skjam

Angel and the Badman (1947) dir. James Edward Grant

Quirt Evans (John Wayne) may be a top hand with a gun, but he's got his limits, and this time he was severely outnumbered, so rode away. Badly wounded, he collapses in front of Quaker woman Penelope Worth (Gail Russell) and her father Thomas (John Halloran). They get him to the telegraph office where Quirt makes a land claim, then collapses again.

The kindly Quaker family nurses Quirt back to health, despite warnings from Dr. Mangram (Tom Powers) that this could lead to trouble for them. (His opinion doesn't stop the doctor from doing his job properly.) As Quirt recovers, he and Penelope take a shine to each other. Quirt is bemused by Quaker beliefs and customs, but comes to see the value in them.

Too bad the rest of the world is still wicked! This is especially true in the case of Quirt's old "work colleague" and enemy Laredo Stevens (Bruce Cabot). Can Quirt stay alive without killing?

This was the debut of John Wayne's production company, and the director also wrote the script. It was also a rare movie where Mr. Wayne's character is a criminal rather than a lawman or other law-abiding sort. We do learn that Quirt's been a lawman for a short time before...bad things happened. He's had a difficult life. But for a crook, he's a relatively decent sort, and can still be reached with kindness and reason. He grows from someone who literally cannot sleep without a gun in his hand to someone who can leave his gun in the dust at the end of the story.

The romance is much better developed here than in many John Wayne movies I've seen. I could see what both characters saw in each other, and the difficulties Quirt has in living up to Penny's expectations.

But there's also exciting action, including a cattle stampede and a bar brawl. This is a Western, after all.

Other bits I liked: The friendship between faithful Thomas Worth and atheist Dr. Mangram, which is respectful to both of them. The pointed reminder that sections of the Bible are rather violent themselves. Quirt learning that solving problems without violence feels good and leads to good, while when he briefly returns to his old life of crime and indulgence, it is stale and unfulfilling. Reasonable but suspicious lawman Marshal Wistful McClintock (Harry Carey).

There's a bit of a cheat at the end so that the Laredo situation is solved without Quirt having to soil his hands, but it's followed by a very satisfying last scene.

Content note: lethal gun violence, no gore. Some other violence. Quirt is heavily implied to have had extramarital sex. Quirt is briefly shirtless. Alcohol abuse. Younger children should have adult guidance.

This is a very good John Wayne movie, and highly recommended to Western fans and people who liked Witness with Harrison Ford (which has a lot of similarities.)

An Affair to Remember (1957) dir. Leo McCarey

International playboy Niccolo Ferrante (Cary Grant) is traveling back from Italy to marry his heiress fiancée Lois Clark (Neva Patterson). On the ship, Nickie discovers that his lost cigarette case is in the hands of nightclub singer Terry McKay (Deborah McKerr, singing voice by Marnie Nixon). They immediately begin flirting, but she too is engaged to a wealthy person, Kenneth Bradley (Richard Denning.) It's a small ship, and the pair keep running into each other. When the ship anchors in France, Nickie invites Terry along to meet his grandmother Janou (Cathleen Nesbitt). Terry and the older woman bond, and Terry sees that behind his playboy façade, Nickie is a talented but under-confident artist who dotes on children.

Their interest in each other deepens, and by the final night before docking in New York City, Nickie and Terry admit they're very much in love, despite their other commitments. They agree to go their separate ways for six months, and then if they still feel the same way, reunite at the Empire State building. Each breaks off their engagement, and attempt to make their own way in the world. This latter is relatively easy for Terry, as nightclub singing, while not the most lucrative profession, is very portable for a talented and pretty woman. Nickie has always relied on the kindness of women, and a) refuses to cash in on his name recognition and b) is working in a realistic painting style that's out of fashion in the 1950s. He even has to get a day job!

Six months later, the couple has not lost their feelings for each other, and rush off to the Empire State Building. On the way, however, Terry has an accident that cripples her, and Nickie thinks she's dumped him because she never shows up. Their hearts broken, how will Nickie and Terry ever recover?

This romance movie is considered one of the classics in the field; it's a remake of the equally classic 1939 movie Love Affair, based on a story co-written by Leo McCarey, who directed both movies. (Sadly, he did not direct the 1994 remake.)

Good: Splendid acting from our leads, good dialogue (especially in the early flirting stages), some truly heart touching scenes and light comedy moments. I liked that the romantic runners-up were depicted as decent people, especially Ken, who we can only hope finds a mate that appreciates his many fine qualities. And it really is a well-crafted story.

The main song is lovely, both in English and French. Marnie Nixon's singing is excellent.

Less good: A soul-crushing musical number by the "adorable" children that Terry teaches after she loses the use of her legs. It goes on rather too long.

I have to admit that straight-up romance just isn't my genre. For all the good writing and acting, I found many of the love scenes tedious and I was ready to move on well before the script was.

Content note: The treatment of Terry's disability is period-appropriate but some modern viewers may find it a bit cringey.

Overall: I can certainly see why this movie is considered a classic, and recommend it to those more fond of the romance genre than I am.

Board to Death: A Trio of Mysteries in the Dangerous Games Series by Amy Barkman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Disclosure: I received this book as part of the Firstreads giveaway program on the premise that I would write a review of it.



As the subtitle says, this is a set of three mystery stories linked by the theme of games. It's double-spaced with fairly large type, so the book was a fast read.



The protagonists are all older women ("baby boomers" as the blurb puts it) and the stories double as romances as each of them finds love as well as danger. The stories are compentently written, although only one of them is a "fair play" mystery that the reader can solve with the given information. The links between the stories as the games go from one person to another might seem a bit too "cute" to more cynical readers.



Which leads to the next thing I should talk about. All of the protagonists, like their authors, are practicing Christians. This leads to rather more God-talk than most cozies contain. I was comfortable with this, but I know many readers might find it intrusive or off-putting.



A peculiarity of the stories is that there's only two religion settings for characters: practicing non-denominational Christian and entirely secular. This is pointed up by one of the secular characters calling people who go to church of a Sunday and pray at appropriate moments "religious fanatics." Clearly, she's never met any real religious fanatics...such as those who would ban board games from their homes for leading to gambling.



And a generally conservative worldview predominates. The motive for one of the deaths caught me by total surprise because it was old-fashioned, almost quaint.



I'd recommend this book most to Christian "cozy" fans, and older romance literature fans.



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