Indiscreet

So you’re shut in and feeling glum. Watching the news isn’t good for your blood pressure. So put away those updates for few hours, cut off that cable news, and melt into these classics. They’ll make you smile.

The More the Merrier. You know what’s interesting to watch when you’re feeling isolated? A film about a city being overcrowded. Makes you appreciate the (comparative) quiet and helps you see what enterprising (OK, a bit pushy!) folks do when they’re in a tough spot. More importantly, this is THE most romantic film ever, and so funny. If Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea’s chemistry doesn’t get to you, nothing will. Bonus: Charles Coburn, in his best cupid role (of many).

The Awful Truth. The title of my blog may clue you in that I’m a fan of Cary Grant’s. This film shows why. His perfect comic timing is matched in this outing by Irene Dunne’s. They’re marvelous together.

They’ve mastered that banter you want to hear in every rom-com. They play two smart, sophisticated adults who just need to wake up to what’s good for them. And it costars Skippy, the most gifted dog actor of all time (you may recognize him as Asta).

Mae West Films. Do I really need to specify a movie? I’m No Angel is my favorite. Her earliest hits are pure gold, with more good lines in 20 minutes than you’ll find in modern films in 200. And how she delivers them! Before the censors got to her, she was on fire.

But even afterward, her ingenuity in sliding in those double entendres makes up for the less witty later scripts. And in case you’re not yet a Mae West lover, don’t forget that she also wrote these scripts and had the moxie to demand—and get—a higher salary than a studio head.

Indiscreet. A friend recently recommended this treasure. A reteaming of good friends Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman (after the toxic romance/suspense masterpiece, Notorious).

It’s totally Bergman’s show: Just watch her commanding performance once her character gets mad and turns conniving! And there’s a classic dance sequence with Grant’s moves on full display—fantastic. As a special bonus for readers, here’s a heartwarming post about their friendship that will made you sniffle (with joy) from Sister Celluloid.

Jean Harlow Films. It doesn’t matter if everyone around her is acting out shrill caricatures (Bombshell), she still rises so far above her material that you don’t care about the rest of them at all. I watched The Girl from Missouri recently, which is a delight.  I can’t stomach Red Dust (too offensive). But skip the rest of the movie and watch her—or catch clips on YouTube. View her at her conniving best in Red-Headed Woman.

Watch her outshine the star-studded cast in Libeled Lady as an outraged bride to be. Harlow’s funny and lovable and you just want to spend your life watching her in a huff.

I’ll be back with updated recs. Hang in there, everyone. Stay safe. Spread the joy you can.