March 21

I was able to watch several films TCM aired to celebrate W.S. Van Dyke II birthday. The Feminine Touch starring Rosalind Russell, Don Ameche and Kay Francis, Rage in Heaven staring Robert Montgomery and Ingmar Bergman and I Married An Angel. The story seemed interesting, but when watching a film with Jeanette McDonald and Nelson Eddy I have fallen asleep. I like Van Dyke, so I thought I would give this one a try. I was surprised at all the comedy that was in the film. It may have been due to Anita Loos adaptation. I liked it.

In I Married An Angel Van Dyke is credited as a Major. The film came out in 1942. The story takes place in Budapest Hungary with the opening title “Gay days of not so long ago”. The women’s clothing seems like it is a current story but it might be only 10 years prior. Nelson plays a swinging titled bachelor who spends a few hours a day at his family business a bank. Jeannette plays a meek shy lower secretary in the office. She has a crush on Nelson. Nelson is having a costumed birthday party to celebrate his 35th birthday. Jeanette attends dressed as an angel. She has a halo that slips and slides and hits Nelson in the head as they dance. The family wants Nelson to marry, he doesn’t want to. Nelson bored with own party goes to his room and takes a nap. While he is sleeping (there are many cuts of him sleeping during the action so you know it is a dream) Jeanette as a angel comes to him singing. When he tries to put his arms around her, statues fall into his arms. When he tries to kiss her an invisible wall is there. He decides to marry her. They climb off the balcony into heaven and away from the family. After the wedding night Jeanette’s wings disappear. The family finds them and they decide to go home.

The family throws a reception for the newlywed couple. At the reception Jeanette tells a music critic he does not know a note she sang, she tells a woman “the gown does not make you fat, you are fat”, and she tells an older woman that she is a sweet old lady. Nelson tells her that you tell people the opposite of the truth. She calls a beautiful young woman an old ugly lady. She calls her husband (a much older man) her grandfather. At dinner Jeanette decides the gentlemen are not sitting by the girls they are fond of. Married men who have young girls they give expensive presents to. After a few people move around, the wives have had enough and sit next to their husbands. The music starts off very refined, but as the people change the music switches to square dancing country music. A servant vacuums the carpet in between movements. Everyone leaves the dining room. Nelson goes to get them back. Jeanette stays with the Baron. She and the Baron kiss as everyone comes back. Nelson very upset throws a slow punch at the Baron. The Baron decides to get back at Nelson through the bank. Nelson and Jeanette argue. To help him out she goes to the Baron. While Nelson is behaving worse than normal at a nightclub, Jeanette comes in (dressed in red sequins) with the Baron. She is a combination of Irene Dunn and Joan Crawford. A refined voice with a hint of sass and sarcasm. Nelson goes back to his apartment and hears Jeanette singing from the balcony. He sees her singing in country costumes of Spain, Italy and the Pacific Islands with the Baron in the background. He sings to her. When she and Baron are water skiing and the boats hit the balcony he wakes up. He decides that he loves Jeanette his office worker. He goes to her still sitting in the same spot, only a few minutes have passed. He asks her to marry him. She says she doesn’t fit in his world. As he reaches for her hand he squeezes the cake instead. As he starts singing “I married and angel” she signs with him.

I watched a drama, a comedy and a musical. The films were very different. I could not find a common style or something that would identify the director. Maybe that is the mark of a good director, the stamp is seamless.