Dec 16, 2022
Our penultimate Jean Arthur Acteurist Oeuvre-view episode features a couple of sexy romantic comedies, George Stevens' The More the Merrier and William A. Seiter's The Lady Takes a Chance (both 1943), that Arthur made at the height of her stardom and glamour, when she was in her early 40s - at which point she retired from movies. (Though not quite yet, or permanently, as we'll see in the final episode.) We discuss the different ways Arthur smolders with co-stars Joe McCrea and John Wayne; George Stevens' way with smutty comedy; the effect of the Production Code on onscreen eroticism; and Arthur's particular brand of comedic sex appeal. How did we end up talking about sex so much in a Jean Arthur episode, after establishing that she's "not that kind" of star? That's one of the mysteries of her persona!
Time Codes:
0h 1m 00s: THE MORE THE MERRIER (1943) [dir. George Stevens]
0h 53m 33s: A LADY TAKES A CHANCE (1943) [dir. William A. Seiter]
+++
* Listen to our guest episode on The Criterion Project – a discussion of Late Spring
* Marvel at our meticulously ridiculous Complete Viewing Schedule for the 2020s
* Intro Song: “Sunday” by Jean Goldkette Orchestra with the Keller Sisters (courtesy of The Internet Archive)
* Read Elise’s piece on Gangs of New York – “Making America Strange Again”
* Check out Dave’s Robert Benchley blog – an attempt to annotate and reflect upon as many of the master humorist’s 2000+ pieces as he can locate – Benchley Data: A Wayward Annotation Project!
Follow us on Twitter at @therebuggy
Write to us at therebuggy@gmail.com
We now have a Discord server - just drop us a line if you'd like to join!