Claude Rains on TCM
Claude Rains, one of the greatest actors of the studio era — in fact, one of the greatest film actors of the 20th century — is Turner Classic Movies‘ Star of the Month of September.
What would I recommend?
Well, whether on TCM or on DVD or on VHS or in some hidden vault somewhere, I’d say check him out in The Invisible Man and (ouch!) The Lost World; his supporting roles opposite Priscilla Lane and Bette Davis; his Oscar-nominated roles in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Casablanca, Mr. Skeffington, and Notorious; his brief appearances in Lawrence of Arabia and The Greatest Story Ever Told; his cinematic swan song, Twilight of Honor. In sum, if Claude Rains is in it, however briefly, the film in question is a worth a look.
All four of Claude Rains’ Oscar-nominated roles will be on tonight. As far as I’m concerned, he steals the show — sometimes single-handedly; sometimes abetted by some other player — in every single one of those films.
As much as I love Jean Arthur, her role in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is subordinated to that of James Stewart, who’s not what I’d call of my favorite performers. Therefore, it’s up to the likes of Claude Rains and veteran (and fellow Oscar nominee) Harry Carey to make Mr. Smith Goes to Washington both darker and more humorous (Rains provides the shadows; Carey the humor) than it’d have been had its focus rested solely on Stewart’s movie-movie Average Joe.
Rains also steals the show from the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid in the much-admired classic Casablanca — but truly, a gay relationship in that film… Oh, c’mon! Those people have a lot of imagination.
In Mr. Skeffington Rains has the title role and quite a lot of screen time, though Bette Davis for once gives him a run for his WB salary by doing surprisingly well as a pretty, vain woman who discovers that youth and beauty aren’t all. Shocking revelation, yes, but with all that great acting and Vincent Sherman’s skillful handling of the proceedings, in my view Mr. Skeffington is one of Davis’ very best Warner Bros. vehicles.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious isn’t the greatest spy thriller ever made (though you — like numerous others who love this film — may disagree), but Rains is superb as a evil schemer manipulated by the even eviler Madame Konstantin, who happens to be his Mom. Well, with a mother like that who wouldn’t become a Nazi? Rains and Madame K. are so good that throughout the film I was rooting for their villains, hoping they’d do away with both Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, neither of whom look very comfortable in their roles. (Much has been written about the loooong — yawn — Grant-Bergman kiss; I’d much rather have watched the Madame planting on Rains a big, slobbery smooch.)
Four Daughters is the type of "family" movie that normally would give me sinus infections and asthma attacks — except that I find this particular family drama, directed by the Oscar-nominated Michael Curtiz, and starring the lovely Priscilla Lane and John Garfield, quite moving. I’m not sure exactly what went right with this one, but it does work beautifully.
Claude Rains isn’t in I Love My Mother-In-Law, But … but … with a title like that it sounds like a must-see.
Pacific Time
5:00 PM Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
An idealistic Senate replacement takes on political corruption. Cast: James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains. Dir: Frank Capra. BW-130 mins.
7:15 PM Casablanca (1942)
An American saloon owner in North Africa is drawn into World War II when his lost love turns up. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-103 mins.
9:15 PM Mr. Skeffington (1944)
A flighty beauty marries a stockbroker for convenience and almost ruins both their lives. Cast: Bette Davis, Claude Rains, Walter Abel. Dir: Vincent Sherman. BW-146 mins.
11:45 PM Notorious (1946)
A U.S. agent recruits a German expatriate to infiltrate a Nazi spy ring in Brazil. Cast: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. BW-101 mins.
1:30 AM Four Daughters (1938)
A small-town family’s peaceful life is shattered when one daughter falls for a rebellious musician. Cast: Claude Rains, John Garfield, Priscilla Lane. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-90 mins.
3:15 AM Daughters Courageous (1939)
A father returns to the family he left years earlier and tries to solve their problems. Cast: Claude Rains, John Garfield, Priscilla Lane. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-107 mins.
5:15 AM Four Wives (1939)
Three married women play matchmaker for their widowed sister. Cast: Claude Rains, Priscilla Lane, Rosemary Lane. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-99 mins.
7:15 AM Four Mothers (1941)
Four married sisters face financial problems as motherhood approaches. Cast: Priscilla Lane, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane. Dir: William Keighley. BW-85 mins.
8:41 AM Short Film: I Love My Mother-In-Law, But … (1948)
Every husband loves their mother-in-law, but when they are like the ones portrayed in this short it can be difficult! Cast: Dave O’Brien, Dorothy Short Dir: David Barclay BW-8 mins.
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Tags: Bette Davis, Casablanca, Claude Rains, Four Daughters, Mr. Skeffington, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Notorious, Turner Classic Movies
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Thomas Mitchell was also great in “Mr. Smith.” I believe that he’d have gotten an Oscar nomination for his performance if it weren’t for the fact (?) that he got more votes for “Stagecoach.”
Love Claude Rains in Casablanca. A special frienship!
I thought Rains had won an Oscar but it seems like he was only nominated.