TCM's 31 Days of Oscar 2016 - 360 Degrees of Oscar - Make the Connection - #LetsMovie - Feb. 1 - Feb. 16

In their own variation of the popular parlor game "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," TCM presents this year's annual "31 Days of Oscar®" festival in a fun format where each film will be linked by a common performer to the one following it. As always, every movie in the festival has either won or been nominated for an Academy Award. No films or connections are repeated, and TCM's incredible month-long schedule comes full circle when the final film is tied back to the first by a common cast member.

February 17, 2016 - March 2, 2016 "Connections" may be found by clicking here.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Top - L-R: John Abbott and Una Merkel
Bottom - L-R: Paul Harvey and Doris Day

Gigi (1958) is connected to The Merry Widow (1952) by John Abbott.
The Merry Widow (1952) is connected to Broadway Melody of 1936 (1936) by Una Merkel.
Broadway Melody of 1936 (1936) is connected to Calamity Jane (1953) by Paul Harvey.
Calamity Jane (1953) is connected to Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962) by Doris Day.

Top - L-R: Stephen Boyd and Jack Hawkins
Bottom - L-R: Alec Guinness and James Donald

Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962) is connected to Ben-Hur (1959) by Stephen Boyd.
Ben-Hur (1959) is connected to Lawrence of Arabia (1962) by Jack Hawkins.
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is connected to The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) by Alec Guinness.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) is connected to Edward, My Son (1949) by James Donald.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Top - L-R: Deborah Kerr and Michael Anderson, Jr.

Bottom - L-R: Angela Lansbury and Walter Pidgeon

Edward, My Son (1949) is connected to The Sundowners (1960) by Deborah Kerr.
The Sundowners (1960) is connected to Dear Heart (1964) by Michael Anderson, Jr.
Dear Heart (1964) is connected to The Red Danube (1949) by Angela Lansbury.
The Red Danube (1949) is connected to Forbidden Planet (1956) by Walter Pidgeon.

Top - L-R: Anne Francis and Robert Ryan

Bottom - L-R: Robert Shaw and Paul Newman

Forbidden Planet (1956) is connected to Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) by Anne Francis.
Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) is connected to The Battle of the Bulge (1965) by Robert Ryan.
The Battle of the Bulge (1965) is connected to The Sting (1973) by Robert Shaw.
The Sting (1973) is connected to The Verdict (1982) by Paul Newman.

L-R: Jack Warden, Donna Reed, and Marsha Hunt

The Verdict (1982) is connected to From Here to Eternity (1953) by Jack Warden.
From Here to Eternity (1953) is connected to The Human Comedy (1943) by Donna Reed.
The Human Comedy (1943) is connected to Blossoms in the Dust (1941) by Marsha Hunt.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Top - L-R: Samuel S. Hinds and Frances Dee
Bottom - L-R: Reginald Denny and Boris Karloff

Blossoms in the Dust (1941) is connected to Little Women (1933) by Samuel S. Hinds.
Little Women (1933) is connected to Of Human Bondage (1934) by Frances Dee.
Of Human Bondage (1934) is connected to The Lost Patrol (1934) by Reginald Denny.
The Lost Patrol (1934) is connected to Five Star Final (1931) by Boris Karloff.

Top - L-R: Frances Starr and Sally Blane
Bottom - L-R: Glenda Farrell and Van Heflin

Five Star Final (1931) is connected to The Star Witness (1931) by Frances Starr.
The Star Witness (1931) is connected to I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) by Sally Blane.
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932) is connected to Johnny Eager (1942) by Glenda Farrell.
Johnny Eager (1942) is connected to Madame Bovary (1949) by Van Heflin.

Top - L-R: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, and Bernard Lee

Bottom - L-R: Michèle Morgan, Alan Ladd, and Victor Mature

Madame Bovary (1949) is connected to Love Letters (1945) by Jennifer Jones.
Love Letters (1945) is connected to The Third Man (1949) by Joseph Cotten.
The Third Man (1949) is connected to The Fallen Idol (1948) by Bernard Lee.
The Fallen Idol (1948) is connected to Joan of Paris (1942) by Michèle Morgan.
Joan of Paris (1942) is connected to Captain Caution (1940) by Alan Ladd.
Captain Caution (1940) is connected to One Million B.C. (1940) by Victor Mature.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Top - L-R: Carole Landis, H.B. Warner, Ralph Forbes, and Gail Patrick
Row 2: Randolph Scott and John Qualen
Row 3: Elizabeth Hartman and Julie Harris
Row 4: Jo Van Fleet, George Kennedy, Ernest Borgnine, and Warren Oates
Center: Ray Danton

One Million B.C. (1940) is connected to Topper Returns (1941) by Carole Landis.
Topper Returns (1941) is connected to The Green Goddess (1930) by H. B. Warner.
The Green Goddess (1930) is connected to Stage Door (1937) by Ralph Forbes.
Stage Door (1937) is connected to My Favorite Wife (1940) by Gail Patrick.
My Favorite Wife (1940) is connected to Captain Kidd (1945) by Randolph Scott.
Captain Kidd (1945) is connected to A Patch of Blue (1965) by John Qualen.
A Patch of Blue (1965) is connected to You're a Big Boy Now (1966) by Elizabeth Hartman.
You're a Big Boy Now (1966) is connected to East of Eden (1955) by Julie Harris.
East of Eden (1955) is connected to Cool Hand Luke (1967) by Jo Van Fleet.
Cool Hand Luke (1967) is connected to The Dirty Dozen (1967) by George Kennedy.
The Dirty Dozen (1967) is connected to The Wild Bunch (1969) by Ernest Borgnine.
The Wild Bunch (1969) is connected to The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960) by Warren Oates.
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960) is connected to A Majority of One (1961) by Ray Danton.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Top 3: Rosalind Russell, Fred Clark, and Margaret Wycherly
Bottom 3: Stanley Ridges, Gene Lockhart, and Gene Tierney

A Majority of One (1961) is connected to Auntie Mame (1958) by Rosalind Russell.
Auntie Mame (1958) is connected to White Heat (1949) by Fred Clark.
White Heat (1949) is connected to Sergeant York (1941) by Margaret Wycherly.
Sergeant York (1941) is connected to The Sea Wolf (1941) by Stanley Ridges.
The Sea Wolf (1941) is connected to Leave Her to Heaven (1945) by Gene Lockhart.
Leave Her to Heaven (1945) is connected to Heaven Can Wait (1943) by Gene Tierney.

Top 3: Eugene Pallette, Maurice Chevalier, and Claudette Colbert
Bottom 3: Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, and Alan Mowbray

Heaven Can Wait (1943) is connected to The Love Parade (1929) by Eugene Pallette.
The Love Parade (1929) is connected to The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) by Maurice Chevalier.
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) is connected to It Happened One Night (1934) by Claudette Colbert.
It Happened One Night (1934) is connected to A Free Soul (1931) by Clark Gable.
A Free Soul (1931) is connected to Berkeley Square (1933) by Leslie Howard.
Berkeley Square (1933) is connected to Merrily We Live (1938) by Alan Mowbray.

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Top - L-R: Billie Burke, Brian Keith, Sean Connery, and Christopher Plummer
Middle - L-R: Judd Hirsch and Christine Lahti
Bottom - L-R: Holly Hunter, Jack Nicholson, Dennis Hopper, and Natalie Wood

Merrily We Live (1938) is connected to The Young Philadelphians (1959) by Billie Burke.
The Young Philadelphians (1959) is connected to The Wind and the Lion (1975) by Brian Keith.
The Wind and the Lion (1975) is connected to The Man Who Would Be King (1975) by Sean Connery.
The Man Who Would Be King (1975) is connected to A Beautiful Mind (2001) by Christopher Plummer.
A Beautiful Mind (2001) is connected to Running on Empty (1988) by Judd Hirsch.
Running on Empty (1988) is connected to Swing Shift (1984) by Christine Lahti.
Swing Shift (1984) is connected to Broadcast News (1987) by Holly Hunter.
Broadcast News (1987) is connected to Easy Rider (1969) by Jack Nicholson.
Easy Rider (1969) is connected to Rebel Without a Cause (1955) by Dennis Hopper.
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) is connected to The Star (1952) by Natalie Wood.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Top - L-R: Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, and Philip Ober
Bottom - L-R: Les Tremayne, Jack Lemmon, and Charles Bickford

The Star (1952) is connected to The Asphalt Jungle (1950) by Sterling Hayden.
The Asphalt Jungle (1950) is connected to The Magnificent Yankee (1950) by Louis Calhern.
The Magnificent Yankee (1950) is connected to North by Northwest (1959) by Philip Ober.
North by Northwest (1959) is connected to The Fortune Cookie (1966) by Les Tremayne.
The Fortune Cookie (1966) is connected to Days of Wine and Roses (1962) by Jack Lemmon.
Days of Wine and Roses (1962) is connected to A Star is Born (1954) by Charles Bickford.

Top - L-R: Judy Garland, Cyd Charisse, and Dolores Gray
Bottom - L-R: Lauren Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, and Sig Ruman

A Star is Born (1954) is connected to The Harvey Girls (1946) by Judy Garland.
The Harvey Girls (1946) is connected to It's Always Fair Weather (1955) by Cyd Charisse.
It's Always Fair Weather (1955) is connected to Designing Woman (1957) by Dolores Gray.
Designing Woman (1957) is connected to Key Largo (1948) by Lauren Bacall.
Key Largo (1948) is connected to Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940) by Edward G. Robinson.
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet (1940) is connected to It Happened Tomorrow (1944) by Sig Ruman.

Monday, February 8, 2016

Top: L-R: Dick Powell, James Cagney, Henry Fonda, and Lily Pons
Middle: L-R: Gene Raymond, Dolores del Rio, Carroll Baker, and Karl Malden
Bottom - L-R: George C. Scott, Murray Hamilton, and Katharine Ross

It Happened Tomorrow (1944) is connected to A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) by Dick Powell.
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935) is connected to Mister Roberts (1955) by James Cagney.
Mister Roberts (1955) is connected to I Dream Too Much (1935) by Henry Fonda.
I Dream Too Much (1935) is connected to That Girl from Paris (1936) by Lily Pons.
That Girl from Paris (1936) is connected to Flying Down to Rio (1933) by Gene Raymond.
Flying Down to Rio (1933) is connected to Cheyenne Autumn (1964) by Dolores del Rio.
Cheyenne Autumn (1964) is connected to Baby Doll (1956) by Carroll Baker.
Baby Doll (1956) is connected to Patton (1970) by Karl Malden.
Patton (1970) is connected to The Hustler (1961) by George C. Scott.
The Hustler (1961) is connected to The Graduate (1967) by Murray Hamilton.
The Graduate (1967) is connected to The Singing Nun (1966) by Katharine Ross.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Top - L-R: Michael Pate, Stanley Andrews, Gary Cooper, and Maria Schell
Middle - L-R: Paul Rogers, Peter Ustinov, Michael York, and Marisa Berenson
Bottom - L-R: Patrick Magee, Miriam Karlin, and Laurence Oliver

The Singing Nun (1966) is connected to All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953) by Michael Pate.
All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953) is connected to Meet John Doe (1941) by Stanley Andrews.
Meet John Doe (1941) is connected to The Hanging Tree (1959) by Gary Cooper.
The Hanging Tree (1959) is connected to The Mark (1961) by Maria Schell.
The Mark (1961) is connected to Billy Budd (1962) by Paul Rogers.
Billy Budd (1962) is connected to Logan's Run (1975) by Peter Ustinov.
Logan's Run (1975) is connected to Cabaret (1972) by Michael York.
Cabaret (1972) is connected to Barry Lyndon (1975) by Marisa Berenson.
Barry Lyndon (1975) is connected to A Clockwork Orange (1971) by Patrick Magee.
A Clockwork Orange (1971) is connected to The Entertainer (1960) by Miriam Karlin.
The Entertainer (1960) is connected to That Hamilton Woman (1941) by Laurence Olivier.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Top - L-R: Vivien Leigh, Bessie Love, Anita Page, and Joan Crawford
Middle - L-R: Ralph Morgan, Robert Middlemass, Sammy White, and Charles Bronson
Steve McQueen, Vic Tayback, George Coulouris, and Walter Slezak

That Hamilton Woman (1941) is connected to The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) by Vivien Leigh.
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) is connected to The Broadway Melody (1929) by Bessie Love.
The Broadway Melody (1929) is connected to Our Dancing Daughters (1928) by Anita Page.
Our Dancing Daughters (1928) is connected to Mannequin (1938) by Joan Crawford.
Mannequin (1938) is connected to General Spanky (1936) by Ralph Morgan.
General Spanky (1936) is connected to Cain and Mabel (1936) by Robert Middlemass.
Cain and Mabel (1936) is connected to Pat and Mike (1952) by Sammy White.
Pat and Mike (1952) is connected to The Great Escape (1963) by Charles Bronson.
The Great Escape (1963) is connected to Bullitt (1968) by Steve McQueen.
Bullitt (1968) is connected to Papillon (1973) by Vic Tayback.
Papillon (1973) is connected to This Land is Mine (1943) by George Coulouris.
This Land is Mine (1943) is connected to Step Lively (1944) by Walter Slezak.

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Center: Adolphe Menjou
Top - L-R: Gilbert Emery, Gale Sondergaard, Herbert Marshall, and Reginald Owen
Middle - L-R: Herman Bing, Rafaela Ottiano, Rochelle Hudson, and Ned Sparks
Bottom - L-R: Ginger Rogers, Eric Blore, George Sanders, and Louis Hayward

Step Lively (1944) is connected to A Farewell to Arms (1932) by Adolph Menjou.
A Farewell to Arms (1932) is connected to The Life of Emile Zola (1937) by Gilbert Emery.
The Life of Emile Zola (1937) is connected to The Letter (1940) by Gale Sondergaard.
The Letter (1940) is connected to The Letter (1929) by Herbert Marshall.
The Letter (1929) is connected to The Great Ziegfeld (1936) by Reginald Owen.
The Great Ziegfeld (1936) is connected to Maytime (1937) by Herman Bing.
Maytime (1937) is connected to She Done Him Wrong (1933) by Rafaela Ottiano.
She Done Him Wrong (1933) is connected to Imitation of Life (1934) by Rochelle Hudson.
Imitation of Life (1934) is connected to Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) by Ned Sparks.
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) is connected to Top Hat (1935) by Ginger Rogers.
Top Hat (1935) is connected to The Moon and Sixpence (1942) by Eric Blore.
The Moon and Sixpence (1942) is connected to The Son of Monte Cristo (1941) by George Sanders.
The Son of Monte Cristo (1941) is connected to The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) by Louis Hayward.

Friday, February 12, 2016

Top - L-R: Joseph Schildkraut, Fay Wray, Miriam Hopkins, and Halliwell Hobbes
Middle - L-R: Errol Flynn, Helen Westcott, Gregory Peck, and George Gaynes
Bottom - L-R: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, and Paul Sorvino

The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) is connected to Viva Villa! (1934) by Joseph Schildkraut.
Viva Villa! (1934) is connected to The Richest Girl in the World (1934) by Fay Wray.
The Richest Girl in the World (1934) is connected to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) by Miriam Hopkins.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932) is connected to That Forsyte Woman (1949) by Halliwell Hobbes.
That Forsyte Woman (1949) is connected to Adventures of Don Juan (1948) by Errol Flynn.
Adventures of Don Juan (1948) is connected to The Gunfighter (1950) by Helen Westcott.
The Gunfighter (1950) is connected to Marooned (1969) by Gregory Peck.
Marooned (1969) is connected to Tootsie (1982) by George Gaynes.
Tootsie (1982) is connected to Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) by Dustin Hoffman.
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) is connected to The Deer Hunter (1978) by Meryl Streep.
The Deer Hunter (1978) is connected to GoodFellas (1990) by Robert De Niro.
GoodFellas (1990) is connected to Bloodbrothers (1978) by Paul Sorvino.

Saturday, February 13, 2016

Top - L-R: Richard Gere, Robert J. Wilke, and James Coburn
Middle - L-R: Keenan Wynn, Burt Reynolds, and Sally Field
Bottom - L-R: Shirley MacLaine, Peter Sellers, and James Mason

Bloodbrothers (1978) is connected to Days of Heaven (1978) by Richard Gere.
Days of Heaven (1978) is connected to The Magnificent Seven (1960) by Robert J. Wilke.
The Magnificent Seven (1960) is connected to The Americanization of Emily (1964) by James Coburn.
The Americanization of Emily (1964) is connected to Best Friends (1982) by Keenan Wynn.
Best Friends (1982) is connected to Hooper (1978) by Burt Reynolds.
Hooper (1978) is connected to Steel Magnolias (1989) by Sally Field.
Steel Magnolias (1989) is connected to Being There (1979) by Shirley MacLaine.
Being There (1979) is connected to Lolita (1962) by Peter Sellers.
Lolita (1962) is connected to The Story of Three Loves (1953) by James Mason.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Top - L-R: Leslie Caron, Charles Boyer, Irene Dunne, and Cary Grant
Middle - L-R: Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday, William Holden, and Humphrey Bogart
Bottom - L-R: Claude Rains, Bette Davis, Donald Crisp, and Merle Oberon

The Story of Three Loves (1953) is connected to Fanny (1961) by Leslie Caron.
Fanny (1961) is connected to Love Affair (1939) by Charles Boyer.
Love Affair (1939) is connected to The Awful Truth (1937) by Irene Dunne.
The Awful Truth (1937) is connected to The Philadelphia Story (1940) by Cary Grant.
The Philadelphia Story (1940) is connected to Adam's Rib (1949) by Katharine Hepburn.
Adam's Rib (1949) is connected to Born Yesterday (1950) by Judy Holliday.
Born Yesterday (1950) is connected to Sabrina (1954) by William Holden.
Sabrina (1954) is connected to Casablanca (1942) by Humphrey Bogart.
Casablanca (1942) is connected to Now, Voyager (1942) by Claude Rains.
Now, Voyager (1942) is connected to Jezebel (1938) by Bette Davis.
Jezebel (1938) is connected to Wuthering Heights (1939) by Donald Crisp.
Wuthering Heights (1939) is connected to Lydia (1941) by Merle Oberon.

Monday, February 15, 2016

Top - L-R: Edna May Oliver, Stanley Fields, Franchot Tone, and Beulah Bondi
Middle - L-R: Charles Coburn, Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan, and Raymond Massey
Bottom - L-R: Syd Saylor, Walter Huston, Tim Holt, and John Carradine

Lydia (1941) is connected to Cimarron (1930) by Edna May Oliver.
Cimarron (1930) is connected to Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) by Stanley Fields.
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) is connected to The Gorgeous Hussy (1936) by Franchot Tone.
The Gorgeous Hussy (1936) is connected to Of Human Hearts (1938) by Beulah Bondi.
Of Human Hearts (1938) is connected to George Washington Slept Here (1942) by Charles Coburn.
George Washington Slept Here (1942) is connected to Kings Row (1942) by Ann Sheridan.
Kings Row (1942) is connected to Desperate Journey (1942) by Ronald Reagan.
Desperate Journey (1942) is connected to Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) by Raymond Massey.
Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) is connected to Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) by Syd Saylor.
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) is connected to The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) by Walter Huston.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) is connected to Stagecoach (1939) by Tim Holt.
Stagecoach (1939) is connected to The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) by John Carradine.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Top - L-R: Alexis Smith, John Litel, Paul Stanton, and David Niven
Middle - L-R: Irene Papas, Yves Montand, Eva Marie Saint, and Lee J. Cobb
Bottom - L-R: Rex Harrison, Anna Lee, and Bert Freed

The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944) is connected to San Antonio (1945) by Alexis Smith.
San Antonio (1945) is connected to Black Legion (1937) by John Litel.
Black Legion (1937) is connected to Bachelor Mother (1939) by Paul Stanton.
Bachelor Mother (1939) is connected to The Guns of Navarone (1961) by David Niven.
The Guns of Navarone (1961) is connected to Z (1969) by Irene Papas.
Z (1969) is connected to Grand Prix (1966) by Yves Montand.
Grand Prix (1966) is connected to On the Waterfront (1954) by Eva Marie Saint.
On the Waterfront (1954) is connected to Anna and the King of Siam (1946) by Lee J. Cobb.
Anna and the King of Siam (1946) is connected to The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) by Rex Harrison.
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) is connected to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) by Anna Lee.
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) is connected to The Gazebo (1959) by Bert Freed.

February 17, 2016 - March 2, 2016 "Connections" may be found by clicking here.

Symbiotic Collaborations - The Star-Director Blogathon - Rock Hudson/Douglas Sirk - All That Heaven Allows

Click here to visit CineMaven's Essays from the Couch.
It's a fabulous blog.

I chose to write about the the star-director combo of Rock Hudson and Douglas Sirk.

Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer, Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor generally known for his turns as a leading man in the 1950s and 1960s. He achieved stardom with roles in films such as Magnificent Obsession (1954), All That Heaven Allows (1955) and Giant (1956), and found continued success with a string of romantic comedies co-starring Doris Day. Hudson began a second career in television through the 1970s and '80s, starring in the popular mystery series McMillan & Wife and the soap opera Dynasty. Hudson was the first major celebrity to die from an AIDS-related illness.

Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; April 26, 1897 – January 14, 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood melodramas in the 1950s. He first achieved success as a theater director in post-WWI Germany. Sirk joined UFA (Universum Film AG) studios in 1934 and made a star out of Swedish singer Zarah Leander. Despite his great success, Sirk left Germany in 1937 because of his opposition to the policies of the Third Reich. Sirk's great period was during his association with Universal-International studios, beginning in 1951 and continuing until his retirement from filmmaking in 1959.

Hudson and Sirk made nine movies together at Universal-International from 1952-1957. The films are:

1. Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1952) 
Wealthy Samuel Fulton is getting older and has no family of his own. He decides to leave his estate to the family of his first love, who turned down his marriage proposal years ago because he was poor. But he wants to test the family before leaving his money to them.

James Dean has an uncredited role as a young man in one of the soda fountain scenes.

Dir: Douglas Sirk With: Piper Laurie, Rock Hudson, Charles Coburn
Comedy - Technicolor - 88 mins.

2. Taza, Son of Cochise (1954) 
When peacemaking Apache chief Cochise dies, the Chiricahua Apaches are torn between following Cochise's peace loving son Taza and following the warlike renegade Apache warrior Geronimo.

The film was shot in 3D and released in the Polo-Lite 3D System using one projector.

Dir: Douglas Sirk With: Rock Hudson, Barbara Rush, Gregg Palmer, Rex Reason
Action | Drama | Romance | War | Western - Technicolor - 79 mins.

3. Magnificent Obsession (1954)  
When churlish, spoiled rich man Bob Merrick foolishly wrecks his speed boat, the rescue team resuscitates him with equipment that's therefore unavailable to aid a local hero, Dr. Wayne Phillips, who dies as a result. Phillips had helped many people, and when Merrick learns Phillips' secret, to give selflessly and in secret, he tries it in a ham-handed way. The result further alienates Phillips' widow, Helen, with whom Merrick has fallen in love. Merrick's persistence causes another tragedy, and he must remake his life, including going back to medical school, in an attempt to make amends and win her love.

Magnificent Obsession was previously filmed by Universal Studios in 1935, starring Irene Dunne and Robert Taylor. Both versions are based on Lloyd C. Douglas' book.

Dir: Douglas Sirk With: Jane Wyman (nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress), Rock Hudson, Agnes Moorehead, Otto Kruger, Barbara Rush, Gregg Palmer
Drama | Romance - Technicolor - 108 mins.

4. Captain Lightfoot (1955) 
A pair of Irish rebels have swashbuckling adventures in 1815.

The movie is a Hollywood adaptation of a book by W. R. Burnett written in 1954.

Dir: Douglas Sirk With: Rock Hudson, Barbara Rush, Jeff Morrow
Adventure | Drama | History | Romance | War - Technicolor - 92 mins.

5. All That Heaven Allows (1955) 
An upper-class widow falls in love with a much younger, down-to-earth nurseryman, much to the disapproval of her children and criticism of her country club peers.

The screenplay was written by Peg Fenwick based upon a story by Edna L. Lee and Harry Lee.

Dir: Douglas Sirk With: Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Agnes Moorehead
Drama | Romance - Technicolor - 89 mins.

6. Never Say Goodbye (1956)  
In the present-day U.S., Dr. Michael Parker, a prominent surgeon, unexpectedly runs into his German-born wife whom he thought was dead. Victor, an artist and his "dead" wife's now boyfriend, berates Dr. Parker for "killing" her. The bulk of the story flashes back to Austria during World War II as we learn how Dr. Parker met and married his wife, and the one mistake that may have cost him his family.

The film is loosely based on the play Come Prima Meglio Di Prima by Luigi Pirandello. It is a remake of This Love of Ours (1945). Director Douglas Sirk is uncredited.

Directors: Jerry Hopper, Douglas Sirk (uncredited) With: Rock Hudson, Cornell Borchers, George Sanders
Drama | Romance - Technicolor - 96 mins.

7. Written on the Wind (1956)  
Alcoholic playboy Kyle Hadley marries the woman secretly loved by his poor but hard-working best friend, who in turn is pursued by Kyle's nymphomaniac sister.

The screenplay by George Zuckerman was based on Robert Wilder's 1945 novel of the same name, a thinly-disguised account of the real-life scandal involving torch singer Libby Holman and her husband, tobacco heir Zachary Smith Reynolds. Zuckerman shifted the locale from North Carolina to Texas, made the source of the family wealth oil rather than tobacco, and changed all the character names.

Dir: Douglas Sirk With: Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack (Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee), Dorothy Malone (Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner)
Drama - Technicolor - 99 mins.

8. Battle Hymn (1957)
A remorseful bomber pilot-turned-minister rejoins for the Korean War.

Colonel Dean E. Hess was a real-life United States Air Force fighter pilot in the Korean War. Hess's autobiography of the same name was published concurrently with the release of the film. He donated his profits from the film and the book to a network of orphanages he helped to establish.

Dir: Douglas Sirk With: Rock Hudson, Anna Kashfi, Dan Duryea
Biography | Drama | History | War - Eastmancolor and Technicolor - 108 mins.

9. The Tarnished Angels (1957) 
Story of a friendship between an eccentric journalist and a daredevil barnstorming pilot.

The screenplay by George Zuckerman is based on the 1935 novel Pylon by William Faulkner.

The Universal-International film reunited director Sirk with Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone, and Rock Hudson, with whom he had collaborated on Written on the Wind.

Sirk chose to shoot Angels in black-and-white to help capture the despondent mood of the era in which it is set. Faulkner considered the film to be the best screen adaptation of his work.

Dir: Douglas Sirk With: Rock Hudson, Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone, Jack Carson
Drama - B/W - 91 mins.

I'm going to focus on 1955's All That Heaven Allows.

All That Heaven Allows is one of director Douglas Sirk's best and most successful romantic films. It's also a scathing social commentary of the American bourgeoisie lifestyle of the 1950s masking as soap opera. All That Heaven Allows is predicated on a May-September romance. The difference here is that the woman, attractive widow Cary Scott (Jane Wyman), is older than the man, handsome gardener-landscaper Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson). Sirk builds up sympathy for Cary by showing how empty her life has been since her husband's death, even suggesting that the marriage itself was no picnic. Throwing conventional behavior to the winds and facing social ostracism, Cary pursues her romance with Ron, who is unjustly perceived as a fortune-hunter by Cary's friends and family--especially her priggish children: son Ned (William Reynolds) and daughter Kay (Gloria Talbott). Amusingly, Conrad Nagel was to have had a much larger part as Harvey, an elderly widower who carries a torch for Cary, but his role was trimmed down during previews when audiences disapproved of an implicit romance between a sixtyish man and a fortysomething woman! All That Heaven Allows was remade by unabashed Douglas Sirk admirer Rainer Werner Fassbinder as Ali--Fear Eats the Soul (1974), in which the age gap between hero and heroine was even wider.

Directed by Douglas Sirk
Assistant Director: Joseph E. Kenny
Produced by Ross Hunter
Screenplay by Peg Fenwick - Story: Edna L. Lee and Harry Lee
Music by Frank Skinner
Music Supervision by Joseph Gershenson
Cinematography by Russell Metty
Art Direction by Alexander Golitzen and Eric Orbom
Set Decorations by Russell A. Gausman and Julia Heron
Sound by Leslie I. Carey and Joe Lapis
Edited by Frank Gross
Gowns by Bill Thomas
Hair Stylist: Joan St. Oegger
Make-up: Bud Westmore
Distributed by Universal-International
Production dates: January 6 to early February 1955
Release dates: August 25, 1955 (United Kingdom) and December 25, 1955 (United States)
Color: Technicolor
Technicolor Color Consultant: William Fritzsche
Running time: 89 minutes

Top: Jane Wyman as Cary Scott

Bottom: Rock Hudson as Ron Kirby

Cast
(in credits order)
Jane Wyman as Cary Scott
Rock Hudson as Ron Kirby
Agnes Moorehead as Sara Warren
Conrad Nagel as Harvey
Virginia Grey as Alida Anderson
Gloria Talbott as Kay Scott
William Reynolds as Ned Scott
Charles Drake as Mick Anderson
Hayden Rorke as Dr. Dan Hennessy
Jacqueline de Wit as Mona Plash
Leigh Snowden as Jo-Ann
Donald Curtis as Howard Hoffer
Alex Gerry as George Warren
Nestor Paiva as Manuel
Forrest Lewis as Mr. Weeks
Tol Avery as Tom Allenby
Merry Anders as Mary Ann

Vertical Row 1: Agnes Moorehead, Conrad Nagel, Virginia Grey, Gloria Talbott, William Reynolds
Vertical Row 2: Charles Drake, Hayden Rorke, Jacqueline de Wit, Leigh Snowden, Donald Curtis
Vertical Row 3: Alex Gerry, Nestor Paiva, Forrest Lewis, Tol Avery, Merry Anders

Did You Know?

All That Heaven Allows was a 1952 novel by Edna and Harry Lee. It was first published as a story in Woman's Home Companion. Besides retaining the novel's original title, Sirk's film is quite close to its source in terms of its underlying social critique, the general plot outline, the basic traits of all the main characters, and even some of the dialogue. There's one important difference. The climax of the novel echoes the theme of the widow buried alive in her husband's tomb: when the gas furnace goes out in her house, Cary becomes trapped in the basement while trying to fix it and nearly dies of asphyxiation. Sirk uses reflective surfaces to imprison Cary, such as frame-within-the-frame (behind windowpanes and the reflection in the television set during the Christmas sequence). Other reflective surfaces used by Sirk include the frequent use of mirrors and expressive, sometimes non-realistic use of shadows and colored lighting.

Sirk uses color saturation and light/dark contrast to communicate the emotions of his characters: oversaturated color for emotional overload and dark shadow for emotional repression.

A recurring color binary is red and blue. Red is a symbol for love, passion, and independence. Blue represents coldness, rigidity, and hostility.

Sirk's basic approach to All That Heaven Allows is revealed by his oft-quoted comment on the title: "The studio loved the title, they thought it meant you could have everything you wanted. I meant it exactly the other way round. As far as I'm concerned, heaven is stingy."

A major part of the movie revolves around the fact that Jane Wyman's character is supposed to be substantially older than Rock Hudson's character. In reality, Jane Wyman was only 38 and Rock Hudson was only 30 when they filmed this movie.

The pensive theme played on the piano over the opening credits and repeated periodically during the film is from Franz Liszt's popular solo piano piece Consolation No. 3 in D Flat Major.

The home of Cary Scott (Jane Wyman) was altered and used as the Cleaver home in Leave it to Beaver.

The book and film may derive "All That Heaven Allows" from the following poem:

Love and Life: A Song
By John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester

All my past life is mine no more,
The flying hours are gone,
Like transitory dreams giv’n o’er,
Whose images are kept in store
By memory alone.

The time that is to come is not;
How can it then be mine?
The present moment’s all my lot;
And that, as fast as it is got,
Phyllis, is only thine.

Then talk not of inconstancy,
False hearts, and broken vows;
If I, by miracle, can be
This live-long minute true to thee,
’Tis all that Heav'n allows.

Top: Rock Hudson, Jane Wyman, Douglas Sirk and Agnes Moorehead

Bottom: Douglas Sirk, Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson

About Sirkian Style

Professor Laura Mulvey, Department of Film, Media and Cultural Studies, School of Arts, Birkbeck, University of London:

All That Heaven Allows contains all the elements of characteristically Sirkian composition: light, shade, color, and camera angles combine with his trademark use of mirrors to break up the surface of the screen. Here are all the components of the “melodramatic” style on which Sirk’s critical reputation is based and that has made him the favorite of later generations of filmmakers, from Rainer Werner Fassbinder to Quentin Tarantino, from John Waters to Pedro Almodóvar.

TCMDb (TCM Movie Database):

Sirk's style hinges on a highly developed sense of irony, employing subtle parody, cliche and stylization. At one time Sirk was seen as a filmmaker who simply employed conventional Hollywood rhetoric, but his style is now regarded as a form of *Brechtian distancing* that drew the viewer's attention to the methods and purposes of Hollywood illusionism. The world of Sirk's melodramas is extremely lavish and artificial, the colors of walls, cars, costumes and flowers harmonizing into a constructed aesthetic unity, providing a comment on the oppressive world of the American bourgeoisie. Sirk is renowned for his thematic use of mirrors, shadows and glass. Later, more obviously political filmmakers like Rainer Werner Fassbinder have been influenced by Sirk's American melodramas, which have been offered as models of ideological critique that may also pass as simple entertainment.

*The distancing effect is a technique used in theater and cinema that prevents the audience from losing itself completely in the narrative, instead making it a conscious critical observer.*

Examples of Sirkian Style:

1. Douglas Sirk immediately throws us into 1950s suburbia--Universal-International's Colonial Street backlot--with the opening credits (see clip below).
2. Note the pigeons in the church's clock tower are divided into two groups. There's a kit of black pigeons representing the townspeople on one end, and on the other end are two white pigeons nuzzling, representing Wyman and Hudson and the division they face in Stoningham, Connecticut.
3. Note Franz Liszt's Consolation No. 3 in D Flat Major.
4. Note Sirk's use of Technicolor to the max. The New England autumn colors are crisp and bright: shades of reds, golds and yellows. Agnes Moorehead's hair and lipstick are flaming red and her car is brilliant blue.
5. The station wagon belonging to Sara Warren (Agnes Moorehead) is so 1950s suburbia. Note the 1948-1956 Connecticut license plate style.

Ron Kirby (Rock Hudson) is a gardener-landscaper-nurseryman. He represents the verdant and natural. He shows Cary Scott (Jane Wyman) the beautiful, colorful world around her. (Ron knows a hothouse flower when he sees one.) He clips a branch with golden leaves from a tree in Cary's yard. He tells her it's a Koelreuteria paniculata (Golden Rain Tree) and will only thrive near a home where there's love. Cary puts it in a vase on her dressing table. In the clip below, notice Cary's reflection in the mirror beside the vase of Koelreuteria: this suggests that Cary's image is artificial, and the foliage, symbolic of Ron, foreshadows events to come.

Cary chooses a gossip-generating, low-cut, crimson dress for her date to the elitist country club with Harvey (Conrad Nagel), an older man who can’t handle Cary's still-vibrant sexuality. Cary's son Ned (William Reynolds) makes a remark about his mother's dress. "Holy cats, Mother! I guess it's all right. But isn't it cut kind of low? Hope it doesn't scare Harvey off." At the country club, catty bitch Mona Plash (Jacqueline de Wit) says about the crimson color of Cary's dress, "Of course there's nothing like red for attracting attention, is there? I suppose that’s why so few widows wear it, they’d have to be so careful!"

Douglas Sirk's Masterful Use of Mirrors

Top 3: Interesting mirror shot from beginning of film. Video of sequence below.
4: Mirror above and alongside fireplace in Cary's living room. Video below.
5. Trapped in the TV set.
6. Check out the mirror. You can see Ron and Sara's husband, George as well as Cary and Howard.
7. Flames reflected in the hated TV set. Cary's reflection above fireplace.
8. Cary is the prisoner of a dead world, trapped in the still universe built by her late husband. The flowers are alive and represent Ron--and hope for Cary.

Sirk openly acknowledged his famous affinity for mirrors as a metaphoric device, a way to break up the space of the frame and to suggest alternate emotions and meanings. John Waters on what he would choose to come back as when he died, said, “A mirror in a Douglas Sirk film.”

Frames, Frames, Everywhere!

Top: A lonely and tearful Cary "trapped" behind the window frame.

Middle: In front of the window frames with Ron = freedom. :)

Bottom: Ned is figuratively confining his mother with the screen.

Cary Scott (Jane Wyman) is ominously reflected and framed in the TV set given to her as a Christmas gift by her children as a kind of second-prize to replace Ron Kirby. She's imprisoned in a sad and lonely world--buried alive like a widow in old Egypt.

Light, Shadow and Windows

I like the use of shadow, light and color here.

Sirk employs high key lighting to cast dark shadows during particularly emotional scenes. Ron is dressed in blue and in the shadow. He's non-verbal and distressed about their break up. Cary is in the light but blends with the background. She's speaking out but is still repressed.

Another example of high key lighting to cast dark shadows for emotional impact. Also, this scene is shot from a high canted angle. It makes Cary look small and the space more confining. Using the two techniques, Sirk creates an intense, foreboding atmosphere which highlights Cary's emotional confusion. A moment later Cary finds out from Alida about Ron's accident.

The imagery of reflective glass is prominent in Sirk's films. It’s a distortion of reality; it’s never quiet wholly authentic. See how the pastel-colored glass takes in the exterior light and casts a falsified rainbow of illumination. Ron’s large window gives the appearance of being outdoors without really being outdoors.

Contrasts in the People of Stoningham

I wouldn't go to that party if you paid me.

The sign should say, "For Snobs Only."

The best party in town by a long shot.
I want to dance with Ron and Manuel.

Freedom vs. Restriction

Top: Plants and flowers represent Ron and freedom. The organic nature of plants and flowers contrasts with the hardness of the metal trophy.

Bottom: The trophy is a symbol for Cary's deceased husband and conservative bourgeois society. Cary can't be free until she rids herself of the trophy.

My favorite lines because Cary is a widow being buried alive by society just as the Egyptian widow of old:

Kay Scott: Personally, I've never subscribed to that old Egyptian custom. At least I think it was Egypt.
Cary Scott: What Egyptian custom?
Kay Scott: Of walling up the widow alive in the funeral chamber of her dead husband along with all of his other possessions. The theory being that she was a possession too, so she was supposed to journey into dead with him. And the community saw to it that she did. Of course, that doesn't happen anymore.
Cary Scott: Doesn't it? Well, perhaps not in Egypt.

My favorite scene because "Dr. Dan" (Hayden Rorke) tells it like it is:

Lines from the film that always make me giggle when I watch it because Rock Hudson was gay:

Ron Kirby: Mick discovered for himself that he had to make his own decisions, that he had to be a man.
Cary Scott: And you want me to be a man?
Ron Kirby: (Giving her a knowing smile) Only in that one way.

Young Rock in Red = Hot

The color red conveys warmth and passion. Ron was a warm and passionate man. The flash of red of Alida's skirt indicates Virginia Grey's character is friendly and loving.

Phallic Symbols?

Top: As Cary approaches him, does Ron's knee look like a giant erection to you?

Bottom L: Look how Ron is holding the tree. A huge, sprucy phallus with a silver tip?

Bottom R: Ron: "I can't shoot straight anymore." Ron is impotent (lacking power or ability). Look how the gun is being held. The phallic connotations of Ron's impotent gun are obvious.

The mill is one of my favorite movie residences. It's so pretty.

Visit Sirkville. Watch All That Heaven Allows