Claude Rains, Gale Sondergaard in Anthony Adverse
Turner Classic Movies will be showing eight movies featuring Claude Rains, TCM's Star of the Month of September, beginning at 5PM Pacific Time.
Of those, I've seen only three:
Juarez (1939) could have been a good historical biopic, but things go wrong from the start thanks to the miscasting of Paul Muni as Benito Juárez. Even Bette Davis, who plays the mad Empress Carlotta von Hapsburg, would have been more believable as Mexico's first full-blooded American Indian to be elected president. William Dieterle was also the wrong man to direct Juarez, as Dieterle's hand tended to be quite heavy when dealing with real-life subjects, e.g., The Life of Emile Zola, The Story of Louis Pasteur, Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet. The only stand-out in the film's extensive roster of supporting players is Brian Aherne, who manages to bring a touch of humanity to his Emperor Maximilian. In this one, Claude Rains plays Emperor Napoleon III.
Rains fares infinitely better in Gabriel Pascal's British-made adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), in which the actor's mellifluous voice is used to excellent advantage. In fact, despite the production's theatrical feel, Caesar and Cleopatra is quite watchable mostly because of Rains' and Vivien Leigh's performances. (Though, admittedly, Leigh's Cleopatra comes across a little too kittenish at times.) As a plus, the cinematography — credited to lens-masters Jack Cardiff, Jack Hildyard, Robert Krasker, and Freddie Young — is first-rate.
Anthony Adverse (1936) is a big bore, but considering its cast (in addition to Rains, there's Fredric March in the title role, Olivia de Havilland, Gale Sondergaard, Louis Hayward, Edmund Gwenn, Akim Tamiroff, and others) and pedigree (four Academy Award wins, including a best supporting actress Oscar for Sondergaard), this period melodrama — about an orphan, the girl he loves, and everything and everyone keeping them apart — is worth at least a look.
Of the ones I haven't seen, Passage to Marseille (1944) and Lady with Red Hair (1940) are the two most intriguing. The former is an adventure tale involving Nazis and Devil's Island escapees whose chief point of interest is the presence of Rains and Michèle Morgan in the cast; the latter stars Miriam Hopkins as stage Grand Dame Mrs. Leslie Carter, and was directed by the reliable Curtis Bernhardt. Rains plays legendary theatrical impresario David Belasco.
Directed by Michael Curtiz, the 1937 Kay Francis melodrama Stolen Holiday could be a hoot.
Schedule and synopses from the TCM website.
Pacific Time
5:00 PM Passage to Marseille (1944)
Devil's Island escapees join up with the Allies during World War II. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Claude Rains, Michele Morgan. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-109 mins.
7:00 PM Sealed Cargo (1951)
A fisherman tangles with Nazi smugglers off the Canadian coast. Cast: Dana Andrews, Carla Balenda, Claude Rains. Dir: Alfred Werker. BW-89 mins.
8:45 PM Juarez (1939)
True story of Mexico's Abraham Lincoln and his fight against Napoleon's empire. Cast: Paul Muni, Bette Davis, Brian Aherne. Dir: William Dieterle. BW-121 mins.
11:00 PM Caesar And Cleopatra (1945)
Julius Caesar gives the famed Egyptian queen lessons in government. Cast: Claude Rains, Vivien Leigh, Stewart Granger. Dir: Gabriel Pascal. C-128 mins.
1:23 AM Short Film: Anthony Adverse: The Making of a Great Motion Picture (1936)
BW-7 mins.
1:30 AM Anthony Adverse (1936)
An orphan runs off to a life of adventure, then returns to France in search of the girl he left behind. Cast: Fredric March, Olivia de Havilland, Claude Rains. Dir: Mervyn LeRoy. BW-141 mins.
4:00 AM Hearts Divided (1936)
Napoleon's younger brother falls for a girl from Baltimore. Cast: Marion Davies, Dick Powell, Claude Rains. Dir: Frank Borzage. BW-76 mins.
5:21 AM Short Film: Canoeman's Holiday (1956)
BW-8 mins.
5:30 AM Stolen Holiday (1937)
A Paris fashion model marries a fortune hunter to protect him from the law. Cast: Claude Rains, Kay Francis, Ian Hunter. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-80 mins.
7:00 AM Lady With Red Hair (1940)
An actress hopes to regain her lost son by making it to the top. Cast: Miriam Hopkins, Claude Rains, Richard Ainley. Dir: Curtis Bernhardt. BW-78 mins.