1957 Archives - Casa Bouquet

Film Festival: Aviation

The Spirit of St. Louis, directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jimmy Stewart, gives us a chance to learn more about Lindbergh’s heroic flight. Charles Lindbergh is one of the world’s most famous aviation pioneers. We studied about his daring non-stop crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in school, but we didn’t learn many of the details.

The Spirit of St. Louis is the life story of a Minnesota boy who becomes an international hero. It’s a story of determination, flying skill, ingenuity and teamwork.

Charles A. Lindbergh (James Stewart) is known as Slim to his friends in Little Falls, Minnesota. As a young man he travels to Brooks Field in Texas to become a flying cadet.

Slim learns that flying is in his blood, so he decides to get a plane of his own. He trades in his blue Harley-Davidson motorcycle for a World War I Army surplus “Jenny” and makes a living by charging people $5 each for 10-minute plane rides.

“Who wants to kiss his girl in the clouds? How about that? I tell you, folks, this machine here is absolutely safe and completely dependable. It’s made thousand of flights without one single mishap!” — Slim

Flying circus and St. Louis – Chicago airmail service

Slim and his friend, Bud Gurney, become stunt fliers in a circus in Abilene, Texas. They entertain the heartland folks by spouting colored exhaust, turning loop-de-loops, wingwalking and parachuting.

“How long can you fly these old wrecks and stay alive? The company ought to get you some real airplanes, fix up the landing fields, set beacons out along the way. –Good idea. Want to lend us some money? The bankers won’t. They don’t believe in commercial aviation.” — Bert and Slim

After a stint with the circus, Slim takes up piloting for the experimental airmail service. His plane is a De Havilland, and he’s assigned the Peoria to Chicago route. One night he has to take off in a blizzard to meet the mail schedule, but the storm proves too much for him to handle. In a tense but thrilling scene, Slim bails out while the crashing plane spirals around him.

“What’s for you? –Well, a couple eggs over, toast, no butter. — Ground loop two and hold the grease gun.” –Louie and Slim

Back in New York, a hotel owner offers $25,000 to anyone who can fly nonstop between New York and Paris. Slim believes he can do it, even though six flyers have died attempting the crossing. He calls Columbia Aircraft to buy a Balenka. When he finds out he needs $15,000, Slim organizes an investment group in St. Louis to raise the money, convincing them that a solo flight in a single-wing, single-engine plane is not a completely foolish enterprise.

Ryan Airlines and Roosevelt Field

The St. Louis group raises the money but then Slim discovers that Columbia Aircraft wants to choose their own pilot for the trip. Dejected, Slim takes a trip to San Diego to see if Ryan Airlines could build the aircraft he needs.

“Can you build her in 90 days, or less? –Bet your life. —Will she fly? —-Sure, bet your life. —I don’t exactly like the way you fellows put that. You see, I’m to be the pilot.” –Slim and Hall

Ryan Airlines is housed in a fishy-smelling warehouse. Slim meets the owner, Frank Mahoney, while he’s cooking sand dabs with a welding torch. Along with aircraft designer Donald Hall they concoct a lightweight plane with no radio, no sextant and a gas tank in front of the pilot. A periscope is rigged up so that Lindbergh can see in front. Ryan Airlines finishes the plane, now known as the Spirit of St. Louis, in 63 days.

“Come on now, go to sleep. Cut your motor out, let it rest now. Maybe I should’ve spent the night in the hangar. Maybe that’s what’s keeping me awake. Maybe I should be with her out there on Roosevelt Field.” — Slim

Slim flies the Spirit to Roosevelt Field in Long Island on the first leg of the trip to Paris. The distance to Bourget Field is 3,610 miles. Roosevelt field is horribly wet, the air is damp, and the plane has never been tested with so much fuel aboard. In spite of it all, Slim gets her off the ground and heads towards Paris.

Can one man fly from New York to Paris nonstop?

Because the film is so suspenseful, you forget that you already know how the story ends. You can’t help but admire and honor the human courage the story documents. Jimmy Stewart is an ideal choice for Lindbergh: his hair is dyed blond, he’s got the “Lucky Lindy” cowlick, and he looks believably young. The 1920s musical soundtrack includes “Rio Rita” and “Baby Face.” Another nice bonus is that footage from actual newsreels is incorporated throughout the movie.

San Diego has a special tie to Lindbergh’s flight because it was the home of Ryan Airlines (later Teledyne-Ryan) — the company that built the Spirit of St. Louis in 63 days for $10,580. Although the buildings are gone, the history was carefully documented with Historic American Building Survey standards.

Related Links for The Spirit of St. Louis

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051003/
- The Spirit of St. Louis at IMDb
http://www.ryanaero.org/index.html
- Ryan Aeronautical
http://www.charleslindbergh.com/history/
- A Charles Lindbergh biography from Spirit of St. Louis 2 Project
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/at-age-89-the-spirit-of-st-louis-gives-up-some-long-held-secrets/2016/06/27/6a62ac2a-3a0d-11e6-a254-2b336e293a3c_story.html
- Restoring Spirit of St. Louis for the Air & Space Museum
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lindbergh/sfeature/index.html
- The plane and Lindbergh’s life from PBS American Experience

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This is an update of a review that appeared originally in RETRO magazine, Nancy Eaton, editor.

Film Festival: The City by the Bay

THE DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE in elevation between San Francisco‘s Barbary Coast and Nob Hill has long been symbolic of the distances between the social classes in that city. In 1957’s Pal Joey, we join Frank Sinatra in his attempt to make the climb from the Coast up the Hill.The Barbary Coast had clubs and cabarets appealing to people from all walks of life, providing opportunities for entertainers new in town. Nob Hill (some say the name is derived from “Nabob”) had the mansions, fancy hotels and restaurants for those who acquired wealth and social standing.

Pal Joey takes us backstage into the life of a small-time crooner who makes a career drifting through the martini lounges of California. We first meet Joey Evans (Frank Sinatra) as the police drop him off at a train bound for San Francisco. He’s been caught buying a drink for an underage girl in his hotel room. Once he arrives in the City, Joey wanders up and down the streets of the Barbary Coast looking for a singing job. It doesn’t look very promising; most of the clubs feature girlie shows. Finally, he spots a marquee for Ned Galvin and his Galvinizers, a name he recognizes.

Inside the club, the floor show is in progress. The girls come on stage singing “I’m a Red Hot Mama.” Being a ladies man, Joey likes the look of all the girls, but he particularly notices a cool blond, Linda English (Kim Novak.) The emcee is missing from the club, so Joey jumps on stage to fill in, taking this opportunity to sing “I Didn’t Know What Time it Was.” After the song, he promises the owner that his many fans will help fill the club. Joey gets hired on the spot as the new emcee.

After hours, as the show staff eats dinner in the club kitchen, a customer calls asking to hire the entertainers for a Nob Hill soiree. The event is a dinner dance and auction to benefit the Children’s Hospital, held at the home of Mrs. Prentice Simpson (Rita Hayworth.) At the event, Joey entertains the dancing guests by singing “There’s a Small Hotel.” During the song, Joey and the hostess become very aware of each other. Once the song ends, Mrs. Prentice Simpson takes the mic and starts the auction, ultimately raising $17,500. Joey takes the mic from her to up the ante. He reveals to the society crowd that their hostess is none other than the former Vera Vanessa, a high-class stripper. Joey offers up Vera herself for auction, to do her act for the crowd. Sold for $5000! All in the name of charity, Vera does her old act, “Zip,” which electrifies her guests.

The Barbary Coast Club gang rides home on a cable car at dawn. Ned gives Joey $20 to find a place to stay. He finagles a boarding-house room next door to Linda’s. Later at work, the owner asks Joey when the big fan following he talked about at his audition will be arriving. Joey sings “How to Make Two Lovers of Friends” and grabs Linda out of the chorus line to make a romantic act out of the song. However, his scheme with Linda in real life is to act indifferent and dismissive towards her to get past her suspicions of him.

Suddenly, Vera arrives at the club trailing a large party. Joey promises the owner that the club will soon be strictly “carriage trade.” Joey sits at Vera’s table and floats an idea for his own intimate club. She suggests the name “Chez Joey.” Quickly bored, Vera and her friends leave as suddenly as they came. The owner fires Joey, but agrees to hire him back on the condition that Vera and her high-rent friends come back to the club by Saturday.

Joey says his goodbyes to all the gang at the club, boasting that he’s off to the big time at the El Morocco in New York. Vera, alone, knocks on the club’s door. They reopen just for her, and the band goes back on stage to accompany Joey as he sings “The Lady is a Tramp,” a not-so-subtle dig at Vera.

“Won’t have a dice game with any barons and earls
Won’t go up to Harlem dressed in ermine and pearls
Won’t dish the dirt with all the other girls
That is why the lady is a tramp!”

Vera is offended at first, then amused. She takes Joey to her yacht, berthed at the Marina. He talks up the Chez Joey idea with her. He makes a deal that he will give himself to her in exchange for her patronage. The next morning she wakes up very happy and in love. She sings “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” dressed in a knockout gold lace, satin, and mink negligee, designed by Jean Louis. Fashion-lovers will not want to miss this creation!

Joey finds himself torn by the triangle he has created. On one side, Vera holds the financial key to changing his life. She is the means to his own club on Nob Hill, to the finest clothes and jewelry, and to hobnob with the nabobs. On the other side, Linda holds the key to his long-buried generous nature and the possibility of true romance. With the help of more Rodgers and Hart tunes (“My Funny Valentine” and “What Do I Care for a Dame?”), Joey works out his destiny.

Fans of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart will notice that this film features songs from several of the duo’s musicals. Pal Joey was produced on Broadway in 1940 and was considered too racy to film in its original form. The play was based on fictional letters from a dancer written by John O’Hara for the New Yorker. Gene Kelly became a star as the original Joey. With the lead transformed to a singer for the film, Frank Sinatra does a very good acting job, making this unsavory character sympathetic and even likeable. His rendition of “The Lady is a Tramp” is a tour-de-force. Also worth seeing is the dream sequence, with Rita and Kim dancing around Frank in black sequined catsuits.

Pal Joey has great music with an atypical musical comedy plot. It’s a real treat to see these three great stars acting together. Pal Joey offers a dramatic look at the San Francisco of the 1950s — and the very human desire to move up from Barbary Coast to Nob Hill.