Movie #995 "Platinum Blonde" is a Frank Capra picture (probably the only one) that I hadn't seen, so when it was on TCM this morning, I had to watch it --- this being Loretta Young's birthday (and therefore her day on TCM!) today! Anyway, Ms Young was billed first but the movie was stolen by Robert Williams, whom I had never heard of before. He talked fast (like Cary Grant), and he got across disdain of the rich, but also sincerity and charm (like Spencer Tracy). And he was kind of screwball and funny (like William Powell), all ingredients that would make him famous in the coming 1940s, so what happened? when I looked him up, I found out his story was a sad one because this was his last picture. A few days after this film opened and announced he was an up and coming star, he died of peritonitis. Gosh, if that didn't happen, I bet we would be talking about Robert Williams today! Christopher Plummer referred to him in a speech about acting as the precursor of the method acting of Marlon Brando, so someone at least acknowledged his talent somewhere along the line. So I'd like to in this blog, and if you ever get a chance to see it, you'll know what I mean.....here, a star was born, but surprisingly, the attention wasn't on 19 year old Loretta Young or Jean Harlow (I never really understood why she was so popular except for her looks) ! Now that's a story in itself! Probably better than the film itself. But this is a winning film with funny episodes of shouting in a mansion with the stuff butler (typical Capra stuff), the lead being called the "cinderella man" etc. Like always, Capra films elevate the common man, and this is no exception. And that's why he is so beloved in my eyes (and many, for that matter!).
Platinum Blonde
Frank Capra directed this 1931 screwball comedy about a hard-nosed newspaper reporter, Stew (Robert Williams), who, after marrying heiress Ann Schuyler (Jean Harlow), must find a way to adjust to high society. After finding it stifling, he sets about writing a play with a female colleague, Gallagher (Loretta Young), who promptly falls for Stew. Hijinks and witty repartee move faster than breaking copy as the two women vie for Stew's affections.
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