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By
NICK ZEGARAC
The legacy of the late
Ronald Reagan is a rich heritage two fold the
American experience: the latter half, as one of
the most endearing and memorable American
presidents the country has ever known. But the
first half, as a very solid Warner contract player
of the late 30s, 40s and early 50s, is often
relegated to B-actor status or overlooked
entirely. This oversight is a genuine shame -- one
the press often chose to exaggerate during
Reagan's presidency, but one considerably
rectified by Warner Home Video's Ronald Reagan:
The Signature Collection. The box set contains 5
of Reagan's most poignant performances and some
very fine -- if slightly offbeat -- films that are
a must-have for anyone who appreciates great
movies.
Apart from containing two of Reagan's universally
lauded performances in Kings Row and Knute Rockne:
All American, this set also contains the
disturbing and controversial Storm Warning, the
delightful baseball flick, The Winning Team and
the heartrending melodrama, The Hasty Heart (more
notable for Richard Todd's poignantly tragic
portrayal of the central character, than Reagan's
standard all American verve).
Knute Rockne: All American (1940) is the classic
bio flick about George Gipp (Reagan). It contains
the much revered one liner, "Win one for the
Gipper!" that Reagan repeated played on during his
later presidency to evoke his own good ol' boy
charm on the American public, and, it's a fitting
place for this box set to start immortalizing the
Reagan legacy on celluloid. Historically
inaccurate; for it depicts Knute Rockne (Pat
O'Brien) perfecting the forward pass as a Notre
Dame undergraduate (the forward pass having been
legalized and in use since1906), the film is
nevertheless a loving valentine to Gipp's
charismatic career.
Over the years rumors have abound that no less
Hollywood luminaries than John Wayne, James Cagney
(who at least diligently lobbied to break free of
his bad boy image) and Bill Holden were considered
for the part, but in actuality only Warner
contract player Dennis Moran and Reagan ever
tested for it. Director Lloyd Bacon ensures that
the football sequences are quite thrilling and the
central performances never falter. Still, the film
is plagued by several lapses in which the plot
seems to flounder without a purpose before getting
back on track. As a film then, Knute Rockne is far
from perfect. As a depiction of the all American
on celluloid there are few examples that have
excelled further.
Kings Row (1942) is a densely packed, astounding
cinematic achievement on nearly every level,
including its evocative and crisp high key
lighting from master cinematographer James Wong
Howe. Derived from the best selling novel by Henry
Bellamann, the story concerns five children;
optimist Parris Mitchell (Robert Cummings), free
spirit Drake McHugh (Ronald Reagan), understanding
Randy Monaghan (Ann Sheridan), defiant Louise
Gordon (Nancy Coleman) and mentally troubled
Cassandra Tower (Betty Field). They all live
within the parameters of the superficially idyllic
town of Kings Row. Parris is a sensitive child (as
portrayed by talented child star Scotty Beckett in
the early scenes), compassionate, pure of heart
and utterly devoted to his aging grandmother,
Madame Marie Von Eln (Maria Ouspenskaya)
Upon Von Eln's death, Parris desires to enter a
prestigious medical academy in Vienna and follow
his calling as a physician. However, before he can
apply, he apprentices with Doctor Alexander Q.
Tower (Claude Rains) a reputable, yet shunned
physician in Kings Row, whose wife and daughter,
Cassie (Fields) have been reduced to reclusive
shut-ins through a series of spiraling nervous
breakdowns. The awkward and introspective Parris
makes several ill fated attempts to woo Cassie,
but Dr. Tower eventually promotes his pupil to the
European academy for study.
Meanwhile, Parris' best friend, Drake (Reagan) is
his complete opposite; a wealthy lady's man about
town whose direction in life is relegated to
squiring young women to no end or commitment.
However, Drake's playful days of uncertainty are
shattered when a disreputable broker absconds with
his entire fortune. Despite his demise Louise, the
daughter of a barbarous and sadistic physician
(Charles Coburn) remains desperately in love with
Drake whom her father has already pre-judged as
unsuitable. In the interim of their forced
separation, Drake genuinely falls in love with
Randy (Sheridan), a devoted girl from the
proverbial wrong side of the tracks.
Here's where the plot darkens; when a railway
accident injures Drake, Dr. Gordon seizes the
opportunity to amputate both his legs -- believing
that he will also cripple his daughter's
affections for Drake. However, the truth, as they
say, shall set your free and Parris returns from
his studies in Vienna to sort through the deep
brooding underbelly of cynicism that is actually
Kings Row. Author, Bellamann, openly conceded that
he had modeled his fictional town on his own
Missouri enclave of Fulton -- a confession that
effectively ostracized him from polite circles in
his midst once the torrid tale became a best
seller.
The Hasty Heart (1949) is an impeccably soppy tear
jerker from master craftsman of this sort of
melodrama -- director, Vincent Sherman. The film
is set inside an American M.A.S.H unit against the
backdrop of warring 1945 Burma. But this is not a
tale of war and conflict; rather, a poignant and
sincere examination of brave men forced to deal
with their own mortality. Despite being top billed
for his performance as ailing American soldier
'Yank', Ronald Reagan takes the proverbial
backseat to Richard Todd's immaculate turn as
Scottish soldier, Corporal Lachlan MacLachlan:
Lachie for short. It seems that Lachie is
recovering from a wound in his back. The truth is
far more disheartening. Shrapnel from the bullet
has destroyed his only good kidney and the other
will fail him in less than a month. Instructed to
look after her patient like any other, Sister
Parker (Patricia Neal) makes valiant attempts to
ease Lachie's burden without divulging the truth
of his condition. She enlists Yank's help, along
with Lachie's fellow patients; Tommy (Howard
Crawford), Kini (Ralph Michael), Digger (John
Sherman) and Blossom (Orlando Martins).
At first, Lachie resents his circumstances.
Lacking in social skills, he does not know he is
dying and longs to return home to Scotland where
he has invested his money in the purchase of farm.
He is bitter and rude to his fellow patients and
his nurse, a foul nature explained away by the
fact that he was born a bastard and vehement
ostracized by every living person in his hometown
since his birth. However, when Sister Parker and
the boys get together to surprise Lachie with the
rather costly gift of a kilt and all its
accessories for his birthday, the Scot recognizes
the error of his ways and judgment and slowly
begins to accept that not all humanity is unkind.
Todd's central performance as Lachie is quite
brilliant, running the gamut from strong willed
defiance to ultimate acceptance of his fate. He
was nominated as Best Actor but lost to Broderick
Crawford's Willie Stark for All The King's Men.
Storm Warning (1951) is a cross between a film
noir and crime thriller and even today, its style
and narrative remains quite a revelation. It stars
Ginger Rogers as Marsha Mitchell, a fashion model
who decides to make a pit stop in a small southern
town to visit her younger sister, Lucy (Doris
Day). Unfortunately, timing is everything and
Marsha just happens to have stumbled across an eve
when the Ku Klux Klan is out to lynch reporter,
Walter Adams (Dale Van Sickel) for publishing
damaging exposés on their activities. The murder
occurs only a few feet away from Marsha who,
understandably shaken, rushes to her sister only
to discover that the Klansman who shot Adams is
Lucy's husband, Hank (Steve Cochran). Enter
District Attorney Burt Rainey (Ronald Reagan) a
man of substance, honor and dedication. He is
determined to rid his town of the Klan's
pestilence. But when Marsha falls under pressure
from Hank and her sister to conceal the truth what
sort of chance will Rainey have of succeeding.
The film is unrelenting in its dark oppressive
atmosphere that seems more stark and complimentary
today than it must have in 1951. Super-charged
with stellar performances and a profoundly
unsettling visual style, Storm Warning excels
despite several obvious drawbacks. The first of
these is the casting of Ginger Rogers -- who is
far too old (and very much cut from the chalkboard
of a schoolmarm) to be believable as a successful
fashion model. Though Rogers acting is embittered
and in keeping with the material she is given, her
overall tone is more that of a scorned
musical/comedy star than a hard bitten realist. As
for Doris Day -- one keeps expecting her to sing,
though perhaps she is not as hard to believe as
the naïve bride of a sadistic brute.
The Winning Team (1952) effectively rounds out
this box set with the inspirational 'true' story
of celebrated baseball legend, Grover Cleveland
Alexander (Reagan). A former employee of the
telephone company, Alexander's hobby of 'pitching'
baseball becomes his profession after he is
discovered by the Philadelphia Nationals. His rise
to stardom assured, 'Alex the Great' pitches near
perfect games, migrating over to the Chicago Cubs,
then the St. Louis Cardinals where he is
befriended by benevolent manager, Roger Hornsby
(Frank Lovejoy). The film's baseball sequences are
good, but the back story is far more engaging,
including the scenes with Doris Day who plays
Alexander's devoted wife, Aimee. Purged of all the
unpleasant aspects of Alexander's real life
(including a stint in WWI and a bought with
alcoholism), the film's characterization develops
along the lines of 'everybody's all American' -- a
fitting conclusion not only to this boxed tribute
to Ronald Reagan but also indicative of the sort
of individual 'can-do' attitude that Reagan exuded
in his life beyond the camera.
The transfer quality on all of the films in this
set is, for the most part, impressive. The least
pristine image is The Hasty Heart, generally
suffering from a considerable amount of film grain
(particularly during stock shots of the actual
Burmese conflict). Kings Row exhibits a curious
flaw. Despite the fact that most of the film is
bursting with the lush cinematographer of James
Wong Howe, there are various instances where dupe
inserts have been substituted for original camera
negative. At varying intervals, the image is also
highly unstable (presumably from sprocket hole
damage) and exhibits a horizontal crease that
registers as a briefly visible black line. Storm
Warning's film grain is slightly exaggerated in
several shots by a hint of edge enhancement. There
are also moments where dupes appear to have been
inserted. Knute Rockne and The Winning Team
exhibit generally clean, though slightly soft and
slightly over contrasted transfers, though nothing
that will distract.
To point out these oversights is not to suggest
that the quality of the image on any of the films
will disappoint -- merely to illustrate that the
value to the consumer does not register in the
realm of the pristine. Despite advertising audio
commentaries on the exterior of the box, only The
Hasty Heart contains an informative supplementary
track by the late Vincent Sherman and Reagan
biographer, John Meroney. As for the rest,
theatrical trailers are about all one gets and a
few short subjects -- of which 'The Hasty Hare' a
Bugs Bunny Looney Tune with Martin the Martian is
about the best. Though some may argue the point
that these films do not warrant more
consideration, this reviewer would suggest that
Kings Row most definitely deserved at least a
supplementary audio track and perhaps an isolated
musical score track. |
