1941: I Think They Think We're Going To War

You know we're getting closer to "Oscar Season" because every single movie here - even the Hal Roach barracks comedy Tanks a Million, which runs a mere 50 minutes - got an Oscar nomination. Inevitable when most of the categories allow for ten nominees, at least...

Among the films this month: Hold Back the Dawn and Sergeant York. The former, nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, has Charles Boyer once again romancing someone he shouldn't and Olivia de Havilland making good on her Gone with the Wind breakthrough. Sergeant York was more of a phenomenon: the #1 film of 1941, making over $8.3 million on a $1.7 million budget; nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay (even though the titular hero's source memoir is credited right there on screen); winner of two Academy Awards; and did more to encourage enlistment than any propaganda or attack on US soil could. Even if this was a year of only five nominees, Sergeant York would have had a spot here.

It's not the only war-themed movie here, either. At this point, America was just waiting for a reason to join the fight, and Hollywood was doing its part to get everyone ready. Besides Sergeant York, you have Tanks a Million, about draftees; You'll Never Get Rich, about voluntary enlistees; and A Yank in the R.A.F., about individual Americans going overseas to join in the fight against fascism. It's interesting that they're all comedies or "light" in tone: don't worry, boys, we're not at war yet, it's a bit of an adventure, a jape, come serve your country and have a ball while doing so. At this point, we are just three months away from reality hitting us in the face.

The films:

The 1931-32 Hollmann Awards - Nominees

For the umpteenth time, here are the nominees for the Retro Hollmann Awards - this time, covering 1931-32.

A note: While the Fifth Academy Awards only had nine feature film categories, with the number of nominees in each fluctuating (but never five!), I have the full 18 regular Hollmann Awards categories here, five nominees per category. The order below was determined by random drawing.

The nominees are:

Top Ten of 1931-32

Here 'tis, my Top Ten for the films released between August 1, 1931 and July 31st, 1932. Apologies to the almost-made-its: À nous la liberté, Broken Lullaby, Grand Hotel, Mata Hari, Million Dollar Legs, Murders in the Rue Morgue, and Waterloo Bridge.

Now, the list proper, in alphabetical order:

Best Actor: 1931-32, Day Twelve

Norma Shearer presented the award for Best Actor - and to go by Inside Oscar, it was an exciting way to present it. She did the nominees, then the winner was revealed via an audio clip from their performance as the star's photograph was projected behind Norma. Fredric March accepted...and then some time later, the ballot-counters realized that there was only a three point difference between two of the nominees. According to the rules of the time, that meant...A TIE!

Wallace Beery went up a little late, but he accepted his Best Actor trophy. It was the first of only six times this happened, and the first of only twice in the acting categories. Beery and March had just adopted children, so March made a joke about them winning for "best male performance," ha-ha. The third nominee, Alfred Lunt, probably would've felt crunchy about it had he cared. He and his wife Lynn Fontanne were both up for Academy Awards for The Guardsman, recreating their hit stage roles; both also declined MGM contracts so that they could return to treading the boards in New York.

The nominees:

Best Adaptation: 1931-32, Day Ten

Monday, we discussed the nominees for Best Original Story, as presented by the reigning winner for Best Adaptation, Howard Estabrook. Estabrook also presented for, of course, Best Adaptation, which saw three nominated films from a classic, an award winner, and a recent bestseller.

Arrowsmith was published in 1925, the ninth novel by Sinclair Lewis. Lewis won the Pulitzer Prize, but declined it, saying, among other things, that, "All prizes, like all titles, are dangerous." And here we are now discussing its feature film adaptation's Oscar nominations. Lewis is known for his socially conscious novels tackling American issues through various occupations. Among his best-known works are Main Street (adapted for film in 1923 and 1936), Babbitt (adapted for film in 1924 and 1934), Elmer Gantry (adapted for film in 1960), Dodsworth (adapted for film in 1936), and It Can't Happen Here (never adapted).

Bad Girl was published as a novel by Viña Delmar in 1928. She was 23 and it was her first novel, and with the provocative title and subsequent banning of it by some cities, she was bound to be a sensation. A novelist, short story writer, playwright, and screenwriter, Delmar adapted the novel for the stage, and would later write the screenplays for Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) and The Awful Truth (1937, nomination for Best Screenplay).

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde came from the 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a mystery with an unbelievable ending written by Robert Louis Stevenson. My goodness, you know Stevenson's work: Treasure Island (1883, over 50 adaptations), Kidnapped (1886, at least nine adaptations), The Black Arrow (1888, at least eight adaptations), A Child's Garden of Verses (1885). Jekyll and Hyde (as it sometimes known) has been adapted countless times, starting in 1908. This is one of the most famous versions, alongside the 1920 version with John Barrymore and the 1990 Broadway musical by Frank Wildhorn.

That's how they started; here's how they ended up:

Some Nominees: 1931-32, Day Eight

A week from today, I'll discuss the eight Best Picture nominees, eventually crowning my personal favorite. But there were nine other films nominated in seven categories at the 5th Academy Awards, and while we'll delve into some of those individual elements so honored, here I'd like to talk about the films as a whole.

Casting Coup Month: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

When the Month of Oscar arrives, we here at dbarrymoresbeau -- and when I say we, I refer to myself and best friend Philip Baker Hall (let me dream) -- like to take a trip down memory lane. And when I say trip, I mean revamp.

Casting Coup Month officially begins!

We begin in the early days of Oscar. Picture it: Ambassador Hotel, 1932. It's the fifth Oscar ceremony ever. The nominees look very different than how they will in twenty years. Actress, Actor, and Director have only three nominees each, and there is no supporting category. Oh, and eight movies are nominated for Best Picture. Odd, isn't it? What else is odd? One of these categories ended in a tie. That category was Best Actor, and poor Alfred Lunt (The Guardsman) had to console himself with being the only loser in the category. The winners were Wallace Beery for The Champ (a film that also won original screenplay) and Fredric March for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

I first saw Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when I was in elementary school. And I was shocked. This was pre-code, and I had yet to see movies from that period. Imagine my surprise when a prostitute showed up, then faked an injury to get Dr. Jekyll into her room. Then put his hand between her naked thighs as she clasped him to her nude chest. It was SHOCKING, I can tell you, as were the special makeup effects. This was around the time of evolutionary theory going mad, and so Mr. Hyde was designed after the Neanderthal Man. An interesting idea, that, with the savage side of Jekyll being literally devolved from the man. Of course, I didn't get this at the time, as I was eight. But still, it's quite fascinating.

For March, it was vindication. The studio did not want him in the lead, since at that point he was best-known for his Oscar-nominated role in The Royal Family of Broadway -- a comedy. Comedy and drama just did not mix in those days. Nevertheless, director Rouben Mamoulian insisted that March was the only actor who could play both Jekyll and Hyde, and so March got the role and the Oscar! He would be nominated thrice later -- A Star is Born, The Best Years of Our Lives (WIN), and Death of a Salesman.

Though nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay (Samuel Hoffenstein and Percy Heath, losing to Bad Girl by Edwin J. Burke), it had less to do with the credited work of Robert Louis Stevenson, and more with T.R. Sullivan's stage adaptation. It was here that the idea of two women, both fighting for Jekyll's soul, was first introduced. It was here that Sir Danvers Carew, a random murder victim in the novella, became Jekyll's future father-in-law. Utterson, the protagonist of Stevenson's story, is reduced to a cameo role. And so on, and so forth.

Several versions have been made of the tale, including a popular Broadway production, music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. There have been a number of rumors and ideas about the film adaptation of the show, but nothing has ever really come to fruition. So, I think it's about time that someone give more than just a partial bit of an idea. My remake of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde would be an adaptation of the musical, Jekyll & Hyde, but I think it would be neat to employ the same makeup effects.

THE SPIDER
Who is He: A pimp, and proprietor of The Red Rat. One of those nice guys that beats his women and threatens their lives when they show up late.

Songs: Facade (Reprise 87)

Quote: "If you live around here,
Lotsa people, I fear,
Will make promises
They will not honour, my dear,
An' the truth is,
You end up getting scarred!"

Originally played by: Actually, this is a character that has no real equivalent in the original film. But, he does get a solo piece.

My Choice:

Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Kinky Boots)
The person in question needs a sleazy persona, the kind that Frost showcased in Kinky Boots. They would also need to be a bit intimidating, and look at that guy. If he got angry, you would be dead. No question. But can he sing? Well, it's the Spider. It doesn't matter.


POOLE
Who is He: Jekyll's loyal butler.

Songs: None! Haha!

Originally played by: Funnily enough, he originated the role onstage!

Edgar Norton (Top Hat, Son of Frankenstein)

My Choice:

Benjamin Whitrow (Poirot: After the Funeral, Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice)
Fortunately, Poole doesn't sing, so I don't have to find a real singer. Whitrow is known and respected in England, but he's somewhat of an unknown here. So, a big enough name to get some people in, but small enough so that no one's wondering why he's just the butler. Also, he's a pretty great actor. I mean, shit, he did Poirot.


SIMON STRIDE
Who is He: Secretary of the Board of Governors of St. Jude's Hospital, he fully supports the Board's decision to no longer fund or support Jekyll's theories or practices. It must be ridiculous, right? That man is not one, but two? Crazyness. Oh, also, he does not care for Jekyll because he tot's wants a piece of his fiancee.

Songs: Emma's Reasons

Quote: "Emma Carew,
Can this be you?
What kind of man
Is this you've taken?
Can you not see
The kind of life
That this would be?
You are mistaken!"

Originally played by: Well, there's not really an equivalent for him in the original, but the closest we get is a colleague of Jekyll's who remains skeptical: Dr. Lanyon.

Holmes Herbert (Mystery of the Wax Museum, The Invisible Man)

My Choice:

Eddie Izzard (Across the Universe, Romance & Cigarettes)
Have you ever seen Izzard in a drama? The guy's serious work is equal to his stand-up: The Riches, The Cat's Meow, Valkyrie, etc. He's not the best singer, but it's one little snippet of a song, and he can act it, and Rex Harrison had a whole career in musicals, so I think it could work.


SIR DANVERS CAREW
Who is He: Chairman of the Board of Governors and father to Emma, making him the future father-in-law of Jekyll. He is a gentleman, loving but protective. In the film, he is beaten to death by a crazed Hyde. In the musical, he lives! I don't know why, but it happens.

Songs: Letting Go, Your Work--and Nothing More

Quote: "I am only trying to protect you!
What else would you have your father do?
I think I would die,
If any harm should come to you."

Originally played by:

Halliwell Hobbes (Dracula's Daughter, You Can't Take It With You)

My Choice: SAG Award Nominee for Best Ensemble (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)

Christopher Lee (The Wicker Man, The Return of Captain Invincible)
Look, people, Lee has to do a musical at some point. I mean, he did Captain Invincible, but come on. Have you seen it? It just barely counts. He's played the Criminologist in Rocky Horror on stage before. He's at that age where he seems warm and inviting. I think it would be fun to see him in such an "against type" role. Where he can sing.


JOHN UTTERSON
Who is He: A solicitor, Jekyll's best friend.

Songs: Pursue the Truth, Your Work--and Nothing More

Quote: "You have your work
And nothing more!
You are possessed -
What is your demon?"

Originally played by: Curiously enough, the most important role in the novella, the second male lead in the play, is reduced to an uncredited cameo in the film.

Arnold Lucy (All Quiet on the Western Front, Sherlock Holmes)

My Choice: Academy Award Nominee for Best Actor (The English Patient) and Best Supporting Actor (Schindler's List), BAFTA Award Winner for Best Supporting Actor (Schindler's List), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actor in a Drama (The English Patient) and Best Supporting Actor (Schindler's List, The Duchess), SAG Award Nominee for Best Actor (The English Patient) and Best Ensemble (The English Patient), Hollmann Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actor (The Duchess)

Ralph Fiennes (The Prince of Egypt, Bernard and Doris)
Have you seen The Prince of Egypt? If you have, then you remember Ramses? The pharaoh? Yeah, that was Ralph Fiennes, and he does his own singing. Because Ralph Fiennes can sing. His deep, authoritative voice works for the role of Utterson. But he's also friendly enough so that we can believe that he and Jekyll are palsies.


EMMA CAREW
Who is She: Jekyll's fiancee, a proper lady of society.

Songs: Emma's Reasons, I Must Go On, Take Me As I Am, Letting Go, Your Work--and Nothing More, Once Upon a Dream, In His Eyes, Finale

Quotes: "Love meaning me,
Love meaning you,
We'll make that one dream come true!
You know who I am...
Take me as I am."

Originally played by: In the film, her name is Muriel Carew. I hate the name Muriel. It's ugly.

Rose Hobart (Tower of London, Ziegfeld Girl)

My Choice:

Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, The Family Stone)
This is her. This is what she would look like: innocent, fragile, blonde. Married Life was a fantastic demonstration of her talents, as a girl in love with a man who behaves abominably. Like, say, Jekyll? HMMM?


LUCY HARRIS
Who is She: The star of The Red Rat, she falls for Jekyll when he shows her kindness, but becomes entangles with the abusive and possessive Hyde.

Songs: No One Knows Who I Am, Good 'N' Evil, Sympathy, Tenderness, Someone Like You, In His Eyes, Dangerous Game, A New Life

Quotes: "Look at me,
And tell me who I am,
Why I am
What I am.

Will I survive?
Who will give a damn,
If no one knows
Who I am?"

Originally played by: Academy Award Nominee for Best Actress (Becky Sharp), Golden Globe Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (The Heiress)

Miriam Hopkins (The Children's Hour, Fanny Hill), but in this version she was known as Ivy Pearson, a name I prefer.

My Choice: Academy Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Good Will Hunting), SAG Award Nominee for Best Supporting Actress (Good Will Hunting) and Best Ensemble (Good Will Hunting)

Minnie Driver (GoldenEye, The Phantom of the Opera)
Driver is a bit older than Rachel McAdams, and I want to stress that. It hints at how long she's been doing this, at the idea of a life that's been shitty for forty years. And it sucks. I think it will pack more of a wallop in "A New Life", especially with the scene that comes after.


DR. HENRY JEKYLL/MR. EDWARD HYDE
Who Are They: Jekyll is a good doctor with radical theories pertaining to the good and evil inherent in all men. And women. Hyde is his evil alter-ego, a murderer and rapist with no morals or conscience. Jekyll hates Hyde, but is addicted to the freedom the transformation gives him.

Songs: Lost In The Darkness, Pursue The Truth, I Must Go On, Take Me As I Am, Now There Is No Choice, This Is The Moment, First Transformation, Alive, Your Work- And Nothing More, Alive (Reprise), Murder, Murder, Obsession, Dangerous Game, Confrontation

Quotes: "All that you are
Is a face in the mirror!
I close my eyes and you'll disappear!

I'm what you face
When you face in the mirror!
Long as you live, I will still be here!"

Originally played by: Academy Award Winner for Best Actor (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Best Years of Our Lives), BAFTA Award Nominee for Best Foreign Actor (Death of a Salesman, Executive Suite, Inherit the Wind), Golden Globe Winner for Best Actor in a Drama (Death of a Salesman)

Fredric March (The Desperate Hours, The Iceman Cometh)

My Choice: Golden Globe Nominee for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy (Kate & Leopold)

Hugh Jackman (X-Men, Australia)
Jackman is a fantastic singer, and he has the Tony to prove it. He can be manly and sexy and polite and a gentleman. But he can also be animalistic, cruel, manipulative, and a monster. Jackman is an incredible actor that would do wonderfully here. But could he repeat history and get the Oscar nom, much less the win? Interesting question...

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION:
Best Actor -- Hugh Jackman
Best Actress -- Minnie Driver
Best Supporting Actor -- Ralph Fiennes, Christopher Lee
Best Supporting Actress -- Rachel McAdams