Lombard & Stewart are ‘Made for Each Other’ 1939

Carole & Jimmy are looking for a Happy New Year in 'Made for Each Other.'

The rap on 1939’s Made for Each Other reminds me of the ‘glass is half empty/half full’ mindset. Many movie viewers and writers consider the film an unworthy, dated soap opera. Others love the movie for its iconic stars, Carole Lombard and Jimmy Stewart, adoring its old-fashioned entertainment value. I fall somewhere in the middle with Made for Each Other: I’m aware that certain aspects are dated, but can suspend my disbelief for what’s pleasurable about this film.

Young couple John and Jane Mason, with their baby boy...who was played by a girl!

The charismatic stars, strong supporting cast, and skilled production values, all make Made for Each Other a worthwhile watch. Yes, it’s old-fashioned (over 80 years old!) and unabashedly soapy (just like certain mainstream movies today!), but that’s part of its charm. I find the conventions that no longer exist fascinating. It’s like looking at an old photo album. Yet, despite the old-style suds, the core story is still universal. Made for Each Other could easily be updated. The story of newlyweds struggling over marriage, money, career, bosses and bossy in-laws, would still pack them in theaters if two young rom-com stars were attached.

Carole & Jimmy on the set. Both were 30 at the time. Life would drastically
change for them in a few short years.

There’s a melancholy tinge to 1939’s Made for Each Other, aside from its bittersweet story, which is heightened by hindsight. Two years later, Jimmy Stewart joined the Army, was off-screen for five years, and returned a changed man, for It’s a Wonderful Life. Carole Lombard died in a plane crash three years later, Jan. 16, 1942, returning from a war bonds rally. Ironically, the cliffhanger of Made for Each Other involves a plane crash, caused by dire winter weather.

Stewart & Lombard play newlyweds
who must cope after their whirlwind romance.

Though Stewart and Lombard were born the same year, Carole had been in the movies since the silent days, and she seems more sophisticated. Her wit and energy are a great contrast to Jimmy’s folksy, boyish demeanor, and it’s appealing.

Carole's Jane is not happy that her honeymoon is put on hold for a court case.

As a newly independent star, Carole Lombard was opting away from comedy for serious roles. She appeared in two films in ’39, both soaps: Made for Each Other and In Name Only. Carole is rightly regarded as a classic comic actor, but I think she was just as effective as a dramatic actress. Back when actresses postured and whose faces were plastered with glamour masks, no matter what the role, Lombard’s acting and visual style looks distinctly modern. While the era’s insistence on glamour made its way in this film, it’s comparatively toned down. Carole’s hair, makeup, and clothes are simple for the movie era, and when the film shows her keeping vigil for her deathly ill child, she’s dressed in black, with little makeup, and hair combed back. Most importantly, Lombard’s acting is realistic. When the young couple faces a marital and later, a medical emergency, Lombard’s usual high spirits are almost unnervingly hysterical. Side note: Has anyone ever noticed that Carole Lombard’s speaking voice sounds a great deal like Joanne Woodward’s?

This film was Carole's desire to do more dramatic roles, & one of 5 films Jimmy made in 1939.

James Stewart made five films in 1939. Typical of the era, Jimmy did better on loan out, including two pictures that put him on the map, Destry Rides Again and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Made for Each Other was considered ‘disappointing.’ But the last two were duds, It’s a Wonderful World, a comedy with Claudette Colbert, and Ice Follies of 1939 with Joan Crawford, at home studio MGM. Jimmy and Joan on ice!

An emergency with the their baby brings the couple closer.

Movie fans have noticed the similarity in Stewart’s character in Made for Each Other with his signature role as George Bailey in ‘46’s It’s a Wonderful Life. There are indeed likenesses, such as Johnny’s self-doubt over marital, career and money woes. Stewart is honing his folksy persona here and he is most ingratiating. At key moments, Jimmy as Johnny rises above the image and is refreshingly natural as he lets his guard down and expresses his fears to loving wife Jane. Stewart held his own with Lombard, as well as Jean Arthur, Marlene Dietrich, Claudette Colbert, and Joan Crawford—all in the same year. I hope he got a vacation in 1940!

Lucile Watson is a scenestealer as the overbearing mother-in-law.

Lucile Watson made a career of playing imperious old women, sympathetic or otherwise. The same year, she was Norma Shearer’s no-nonsense mother in The Women. Here she plays Carole’s royal pain of a mother-in-law. Watson is quite the comedic scene stealer without becoming a caricature. Near the finale, there’s a lovely scene when Jane and Mrs. Mason comfort each other during the one of the film’s bleakest moments.

Charles Coburn is the other scenestealer, as Jimmy's irascible boss.

Watching Charles Coburn, as Jimmy’s irascible boss, Mr. Doolittle, I wondered if he was EVER young in movies. Nope! He was 61 when Made for Each Other was filmed and absolutely ancient by the time Marilyn Monroe’s Loralei got her gloves on him, as Binky, in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Eddie Quillan is the cocky but brave pilot. A veteran
character actor, Eddie should have had bigger roles.

I recognized only the name Eddie Quillan, but probably saw the prolific character actor on TV when he was older. Here, as the brash pilot who delivers the baby’s pneumonia serum, Eddie is a charmer. I love wisecracking guys from classic movies, and Quillan does it so well. Brought up in vaudeville, Eddie later appeared in classics like Mutiny on the Bounty and The Grapes of Wrath to “B” movies and serials, to later TV shows like Rifleman and Little House on the Prairie. At 5’6” and 140 lbs., he was not leading man material, but with his twinkling dark eyes and smile, Eddie was absolutely adorable in his youth.

Louise Beavers and Carole Lombard have a heart to heart.

Louise Beavers has a small role, which she lights up the screen with warmth and wisdom. Yes, there’s a wince-worthy scene where she compares spitting out the bad in life like watermelon seeds, but I’ve seen far worse in better movies. Esther Dale is a hoot as Annie, the first maid who quits before the important dinner party is over. “I’m a human being!” is her hilarious refrain. Other familiar faces in Made for Each Other include Ward Bond as the older pilot who won’t fly during the storm, and Harry Davenport as the baby’s doctor.

Off-camera, Carole Lombard's dream
was to have a baby by hubby Clark Gable.

Made for Each Other moves along at brisk clip for its 90 minute running time. The film’s look is imaginative, from the fun opening credits, to the great camera work of Leon Shamroy. His camera captures the cramped but cozy apartment, the baby’s arrival, the characters’ physical interaction, and especially, the still-realistic plane delivery. Production design was by the great William Cameron Menzies, who always worked close with the director and camera man. John Cromwell seems like a good director of actors judging from his output (such as Of Human Bondage, Caged, and The Goddess.) The entire cast is strong, even those performing stereotypical roles; they are acted with empathy and humanity.

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There are some clever lines by screenwriter Jo Swerling and the humor that arises from universal situations is still funny. The last 15 minutes of the movie deals with their baby’s health crisis and feels tacked on, though staged and performed strongly. This may have been producer and professional meddler David O. Selznick’s doing, as he did this with many of his post-MGM films, where he had free rein to run rampant.

Jimmy & Carole's characters get dressed to impress, for a dinner with his boss.

There are some great little moments in this movie: the couple’s chaotic dinner party that ends with the boss giving the promotion to the office suck-up still stings. Or when Johnny comes home late from a class reunion and Jane awakens, with the fleeting change of expressions as she puts on her game face for Jimmy’s disappointed hubby, is marvelous acting moment by Lombard.

And baby makes three, and a happy ending for 'Made for Each Other.'

Is Made for Each Other a classic? No. Yet, Made has its merits—two great stars, a stellar supporting cast, and its look at a past era—and is worth a watch.

WB’s Feverish Film Version of ‘The Fountainhead’ 1949

The first time Patricia Neal's Dominique sees Coop's Howard Roark in action, it's with his mighty jackhammer!

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Film fans’ reactions to the movie version of The Fountainhead are as varied as those to Ayn Rand’s notorious novel. The 1949 adaptation has been called everything from a misfire to camp to a misunderstood classic. To call The Fountainhead high camp seems inadequate. In fact, you might feel high when you watch the WB melodrama, which stars Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal. This movie is so bizarre on every level that I find it a highly entertaining train wreck.

The controversial rape scene from the book and movie of 'The Fountainhead.'

While The Fountainhead was a bestseller, what possessed Jack Warner to make this politicized movie when Red Scare was terrorizing Hollywood by the late ‘40s? Ayn Rand was anti-communist, but to Middle America, Rand was Russian, and you’d think Jack would want to avoid anything controversial. Once Warner committed, the big issue was how to make Rand’s 700-page tome, which wasn’t exactly Gone with the Wind, into a movie. Jack hired Rand to write the screenplay, though she had prior written just two. Rand must have had an air-tight contract, because she prevailed when director King Vidor initially wanted to delete Gary Cooper’s five-plus minute court room speech. Maybe Warner was afraid that Rand would blow up WB if he tampered with her work!

Is director King Vidor kindly explaining what the hell is going on in 'The Fountainhead?'

So, what do you get when an author boils down her mammoth book into a movie just under the two hour mark? Mad Magazine once did a Reader’s Digest parody, a one-page version of Gone with the Wind. The Fountainhead film is not far off! A major problem is the characters that are symbols for various ideologies on the page, and become caricatures when they are written bare bones for the screen. Add to the dilemma that Rand’s dialogue is mostly speechifying. Toss in characters that make hairpin turns regarding their life decisions or bombastic beliefs. The result?

Does Cooper's Howard think Neal's Dominique just has a crack in her marble,
 or has lost her marbles?

I’ll give you MY Reader’s Digest version of The Fountainhead: Struggling architect Howard Roark has two strikes against him—his uncompromising values and unique architectural vision. These qualities bring out extreme reactions in others, such as egomaniacal columnist Ellsworth Toohey, rich dabbler Dominique Francon, and pompous publisher Gail Wynand. Every time Howard gets a foot hold in the building world, it’s two steps back. What success he has only inflames his enemies. Gradually, Roark’s love/hate relationship with Dominique turns to love, and he even befriends her husband, Gail. Howard’s extreme reaction to change made to a housing complex he designed leads to a near-operatic climax.

Dominique loves Howard's blueprints, but his jackhammer even more!

It’s hard to judge the acting, as the cast is given crazed characters and dialogue to play. Let’s just say the stars don’t help matters. Gary Cooper was massively miscast as Howard Roark. Coop was 47 during filming and like many stars of his era, looked prematurely aged. The solution to the early scenes, when Roark is a college lad, is to photograph him with his back to the camera, in silhouette. This makes the other characters haranguing of Coop’s shadow with expository dialogue especially hilarious. We get our first look at Gary when he’s finally hired, photographed in long shot, leaving at the door.

Unfortunately, at 47, Gary Cooper looks like Indiana Jones on his last crusade.

Still, when Coop gives Pat the look, it's pretty hot!

Overall, Gary Cooper was a fine film actor. He performed well in a variety of film genres and his understated performing style has aged well. Coop was also subtly charismatic, incredibly handsome in his youth, and despite his weathered appearance, still appealing through his film career. Proof of the latter: 22-year-old Patricia Neal fell madly in love with him. Coop is fine as usual in the romantic and more personal scenes. But as soon as Gary has to give a Rand rant, Coop sounds like he’s reading his lines phonetically. The courtroom defense speech that Roark gives is supposed to be so moving and eloquent that the jury finds him not guilty—Cooper’s halting line readings make you question Roark’s competency.

As Dominique, does Patricia Neal have crazy eyes or only eyes for hubby Raymond Massey? 

On the other end of the acting spectrum is Patricia Neal. This was one of Neal’s first films and supposed to make her WB’s new Bette Davis. Unfortunately, King Vidor directs Patricia the same way he directed the old Bette Davis that same year, in Beyond the Forest! Vidor lets novice Neal go way over the top, just as he let Davis overplay her neurotic character. Neal rolls her eyes, tosses her hair, snaps her lines, and so much more as the slightly deranged Dominique. Unlike other actresses, Neal’s latter husky voice is more appealing than hers as a young actress. Neal sounds clipped and metallic here, much like the ‘30s Katharine Hepburn. Like Cooper, Neal’s best in the quiet, romantic moments, and their chemistry is quite evident. Also, Patricia Neal rarely looked so lovely on film. Neal is photographed beautifully, styled simply, and her 5’ 8” figure looks lovely in Milo Anderson’s costumes (minus the white ermine-trimmed bosom number!).

Robert Douglas has a hammy field day as evil architecture columnist Ellsworth Toohey.

Robert Douglas as Ellsworth Toohey, nemesis to Howard Roark, is outrageously hammy and amusing. Toohey is an architecture columnist who despises individualism and seeks unlimited power—quite a jump from critiquing skyscrapers. Toohey’s column is called “One Small Voice,” though “One Big Blowhard” would have been more apt. The character comes off like All About Eve’s Addison DeWitt off his meds. Toohey is obsessed with mankind being made servile and selfless, not himself, natch. He seeks to destroy individualist Howard. Reynolds has a field day, blowing cigarette smoke heavenward after smoking Roark at every turn. Inexplicably, Reynolds is dressed like a dandy from the previous century, not the late 1940s. If he had a monocle, he’d look like Mr. Peanut! 

Also maddening: what IS Toohey’s end game? The character is so unctuous and unlikeable, yet you’re supposed to believe that “The Banner’s” big newsroom staff walked out in protest of his firing. Why are the masses enthralled by this Clifton Webb wannabe? I think one prophetic point that Rand touches on is the cult of celebrity and the cunning use of it over the masses. We have certainly been living in that world for awhile. The thing is, for as many followers as certain TV political pundits have, equally as many despise them.

Henry Hull, just over a decade older than youngster Gary Cooper, plays his wizened mentor in 'The Fountainhead.'

Henry Hull is a hoot as Roark’s mentor, Henry Cameron, another architect who won’t compromise. Hull so overplays that he seems schizophrenic rather than eccentric. Hull dies in the first 15 minutes, but not before he rails at Roark, rips up newspapers snatched from a paperboy, and gives an ambulance deathbed aria.

Raymond Massey pompously plays the pompous news publisher in 'The Fountainhead.'

Raymond Massey plays yet another overbearing role as newspaper mogul Gail Wynand. The grandiose lines further make Massey look like a total gasbag. He smugly recalls how he pulled himself up from the bootstraps in Hell’s Kitchen, but his patrician tones suggest otherwise. His character goes through several about faces, the last of which is especially unbelievable. After defending Roark to the hilt, his paper in ruins, then he suddenly gives in when the board of directors threaten to fire him.

WB's Kent Smith plays Peter Keating, yet another pleasant but spineless role for the actor.
Here, he's under the thumb of Reynolds' ruthless Ellsworth Toohey.

Kent Smith, WB’s resident player of wimps, is weakling architect Peter Keating. The character becomes a success through compromise, and then is twisted like a pretzel by most of the other characters. Though younger than Cooper, Smith wasn’t exactly a spring chicken here, sporting a buzz cut for his ‘college years.’

The cinematography and production values are the real star of 'The Fountainhead.'

The best thing about The Fountainhead is the production values of the movie. Depicting great wealth and stupendous architecture, frugal WB stretched the dollars, but used imaginative ways to put it over. First is Robert Burks cinematography. There are moments that remind me of Citizen Kane, which also had to come up with ingenious ways to portray extreme wealth. Some of the scenes and sets are simple, made vivid by contrast of stark light and shadows. The art direction by Edward Carrere and set decoration by William L. Kuehl is top notch, in tandem with Burks’ camera work. Max Steiner’s score is typically dramatic, but for the romantic scenes, his music is most subtle.

Patricia Neal looks skyward to Gary Cooper in the finale of 'The Fountainhead.'

The Fountainhead found King Vidor right in the middle of his baroque period. Vidor had already directed the operatic western Duel in the Sun for David Selznick. In 1949, he performed the double header of The Fountainhead and Beyond the Forest, which amazingly didn’t end his contract at WB. The last of his manic movies was 1952’s Ruby Gentry, with Jennifer Jones as a lusty swamp girl.

Who decided this was an appropriately flattering last shot of Coop in 'The Fountainhead?'

The ending of The Fountainhead conveniently makes Massey go away, finds Neal’s Dominique looking radiant as she looks up, riding to the top of Roark’s latest project. Coop stands waiting, hands on his hips like Superman, looking unflatteringly down. Yet, if Cooper’s Roark had swooped down and flown away with Neal’s Dominique, I wouldn’t have been at all surprised. Enjoy every moment or avoid at all cost!

If 'The Fountainhead' gives you a headache, take this!