3 Classic Melodramas Vol. 2
Kings Row (1942), The Bad and The Beautiful (1952), and Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)
Welcome back to Bing’s Basement, and if you’re new here, welcome! You may want to read about and watch the Vol. 1 films first, but there’s no bad place to start here!
As always, I am so excited to recommend three new films. I can recommend these three with confidence. They may all be a little schmaltzy but they manage to deliver romance and drama without being too over the top. Let me know what you think in the comments section.
- Olivia
Kings Row (1942)- 2 hrs 7 mins
All seems perfect in the picturesque, little mid-western town of Kings Row. It’s spring and the children all seem to be having a good time. Among them are Parris Mitchell (later played by Robert Cummings), a studious boy raised by his grandmother, the mysterious Cassandra (later played by Betty Field), who everyone avoids, tomboy Randy Monaghan (later played by Ann Sheridan) from the other side of the tracks, Parris’s happy-go-lucky best friend Drake (later played by Ronald Reagan), and Louise (later played by Robert Nancy Coleman), the daughter of the suspicious town doctor. Their differences don’t seem to matter much as children, but as they grow up, their differences and the darker side of the town manifest themselves in harsh ways.
This film checks off all the boxes for a great picture. It has the drama as well as a roster of fine actors and performances. Claude Rains, Judith Anderson, Betty Field are wonderful as is Ronald Reagan in the most noteworthy performance of his career. The film also has a wonderful score by the masterful Erich Wolfgang Korngold. His score actually influenced John Williams’s scoring of Star Wars (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V47enEvsafQ).
Kings Row weaves both romance and intrigue in this turn-of-the-century melodrama. It has the feel of a gothic romance.
Score: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGcpLm989-U&list=PLdgPWGm3l7ux7cN_AYZlB4YKyOGg3Hj4k&index=41&t=0s
Availability: Amazon video, Googleplay, and DVD.
Purchase DVD: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/kings-row-dvd-1941/25961202.p?skuId=25961202&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=1&ds_rl=1266837&ds_rl=1266837&gclid=CjwKCAjwhbHlBRAMEiwAoDA3479OIiV13l_BsCJZlFoW1u25kbQV_kKOWpco4Z9Q_tDAgQ8zC7mXixoCMzYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
The Bad and The Beautiful (1952)- 1 hr 59 mins
Producer Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas) has misused and ruined the lives of an actress (Lana Turner), director (Barry Sullivan), and writer (Dick Powell) to reach the top in Hollywood. So when Shields offers them a collaborative project, the three must decide whether or not to put their pasts with him aside.
Told from the viewpoint of those that Shields has hurt, The Bad and the Beautiful is a dark look at Hollywood. It is a story of deception, passion, and betrayal that makes it hard to forget. As in Kings Row, The Bad and the Beautiful also has a memorable and wonderful score.
Score: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7AUCadYYuw
Availability: Youtube, Amazon video, Googleplay, and DVD.
Purchase DVD: https://www.ebay.com/p/The-Bad-and-the-Beautiful-DVD-2002/3370211?iid=163597141678&chn=ps&thm=1500
Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)- 1 hr 27 mins
Stefan Brand (Louis Jourdan) is a rich and successful pianist. Lisa (Joan Fontaine) is a young girl who lives with her family in the same apartment building as Stefan. She soon falls in love with him as she listens to his music. However, she is too shy to approach him. Despite moving away and the passing of many years, Lisa never loses hope for their relationship. Eventually her wish comes true and Stefan finally notices her. He promises to return to her after a trip, but Lisa never hears from him. It’s not until Stefan shamefully runs away from a duel and receives a note from an “unknown” woman that the two have any communication.
A romance seeping with sentiment, A Letter from an Unknown Woman declares the importance of love over any worldly success and the selfish pleasures of the senses. Stefan comes to understand this. However, will Stefan be too late once he realizes that there was someone who actually loved him and valued his life?
Availability: Youtube (free but not in great condition, Amazon video, Googleplay, DVD, and Blu-ray.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0R2STZUUNQ
Purchase DVD: https://moviebuffsforever.com/products/letter-from-an-unknown-woman-1948?variant=3659652268072
Purchase Blu-ray: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/letter-from-an-unknown-woman-blu-ray-1948/20564407.p?skuId=20564407&ref=212&loc=1&ref=212&loc=1&ds_rl=1266837&ds_rl=1266837&gclid=CjwKCAjwhbHlBRAMEiwAoDA347l-CF7dR2SoxRGAsBDYh9UFqfXij8le9GJK77t5MP0At-lDN5Gq_BoCFXYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
How Green Was My Valley (1941)