvenile way the Manpower guys obsess about dames and sex non-stop, plus Marlene’s character is referred to as a "kid" who makes a lot of dumb life decisions is an eye roll, since Eddie G. was 47 and Marlene and George were 40 at the time. That being said, they all play well, given the clichéd characters and script.

No-makeup scene with Marlene Dietrich in 1941's "Manpower." Okay, I didn't say
 anything about false eyelashes and a wig!

Amusing when Marlene gets out of the joint and her first request is to hit a drug store to buy makeup—mind you she's wearing false eyelashes like awnings! From there on, Dietrich's face is painted like a kewpie doll, whether she's working, sleeping, or making morning biscuits for her new husband! Sitting next to fellow clip joint girl Eve Arden—normally made up, Marlene in her mannequin makeup and wig looks like she’s from another movie. 

And she can cook, too! Marlene Dietrich as Edward G. Robinson's blase bride,
in 1941's "Manpower."

Whether horny, drunk, or throwing punches, over-zealous Eddie seems a bit absurd and not especially convincing. Especially when he socks Ward Bond, who's a head taller and built like a brick shithouse! Eddie's energetic emoting is in stark contrast to Marlene and George's deadpan style. And Dietrich is not the only one clinging to '30s makeup—Raft is still wearing generously applied guy-liner and eye shadow!

Handsome George Raft, with smoky eye makeup to go with his non-stop smoking,
in 1941's "Manpower. "

And George Raft's tough guy act, throwing punches and furniture at the least provocation, trash-talking Dietrich's character non-stop, and slapping her up near the climax, doesn't age well at all.

George is getting angry! From WB'S 1941 action flick, "Manpower. "

Edward G. Robinson beating the competition,  in 1941's "Manpower."

Alan Hale is more annoying than usual with his "lovable" buffoon persona. He’s even more over the top here than as the bumptious boyfriend of Stella Dallas or the crass hubby of Ida Lupino in They Drive by Night. There's way too much comic relief, to the point they might as well have brought in The Three Stooges, what with Hale, Frank McHugh, and Walter Catlett, going so overboard.

Alan Hale is the alleged comic relief in WB's "Manpower."

I always loved the WB depiction of the working class during their golden era. A highlight is the diner scene, where the guy behind the counter calls out the orders to the cook in slang. And if you took a drink every time George Raft calls Marlene’s shady lady “sister,” you’d be sloshed! And the girl talk at the Midnight Club clip joint is zingy. Manpower is quite watchable, just rather unoriginal. 

George Raft and Ward Bond are hands-on help when Edward G. Robinson
gets zapped in 1941’s "Manpower."

My look at Marlene Dietrich in a similar role, but with a far better script, in Billy Wilder’s post-war comedy/drama, A Foreign Affair:  https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2023/05/billy-wilders-adult-foreign-affair-1948.html 

Love this montage of George Raft's Johnny recovering in the hospital,  as a nurse
gives him a cigarette! 1941's "Manpower."

The Stars Shine ‘On Golden Pond’ 1981

 

Henry Fonda & Katharine Hepburn as Norman & Ethel Thayer, the devoted couple
 facing old age, in 1981's drama, "On Golden Pond." Fonda's hat belonged to
Spencer Tracy, a gift to Hank from Kate!

I have been revisiting movies of my youth that I haven't seen since their initial release, to see if they live up to my memory. I watched On Golden Pond for the first time since I saw it in a theater shortly after its Dec. 4, 1981 release. It was interesting to see On Golden Pond now, as a 66 year old, from when I was 22 years old. Talk about perspective!

I enjoyed On Golden Pond back in the day as a sentimental tale starring two Hollywood legends. Even as a '70s teen, I loved classic movies and older people. I watched all the older stars from Hollywood's heyday in their golden era glory on the afternoon movies, like Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn.

"On Golden Pond" was a modestly successful play that became a sleeper hit movie.

As an adult, I lived in Traverse City, MI for three decades. Eventually, I moved up on a hill in a neighborhood adjacent to the Traverse City Country Club. All the houses were built post-war and nearly of the original owners still lived up there. Most of the residents were retirees and I had just turned 30!

Most of those wonderful neighbors are gone now, but I have very fond memories of them. One of my favorites was Claire Nixon, who I always called "The Katharine Hepburn of Traverse City." I was her and husband Don's neighbor for many years. For those who find On Golden Pond phony, I beg to differ. Claire and Don were Traverse City's version of On Golden Pond. Claire was very much Kate's Ethel Thayer, full of energy and good-natured bossiness. She was also very outdoorsy, on Cedar Lake in the summer and downhill skiing around northern Michigan in the winter. Don was the guy who was always working on something, his garage as organized as an Ace Hardware store. Don could be a curmudgeon, but he was really a stand-up guy. As a neighbor, he was most helpful to this guy, who didn't know how to fix anything! Of the two, Claire outlived Don, until age 90. Like the Thayers, Claire and Don bickered, but were totally devoted.

Me at Claire Nixon's funeral in 2015. A favorite picture of Claire & Don, they were right out of "On Golden Pond!" Claire was the Kate Hepburn of Traverse City.

On Golden Pond is a very mainstream and simple story, but it's not simplistic. From Ernest Thompson’s play, the story focuses on a senior couple whose semi-estranged daughter comes to visit them at the family cottage at the title location. She brings her fiancee and his son. They leave the son with her parents for a month, while they go off to Europe to marry. Their interaction with the boy shines a light onto the family dynamic. When the daughter returns, the stage is set for reconciliation. 

Katharine Hepburn is Super Kate as Ethel Thayer in 1981's "On Golden Pond."

Jane Fonda as daughter Chelsea maybe be dysfunctional, but has a bod to die for,
in 1981's drama, "On Golden Pond."

I think all three of the stars' performances are well-done, but their individual persona presentation is telling. Katharine Hepburn is at her most Kate, while Jane's focused a bit much on looking fab at 40-something. On Golden Pond really gets much of its resonance from Henry Fonda's honest portrayal of a difficult man, not unlike himself. Fonda was the classic buttoned up man of his era, warm and charismatic on film, cool and taciturn off-camera. Though he has his share of grumpy old man humor, Fonda presents himself as he actually was at the time, old and frail. The scene where Henry looks at himself bemusedly in the mirror, next to a photo of his handsome young self, is wistfully touching. Fonda's scenes as cranky Norman baiting daughter Chelsea's boyfriend (Dabney Coleman) then getting called on the earnest dentist, is honestly played. The same later, where he's taking digs at the prodigal daughter. When she finally snaps back, he looks surprised. And there are several scenes where Norman's increasingly revealed frailty are brave choices for an actor long renowned as a tower of strength. There's no vanity or preservation of image from Henry Fonda here, unlike his female co-stars. His Oscar win, long overdue, was most deserved. 

Henry Fonda as Norman Thayer, looking at his current self with resignation,
in 1981's "On Golden Pond."

I like the fact that Henry Fonda or On Golden Pond’s story doesn't gloss over Norman's irascible nature. Though I found Jane Fonda presenting herself a bit too much as the fit movie star (next year she would launch herself as the workout queen), her performance as the perennially disappointed daughter rings true. The scenes of Jane’s Chelsea opening up to Fonda’s prickly father feel painfully real.

Kate Hepburn's Ethel is empathetic to Jane Fonda's Chelsea, but seems to place
all the blame for the bad blood with father Norman (Henry Fonda) on her.
From 1981's "On Golden Pond."

Katharine Hepburn's "get up and get over it" attitude rings true as Ethel Thayer, if not correctly. After all, why is it up to the daughter to make up with a less than wonderful father? Then again, this was the era when these issues were first being publicly discussed. Hepburn was famous for her both doting and dysfunctional relationship with alcoholic Spencer Tracy. Hepburn's devoted admiration toward Fonda's Norman is very similar to how she doted on Tracy in their movies, especially Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Katharine Hepburn as Ethel gives Henry Fonda's Norman the "you're my knight
in shining armor" pep talk, a lovely moment, from 1981's "On Golden Pond."

Hepburn does her hale and hearty bit, playing to the public perception of her as superhumanly indomitable. And when Kate's Ethel Thayer isn't hauling wood, manning a boat, or jumping in the water, she's imparting wisdom to her grumpy old husband and daughter with a chip on her buff shoulder. When the movie is at its most serious, Hepburn is direct and appealing, as when she's lifting her diminished husband up and cheering him on. Ethel Thayer was Kate’s best film role since The Lion in Winter, bringing star power and skills, and winning her a fourth Oscar.

Kate Hepburn's rendition of "Happy Birthday" is one you will never forget,
in 1981's "On Golden Pond."

It is interesting how age perception has changed. Kate was 74 and Fonda 76 when On Golden Pond was released. By today's standards they seem a decade older, in behavior and ailments. In the film Hank's character turns 80 and Kate is 70ish. Fonda died less than a year later, whereas Hepburn lived until 2003.

Hank Fonda & Kate Hepburn were in they're mid-70s when they made 1981's
"On Golden Pond." He died later the next year; she lived for 22 more years.

The music was by Dave Grusin, whose music has been the soundtrack to many baby boomers' entertainment lives, from The Graduate to The Goonies, from themes like The Name of the Game to Good Times. And Billy Williams beautiful and detailed photography is memorable (he's lensed everything from Women in Love to Ghandi). Mark Rydell, an actor himself, was a director great with actors, especially high-powered ones, from Steve McQueen to Bette Midler, and here On Golden Pond, the Fondas and Katharine Hepburn.

On Golden Pond may be a modest work, but it has genuine merit. The film version brings the story to another level because of what Henry and Jane Fonda’s willingness to convey in their father-daughter roles and Katharine Hepburn’s strength of character. That all makes this pond worth reflecting on.

Norman & Ethel Thayer bid farewell to the loons, in 1981's "On Golden Pond."

Kate Hepburn, "The Philadelphia Story."

Here's the role that redefined great Kate's image, Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story. After a near-decade of many duds mixed with a few gems, Kate came back to Hollywood, delightful in the film version, w/ Cary Grant, Oscar winners James Stewart & Ruth Hussey. My look at '40s screen Kate:   

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2025/06/kate-hepburns-signature-role-tracy-lord.html

Henry Fonda in"The Big Street."

Here’s Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda, teamed for the first time in the Damon Runyon comedy-drama, 1942’s The Big Street. My take: 

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2022/04/lucille-ball-istic-in-big-street-1942.html

My toast to Claire Nixon!

Here’s my tribute to my late, great neighbor & pal, Claire Nixon, the Kate Hepburn of Traverse City!

 

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2019/08/claire-nixon-kate-hepburn-of-traverse.html

 

Loretta Young & Celeste Holm Shine in 'Come to the Stable' 1949

 

Celeste Holm & Loretta Young are nuns on a mission in 1949's "Come to the Stable."

2oth Century Fox's feel-good comedy-drama Come to the Stable makes a perfect companion piece to star Loretta Young's 1947 Oscar-winning vehicle, The Farmer's Daughter. Young as an indomitable nun pairs well with Loretta's plucky Swedish maid. Both films are pure fairy tales, but smartly and sweetly done. Both movies mix humor, sentiment, and light drama expertly. And Young’s characters achieve great goals, against all odds. 

Celeste Holm & Loretta Young both have plenty of warmth and charm to portray
the nuns who ingratiate others to their cause, in 1949's "Come to the Stable."

In 1949’s Come to the Stable, Loretta Young and Celeste Holm play nuns, Sisters Margaret and Scholastica, respectively. They have arrived from post-war France, where they worked in a hospital. Young's sister is originally from Chicago and Holm's nun is French. Their dream is to build a hospital in a small New England town of Bethlehem. They believe divine providence has brought them, due to seeing the work of a local religious painter, Miss Potts (Elsa Lanchester). Upon arrival, they share their plan and ask for shelter. She agrees and so begins the sisters' journey in seeking land and money to build a local hospital. Along their fundraising adventure, they meet and win over many colorful characters.

Elsa Lanchester plays Miss Potts, the local artist who joins the visiting nuns on their
arduous journey to build a hospital, in 1949's "Come to the Stable."

What puts Come to the Stable over is a well-told story, adapted from Claire Luce Boothe’s tale. Famed for her acerbic play The Women, Boothe was a recent convert to Catholicism when she wrote Come to the Stable, inspired by the true story of two nuns who built an abbey in Bethlehem, Connecticut. The smooth screenplay was written by Oscar Millard and Sally Benson. Henry Koster, one of Fox's long-time studio directors, guides what could have been a cutesy or overly sentimental tale, with a sure touch. The sisters' story is filled with their leaps of faith and clearing the hurdles every time. Even with occasional setbacks, God has got their backs! While the coincidences and characters' change of hearts is pure Hollywood fairy tale, it is done with genuine intelligence and heart. You either suspend disbelief or avoid such movies. If this type of film is done with smarts and heart, I have no problem in going along for the movie ride!

Dooley Wilson as Anthony finds that the nuns portrayed by Celeste Holm & Loretta
 Young have many talents, in 1949's "Come to the Stable."

Along with the imaginative storytelling, the stellar cast is the other major component that causes Come to the Stable to resonate with viewers. Loretta Young and Celeste Holm were both Oscar-nominated for their whole-hearted performances. While you might eye roll at two nuns in makeup, it's pretty subtle for a '40s movie. Young's unyielding strength as the lead nun comes through—Loretta wasn't nicknamed "The Iron Butterfly" for nothing. As one of Hollywood's most devout Catholics, this role was tailor-made for Young. Loretta plays with sincerity and subtle humor. Sister Margaret makes the most of each possible opportunity in her goal toward getting a hospital built, and Young conveys that effortlessly. She handles the serious moments naturally, to great effect. And Loretta has to be one of the most beautiful women ever to be depicted as a nun. Wearing a habit throughout, with only light makeup, and beautifully photographed, Young's face, with her huge expressive eyes, big smile, and bone structure, is a miracle in itself.

Loretta Young as Sister Margaret in 1949's "Come to the Stable." Aside from Young's
 warmth and natural charm, I could stare at Loretta's natural beauty all day!

Celeste Holm as the French nun has droll humor in her line delivery as the ever-chipper Scholastica. One of her best bits is when she gives St. Jude coins to the bookies that she and Margaret visit in their mission in securing the perfect parcel of land. Later, when Scholastica displays a hidden talent for tennis, it’s one of the light-hearted highlights of the film. When she loses, despite her prowess, in trying to win funds, Holm's simple declaration of "I lost" to Young is so touching. 

Celeste Holm's line reading as Sister Scholastica, declaring that she lost the tennis
 game is so sweet. I noticed that Holm & Young went light on the makeup, except
in their big closeups! "Come to the Stable," 1949.

Hugh Marlowe plays a songwriter who lives across from the nuns’ dream location for their hospital. Marlowe, whose voice was perfect for radio, never became a top movie leading man. I first watched Hugh as ‘70s teen, playing patriarch Jim Matthews on the NBC soap, Another World. In his tenure at Fox, Marlowe did appear in some great movies, such as playwright Lloyd Richards in 1950’s All About Eve, where Holm played his supportive wife, Karen. Here, as Bob Masen, Marlowe's songwriter is basically a good guy. But he's tested when Masen finds out the hospital is to be built across the way from his dream pad. And until he sees the light, Bob is put out and peevish, with an entitled "not in my back yard" attitude. This is handled in a surprisingly realistic way. Dooley Wilson, of Casablanca fame, has a scene-stealing role as Bob's Man Friday, Anthony. Wilson also has the best line in the movie. When his boss comes back from Hollywood, he asks about a new nun milling about. Anthony replies, “Don’t know, boss. All the nuns look alike to me!”

Hugh Marlowe as the songwriter who's at odds with nuns Celeste Holm & Loretta Young in 1949's "Come to the Stable." Hugh & Celeste later played husband & wife
in 1950's classic, "All About Eve."

Thomas Gomez as the bookie Luigi Rossi, a comic tough guy who carries a heavy heartache, is marvelous to watch. Regis Toomey as the patient Monsignor is well-written and played, and not condescending to the nun characters. Elsa Lanchester gets a chance to shine in a more fully dimensional version of her quirky screen persona, as the painter who becomes a champion in the nuns' crusade. As often the case with a cast of classic Hollywood contract players, everyone stands out right down to the bit players. Louis Heydt is Jim’s amused musician pal ‘Al Newman,’ an in-joke to this film’s music composer!

Thomas Gomez as bookie big dog Luigi Rossi is a standout in a great cast,
in 1949's "Come to the Stable."

The sets and photography of this wintery New England town are stunning, and the music by Alfred Newman and Mack Gordon are really lovely—all receiving Oscar nominations in their categories. The spiritual music that permeates much of the movie is beautiful presented, as well.

Hugh Marlowe as songwriter Bob Masen sees the light that the nuns' mission
for a hospital is more important than his "not in my backyard" entitlement,
in 1949's "Come to the Stable."

Come to the Stable is a top-notch spiritual tale or fairy tale, take it as you like! The premise that faith—whatever kind you believe in—can help you achieve your dreams is a worthy premise for a movie.

The nuns find shelter in Elsa Lanchester's stable turned artist's studio home.
I love quaint abodes in old movies like 1949's "Come to the Stable."

Loretta Young is
"The Farmer's Daughter."

Here’s my look at The Farmer's Daughter, a Swedish Cinderella story. A surprisingly forward-thinking story as Young goes from farm girl to maid to political candidate. My take on this delightful "Daughter":

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2023/01/loretta-young-just-fine-as-farmers.html