Jul 23, 2021
RKO, 1936: Anne Shirley and Katharine Hepburn have father trouble. In Make Way for a Lady (directed by David Burton), Shirley gets hysterical at the thought of indulgent 20th century dad Herbert Marshall developing a sex life; while in A Woman Rebels (directed by Mark Sandrich), Hepburn blames stern Victorian dad Donald Crisp for her sexual aberrance. We discuss the careers of the source novelists, Elizabeth Jordan and Netta Syrett, both born in 1865, in America and England respectively; find reason to compare Make Way for a Lady to Ozu's Late Spring, Henry James's The Sacred Fount, and Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt; and generally make sure that we've got our Freud goggles in place.
Time Codes:
0h 01m 00s: MAKE WAY FOR A LADY [dir. David Burton]
0h 42m 05s: A WOMAN REBELS [dir. Mark Sandrich]
Studio Film Capsules provided by The RKO Story by Richard B. Jewell and Vernon Harbin
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* 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 latest film piece on Preston Sturges, Unfaithfully Yours, and the Narrative role of comedic scapegoating.
* Check out Dave’s new 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!
*And Read lots of Elise’s Writing at Bright Wall/Dark Room, Cléo, and Bright Lights.*
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