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Nothing Sacred
The same year that William Wellman won an Oscar for the screenplay for the original version of A Star is Born starring Fredric March, he and March also managed to put together a brilliant little comedy confection called Nothing Sacred, that not only spotlighted Wellman and March's talent but showcased the comedic gifts of the taken-from-us-much-too-soon Carole Lombard to maximum effect.
This zany comic romp finds March playing Wally Cook, a recently disgraced reporter for a New York newspaper called The Morning Star who learns of a woman living in a sleepy little town called Warsaw, Vermont named Hazel Flagg (Lombard) who has been diagnosed with radium poisoning and is going to die. Cook decides it would be great public relations to fly Hazel to New York and give her one last fling before the end on the newspaper's dime. After Wally arrives in Warsaw, Hazel learns from her doctor (Charles Winninger) that she is not going to die after all, but Hazel decides to pretend that she's still dying for a free trip to New York.
Ben Hecht and James Street's deft screenplay has a delicious cynicism to it that was pretty sophisticated for the 1930's. It's rich with very clever dialogue and unfolds deliberately without being three hours long. Loved the way the townspeople of Warsaw treat Cook upon his arrival and close ranks to protect Hazel from him and how quickly Hazel formulates her plan to get a free trip to Manhattan. There seemed to be a scene from the story that should have been there that wasn't. Hazel's doctor accompanies her to New York and it seemed like there should have been a scene of Hazel having to convince the doctor to lie about her condition so she could make this plan work. That scene doesn't happen, but the doctor's culpability definitely comes into focus later in the story, so i was able to forgive.
Wellman's directorial hand is showcased as well...watch those opening moments after Wally arrives in Warsaw or that scene in the nightclub where Hazel's guilt is starting to overwhelm her as she is being introduced and the camera zooms in on several guests who are trying not to cry...Wellman mines major giggles through his camera.
The real joy of the film though was the sparkling performances of Carole Lombard and Fredric March in the leads. My first exposure to Lombard was non-stop pleasure. Apparently, Lombard was one of those Hollywood rarities...a beautiful woman who was also really, really funny. This woman had more comic timing than she knew what to do with. There's never a second in the film where you don't see Hazel not only enjoying her New York adventure, but feeling guilt about it as well. This was my fourth Fredric March film and he continues to amaze me as one of the most talented and versatile actors of the classic period. Equally adept at comedy or drama, March offers a beautifully underplayed performance that was a perfect balance to Lombard's antics.
Pay attention and you'll catch cameos from Margaret Hamilton as a country store owner and from Hattie McDaniel, who two years later, would become the first African American to win an Oscar for playing Mammy in Gone with the Wind. This film was remade in 1955 as Living it Up, with Jerry Lewis in the Lombard role, Janet Leigh in the March role, and Dean Martin playing the doctor, but this movie was WAY funnier.
The same year that William Wellman won an Oscar for the screenplay for the original version of A Star is Born starring Fredric March, he and March also managed to put together a brilliant little comedy confection called Nothing Sacred, that not only spotlighted Wellman and March's talent but showcased the comedic gifts of the taken-from-us-much-too-soon Carole Lombard to maximum effect.
This zany comic romp finds March playing Wally Cook, a recently disgraced reporter for a New York newspaper called The Morning Star who learns of a woman living in a sleepy little town called Warsaw, Vermont named Hazel Flagg (Lombard) who has been diagnosed with radium poisoning and is going to die. Cook decides it would be great public relations to fly Hazel to New York and give her one last fling before the end on the newspaper's dime. After Wally arrives in Warsaw, Hazel learns from her doctor (Charles Winninger) that she is not going to die after all, but Hazel decides to pretend that she's still dying for a free trip to New York.
Ben Hecht and James Street's deft screenplay has a delicious cynicism to it that was pretty sophisticated for the 1930's. It's rich with very clever dialogue and unfolds deliberately without being three hours long. Loved the way the townspeople of Warsaw treat Cook upon his arrival and close ranks to protect Hazel from him and how quickly Hazel formulates her plan to get a free trip to Manhattan. There seemed to be a scene from the story that should have been there that wasn't. Hazel's doctor accompanies her to New York and it seemed like there should have been a scene of Hazel having to convince the doctor to lie about her condition so she could make this plan work. That scene doesn't happen, but the doctor's culpability definitely comes into focus later in the story, so i was able to forgive.
Wellman's directorial hand is showcased as well...watch those opening moments after Wally arrives in Warsaw or that scene in the nightclub where Hazel's guilt is starting to overwhelm her as she is being introduced and the camera zooms in on several guests who are trying not to cry...Wellman mines major giggles through his camera.
The real joy of the film though was the sparkling performances of Carole Lombard and Fredric March in the leads. My first exposure to Lombard was non-stop pleasure. Apparently, Lombard was one of those Hollywood rarities...a beautiful woman who was also really, really funny. This woman had more comic timing than she knew what to do with. There's never a second in the film where you don't see Hazel not only enjoying her New York adventure, but feeling guilt about it as well. This was my fourth Fredric March film and he continues to amaze me as one of the most talented and versatile actors of the classic period. Equally adept at comedy or drama, March offers a beautifully underplayed performance that was a perfect balance to Lombard's antics.
Pay attention and you'll catch cameos from Margaret Hamilton as a country store owner and from Hattie McDaniel, who two years later, would become the first African American to win an Oscar for playing Mammy in Gone with the Wind. This film was remade in 1955 as Living it Up, with Jerry Lewis in the Lombard role, Janet Leigh in the March role, and Dean Martin playing the doctor, but this movie was WAY funnier.