Metro Tries For Zany


The Big Hangover (1950) and Leo's Morning After



Sometimes an odd thing will happen with comedy. The premise that's supposed to be funny just isn't, or I receive it unlike others, what seems amusing to them disturbing for me. Van Johnson in The Big Hangover is a war veteran and now law student who gets fall-down drunk if he has even a drop of alcohol, a situation that I from the start took seriously and found no humor in. Where that's an entire basis for laughs to come, well ... you have your problem. Is it how Van Johnson plays the dilemma? His outbreaks seem less fun than hardship visited on a bland, if likeable, character, the more so where others sneak liquor into his food or benign drink to bring on the reaction. I side with those who are object of cruel jokes, in movies or life (as do most?). Johnson is made the goat to a point where his drunkenness is anything but funny. What came to rescue of The Big Hangover, indeed salvaged the picture, was a scene (in fact, a speech) near the end, played utterly straight, by supporting Leon Ames, who's in hundreds of things, but never so effective as here. Do watch The Big Hangover, be patient, and wait for the reward. I did, and was glad for sticking out an uneven first half.




When A Dog Has To Explain The Set-Up In Ads, You've Got A Sales Quandary


The Big Hangover clearly came of a singular mind, Norman Krasna's, who wrote, produced, and directed, for what 3-2-50 Variety said was take-home of $280K, over a quarter of what Metro spent on the negative (a million total). MGM under Dore Schary was gambling on talent like Krasna, latter's comedies having clicked on stage and screen. Tightened costs were policy under Schary regime, outlays modest so as to break even at least, if not earn profit (The Big Hangover barely did --- $31K). Biz was soft as the pic played off in duals or, in New York and Chicago, as support for popular bands on stage. Latter cut deep into rentals because half of gate often went to the headliners, theatres seeking flat terms on the screen show to simplify weekly accounting. The Big Hangover gave Metro's East Coast selling division a headache for what staff called an unmarketable title. Variety's 7-5-50 headline summed up the trouble: "More Swag In A Good Tag," trade-speak for more boxoffice where a public understood better what they'd be getting for admission paid. Merchandising chief William F. Rodgers put pox both on The Big Hangover and The Asphalt Jungle for offering no tip as to pic content, and unappealing besides. Rodgers knew folks were picky enough without having to translate obscure labels. The Big Hangover had a story that frankly took explaining beyond the customary, and preferred, single sentence that summed up most comedies. Metro's two-years later When In Rome would meet a same barrier, and lose customers as result. The Big Hangover is available from Warner Archive.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Striking 50's Club Scene

Image
  This Could Be The Night (1957)  Pleases In B/W Scope A picture that J.J. Hensecker would have enjoyed if J.J. Hunsecker had been a real person, and perhaps a last to depict New York on Damon Runyan terms. MGM even arranged to have Earl Wilson host a trailer, him a columnist who would certainly have frequented spots like where action happens here. He appears on-camera with chanteuse Julie Wilson and mentions that he hasn't seen her around town lately because she's been in Hollywood mak ing this movie, such insider talk maybe a turn-off to rurals otherwise disposed to go see This Could Be The Night . It would probably have lost money anyway, this being 1957 when most of what MGM released lost money. For director Robert Wise, Night came between hit that was Somebody Up There Likes Me , and Until They Sail , a feature trio to argue Wise's reliability for polished product. Wise could take good material and reliably make it very good, like story-and-tempo minded filmmake...
Read more

Jet Aces On Short Rations

Image
Hell's Horizon (1955) Takes To Low Columbia Ceiling Slow build to a Korean air mission where bomber crew will sustain or crack-up according to character they've revealed in Acts One-Two. John Ireland is chief pilot, tip-off to modest cast otherwise aboard: Bill Williams, Hugh Beaumont, Jerry Paris, Bill Schallert. Love Is Splendor-ish girl interest is Marla English, borrowed from Paramount, striking Eurasian pose a la Jennifer Jones in the 20th Fox hit. Marla would be a cult chiller throb as The She-Creature , which she probably didn't find half so rewarding as this part, a better calling card for elevation out of B's (ME would instead quit biz altogether). Horizon saves its fuel for determining mission, which came excitingly at point where I'd almost lost hope for this Columbia release of a "Gravis Production," the independent set-up by producer Wray Davis and writer-director Tom Gries. Money man for Gravis was actually Jack Broder of Realart fame, who ...
Read more

Vitaphone Digs In

Image
The Divine Lady (1929) Is Big-Scale History with Sound A Vitaphone special that lost money ($520K). The novelty of sound as end in itself was spent by 3/22/29 and release of The Divine Lady , which suffered too from word got round of its lacking dialogue, the Vita boost limited to scoring and infrequent song. Latter was said to have been sung by Corinne Griffith , but audiences were beginning to smell rats re stars bent on vocalizing, and besides, Griffith looked barely in sync with lyrics (her being dubbed was outed by  Photoplay magazine). It was critical that tunes be emphasized, Warners having learned how much a hit theme could enhance both attendance and song sheet sales. A distinct advantage to sound movies was their ability to promote music the studios al so owned, that much made clear by success of the early Al Jolsons . The Divine Lady was hugely expensive, more so than Noah's Ark of same year release, so getting back investment may have seemed hopeless going in. P...
Read more