Most beautiful in town

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Movie
German title Most beautiful in town
Original title The Strawberry Blonde
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1941
length 97 minutes
Rod
Director Raoul Walsh
script Julius J. Epstein ,
Philip G. Epstein
production Hal B. Wallis ,
William Cagney
for Warner Bros.
music Heinz Roemheld
camera James Wong Howe
cut William Holmes
occupation

Most beautiful in town , also known as Rotblond ist Trumpf and Die Tizianblonde (Original title: The Strawberry Blonde ), is an American comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh from 1941. It stars James Cagney , Olivia de Havilland , Rita Hayworth and Jack See Carson . The play One Sunday Afternoon by James Hagan served as a template .

action

Biff Grimes is a New York dentist at the turn of the century . He receives a phone call on a Sunday afternoon that a patient needs to be treated as an emergency. Biff is initially little interested until this patient turns out to be his former friend Hugo Barnstead. Biff then reminisces about his life:

Ten years ago. When Biff's life was still easy and carefree, he fell in love with the red-haired local beauty Virginia Brush. Everywhere she shows up, the young men whistle after her and everyone would like to have a rendezvous with her, including Biff. Well aware of her beauty, Virginia loves to flirt without ever taking any of her suitors seriously. Nevertheless, Biff's shrewd friend Hugo Barnstead manages to arrange a date with Virginia in Central Park . Due to strict morals, Virginia is accompanied by her rather modestly dressed, but self-confident and emancipatory friend Amy Lind, while Hugo persuades Biff to join him on the way to Central Park on a false pretext. When Biff realizes that he is only intended to accompany Amy, he is more than disappointed and has rather negative feelings for Amy, who is very independent and brisk towards him.

Biff's hope of conquering Virginia's heart after all blossoms anew when another four rendezvous takes place. Because a coincidence means that Biff is allowed to spend the day alone with Virginia. They have a good time at the Statue of Liberty , in the zoo and in a beer garden, where Biff, fittingly, plays the song The Band Played On (The Strawberry Blonde) for the titian blonde Virginia. When he accompanied her home that evening and she thanked her with a kiss on his cheek, Biff was on cloud nine . The blow hits him all the more when he learns a few weeks later that Virginia has married Hugo Barnstead. It is the beginning of a deep grudge against his friend. Amy Lind tries to help Biff in his unfortunate situation and the two get closer.

A few years later, Biff married Amy, who now turns out to be a good-hearted and gentle wife. Just as he is about to finish his dentistry studies, he meets Virginia and Hugo again, who have become rich in the meantime. At Virginia's request, Hugo made Biff vice president of his construction company. Biff is happy about the unexpected jump in his career and does not realize that his alleged friend is using him as a straw man for dodgy purchases of inferior building materials. When accidents occur - Biff's fun-loving and drinking-loving father, who works on one of the construction sites, dies when a wall collapses - Biff ends up in jail for five years for building bogus , for which he is solely responsible. Through Amy's love and strength, Biff draws new courage to live and decides to learn the trade of the dentist in prison. After Biff was released, he struggled to establish himself as a dentist in his neighborhood.

Back in the present, Biff ponders how hard he should take revenge on his patient Hugo - even harboring murder fantasies. Hugo finally appears as a physical wreck who is in a loveless marriage with his wife Virginia, who has become cynical. Biff notes that, while never as successful as Hugo, he ends up having a happier life and a better wife. In the end, the dentist decides on a relatively harmless revenge and pulls Hugo a tooth without anesthesia. A little later, Amy indicates to her husband that she is pregnant.

background

The story is based on James Hagan's 1933 play One Sunday Afternoon , which was filmed in 1933 with Gary Cooper and Fay Wray in the leading roles - albeit relatively unsuccessfully - under the direction of Stephen Roberts . For the 1941 version, Warner Brothers bought the film rights to Paramount Pictures and moved the plot from a small town to New York City. The shooting took place from mid-October to mid-December 1940. The film structures were created by Robert M. Haas .

Originally, Ann Sheridan was supposed to play the title role. However, due to overwork, she left the project and was subsequently suspended by Warner Brothers. Rita Hayworth stepped in for her at short notice without the designer Orry-Kelly having to change the costumes that were already sewn for Sheridan . Although the film was shot in black and white, the naturally brunette Hayworth's hair was dyed red for the first time in her career for the title role. Being loaned to Warner Brothers by their studio Columbia Pictures for the film turned out to be a godsend for Hayworth, as the role marked an important step on the road to her later superstar status. The boss of Warner Brothers, Jack L. Warner , was so enthusiastic about her performance that he immediately engaged her for another film called The Heartbreaker (1941).

At the box office, Schönste der Stadt became a hit. Raoul Walsh later called the comedy his favorite of his own films. He also directed a new film adaptation of the material as a film musical with Dennis Morgan (Biff), Janis Paige (Virginia) and Dorothy Malone (Amy) in 1948 .

Reviews

The critics were consistently praiseworthy for the film and its actors. Bosley Crowther of the New York Times said at the time that viewers would find “a lot of pleasure” in Raoul Walsh's “happy, warm and completely engaging” comedy. James Cagney was "as always excellent as a contentious and proud little guy". Olivia de Havilland is "lovely and personable" in her role and Rita Hayworth takes care of the "classic flirt". Crowther granted "special praise" for supporting actor George Tobias as Cagey's loyal friend. Jack Carson is again "a brilliant villain".

Time compared the film to "a hilarious, sentimental carriage ride at the turn of the century". Cagney makes "the hero a tough, but still great guy". The "red-blonde top woman" Rita Hayworth ran away from him with the film, while the "dark-eyed Olivia de Havilland with her electrifying wink [...] both steals the show". According to Weekly Variety, Rita Hayworth blossoms "like a rose" in the film. Dressed in “dazzling turn-of-the-century costumes” and “wonderfully filmed”, she lends “her role a radiant aura” and reveals “a personality that will increase her popularity enormously”.

Chicago Reader's Don Druker described the film as "a delicious piece of American history" that "captures the mood of Walsh's own youth in the 1890s". James Cagney is "wonderful as a decent young dentist". The film also offers a “perfect balance of touching nostalgia and subtle comedy”. He was "recommended" as one of Walsh and Cagey's "best achievements". Michael Costello of the All Movie Guide , in retrospect, found that Cagney, Carson and de Havilland were "all excellent" and that Rita Hayworth "rarely looked more beautiful" in her greatest role to date.

For the lexicon of international film , the city's most beautiful was a “witty, virtuoso comedy” that was “focused on dialogue, but enriched with melodramatic, slapstick-like and musical elements and created as an entertaining artifact”. The irony extends "above all to women's aspirations for emancipation, but also to traditional male role behavior".

Renowned critic Jonathan Rosenbaum included the film in the list of his best 100 American films in 1998, which he created as an alternative and criticism of the list of the best 100 films by the American Film Institute .

Awards

At the Academy Awards in 1942 , the film was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Music in a Film Musical. However, composer Heinz Roemheld lost to Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace , who won the Dumbo award.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. Notes on tcm.com
  2. ↑ Gerald Peary: Rita Hayworth. Your films - your life . Heyne Filmbibliothek, Munich 1981, p. 91.
  3. ↑ John Kobal: Rita Hayworth: The Time, The Place and the Woman . W. W. Norton, New York 1977, p. 87.
  4. ^ Moss, Marilyn Ann (2011). Raoul Walsh: The True Adventures of Hollywood's Legendary Director . Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky.
  5. ↑ “You should get a lot of pleasure [...] out of the Warners' lusty, affectionate, and altogether winning Strawberry Blonde [...]. James Cagney, true to form, is excellent as the pugnacious and proud little guy […]. Olivia de Havilland is sweet and sympathetic as the girl he marries and Rita Hayworth makes a classic flirt […]. A special award should go to George Tobias for his performance as Cagney's faithful pal and Jack Carson rates a nice bouquet as the genial villain in the piece. ” Bosley Crowther : James Cagney in a Nostalgic Comedy of the 1890's, 'Strawberry Blonde,' at the Strand . In: The New York Times , February 22, 1941.
  6. ↑ " Strawberry Blonde is a blithe, sentimental, turn-of-the-century buggy ride. Cagney makes the hero a tough but obviously peachy fellow. But the strawberry humdinger, Rita Hayworth, takes the picture away from him, and dark-eyed Olivia de Havilland, with her electric winks, [...] takes it away from both of them. " See Cinema: New Picture . In: Time , March 3, 1941.
  7. ↑ “Rita Hayworth […] blossoms like a rose. Stunning costumes of the period and gorgeously photographed, she gives her role a vivid quality and her personality a showcasing which will enourmously increase her importance. " Weekly Variety quoted. after Gene Ringgold: The Films of Rita Hayworth . Citadel Press, Secaucus 1974, p. 119.
  8. ^ “A delicious bit of Americana (1941) by Raoul Walsh, capturing superbly the 1890s ambience of Walsh's own early years. James Cagney is marvelous as a decent young dentist […]. Just the right balance of touching nostalgia and understated comedy. Recommended as one of Walsh's (and Cagney's) best efforts. " Don Druker: The Strawberry Blonde . In: Chicago Reader .
  9. ↑ "Cagney, Carson and De Havilland are all excellent, and, in her biggest role to date, Hayworth has rarely looked more beautiful." Michael Costello, cf. omovie.com
  10. ↑ Most beautiful in town. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 25, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  11. ↑ Jonathan Rosenbaum: List-o-Mania. Retrieved August 27, 2020 (English).