Apr 16, 2021
A four-film Special Subject episode, Joan Harrison, Producer, Part 1 looks at: Phantom Lady (1944), The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945), Nocturne (1946), and They Won't Believe Me (1947). These idiosyncratic noirs and Jamesian melodramas by the former Hitchcock screenwriter and honorary family member interrogate gender roles, flip gendered tropes, and deconstruct male resentment of women in ways that faintly anticipate Elaine May's work. We also discuss the Negative Capability of George Raft, the void-like charisma of Robert Young, the appealing androgyny of Ella Raines and very different vibe of Susan Hayward, Geraldine Fitzgerald's ability to be sexy and Victorian at the same time, and George Sanders' subtle way of showing us his soul dying inside of him. It's a big episode!
Time Codes:
0h 01m 00s: Brief introduction to Joan Harrison
0h 19m 08s: PHANTOM LADY (1944) [dr. Robert Siodmak]
0h 48m 41s: NOCTURNE (1946) [dir. Edwin L. Marin]
1h 15m 08s: THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF UNCLE HARRY (1945) [dir. Robert Siodmak]
1h 43m 41s: THEY WON’T BELIEVE ME (1947) [dir. Irving Pichel]
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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)
* Find Elise’s latest film piece on Billy Wilder and 1930s Romantic Comedy
*And Read lots of Elise’s Writing at Bright Wall/Dark Room, Cléo, and Bright Lights.*
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