On This Day...Gunga Din (1939).

 Cary Grant's 32nd full length film, Gunga Din, was released today in 1939.

Summary:

Born in British India, Gunga Din (Sam Jaffe) always wanted to join the British army like many of his fellow Indians, but Indians were not allowed to do so. So he starts observing the British and learns accordingly. He befriends Sgt. Archibald Cutter (Cary Grant) and warns him about a Thuggee uprising that may threaten their base.

 Sgt. Cutter and others are able to fend off the attack, but when Gunga gets information of a much larger rebel attack, Cutter accompanies him to the cult's temple embedded with gold statues of Hindu deities. Gunga finds out he is regarded as a traitor by his countrymen, and Cutter, as well as Sergeants MacChesney (Victor McLaglen) and Ballantine Douglas Fairbanks Jr.), is held captive by the Thuggees in a bid to force the British to leave India.

With Robert Coote.

"We are grateful...for Grant's cheery, Cockney sergeant, and for George Stevens's good direction..."

- Philip T. Hartung, The Commonweal.

Cast:

Cary Grant ... Sergeant Archibald Cutter
Victor McLaglen ... Sergeant MacChesney
Douglas Fairbanks Jr. ... Sergeant Thomas Ballantine
Sam Jaffe ... Gunga Din
Eduardo Ciannelli ... Guru
Joan Fontaine ... Emmy
Montagu Love ... Colonel Weed
Robert Coote ... Sergeant Higginbotham
Abner Biberman ... Chota
Lumsden Hare ... Major Mitchell

Did You Know?

Upon release, a campaign was launched by the Indian magazine "Filmindia" against what it called misrepresentation of Indian characters in the film and the displaying of insensitivity towards Hindu customs. Following riots in India and Malaya, the film was withdrawn by the censors.

Was second only to Gone with the Wind (1939) as the biggest money-maker of 1939.

The "bridge over the deep chasm" scene, in which Annie the elephant shakes a rope bridge while Cutter and Gunga Din are trying to cross it, was actually filmed on a bridge just eight feet off the ground. The background was a realistic painting of a chasm.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. recounted how the backdrops and locations were so convincing that they fooled actual Indians who had visited the real Khyber Pass. They even refused to believe him when he told them the truth.

Director George Stevens had Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Cary Grant flip a coin for the role of Cutter. Grant won. However, there's also a report that Grant was dissatisfied with his original role of Ballantine and convinced producer Pandro S. Berman to allow him to switch roles with Fairbanks.

Quotes:

Sgt. Archibald Cutter: Eight feet away from where I'm sitting, right here, there's enough gold to make me sole owner and proprietor of a pub as big as the Crystal Palace. Best pub in Hampshire.



Sgt. Archibald Cutter: Now get me some tools. Something to rip these blinking bars out.
Gunga Din: Already bring all tools could find. Is this satisfactory, sahib?
[holds up a fork]
Sgt. Archibald Cutter: Look... What do you think I want to break out of - a bloomin' pudding? Now go on, get something big.
[Din returns with an elephant]
Sgt. Archibald Cutter: What are you doing, Din?
Gunga Din: The large tool you asked for, sahib.

With Victor McLaglen.

On set.

Lobby Cards:

Directed by George Stevens.

Produced and distributed bu RKO.

Running time: 117 minutes.

Artwork created by Rebekah Hawley.

On This Day...The Woman Accused (1933)

The Woman Accused was Cary Grant's 9th full length film and was released on this date in 1933. It was also his second film with Nancy Carroll.

Summary:

Glenda O'Brien's (Nancy Carroll) romance with Jeffrey Baxter (Cary Grant) is endangered by the return of her old lover. During a three-day pleasure cruise, a murder victim's friend (John Halliday) tries to trick a new bride  into admitting her guilt.

"...The hero, as done capably by Cary Grant.." - Daily Variety.

Cast:

Nancy Carroll ... Glenda O'Brien
Cary Grant ... Jeffrey Baxter
John Halliday ... Stephen Bessemer
Irving Pichel ... District Attorney Clark
Louis Calhern ... Leo Young
Norma Mitchell ... Martha
Jack La Rue ... Little Maxie
Frank Sheridan ... Inspector Swope
John Lodge ... Dr. Simpson
William J. Kelly ... Captain of Boat
Harry Holman ... Judge Osgood
Jay Belasco ... Tony Graham
Gertrude Messinger ... Evelyn Craig

Lona Andre ... Cora Matthews
Donald Stuart ... The Steward

Did You Know?

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. Its initial television broadcast took place in Chicago Sunday 4 January 1959 on WBBM (Channel 2); other sponsors resisted its pre-code plot twists, and it appears that it was not taken out of the vault again for a year and a half. However, curiosity and interest in seeing Cary Grant in one of his earliest leading roles overcame that situation and it eventually surfaced on more television channels in 1960. It was released on DVD 19 April 2016 as one of 18 [Paramount] titles in Universal's Cary Grant: The Vault Collection, and again 12 October 2016 as part of the Universal Vault Series.

The story "The Woman Accused" appeared in "Liberty" Magazine between January 21 and February 18, 1933.

Lobby Cards:

Directed by Paul Sloane.

Produced and distributed by Paramount Publix.

Running time: 73 minutes.

Artwork  created by Rebekah Hawley.

Cary Grant has a record...it's vinyl!!

Cary Grant only made one record, although his singing voice does appear on original soundtrack recordings.

"Christmas Lullaby" was recorded in June, 1967 and released in the December. It was a charity record with any proceeds going to the Motion Picture Relief Fund.

"Christmas Lullaby" was written by Peggy Lee and Cy Coleman. The "B" side was another recording of CG, titled "Here's To You".

Cy Colman had written the song "Pass Me By" for Father Goose, and Cary Grant was a fan of Peggy Lee.

The song is very much rooted in Cary Grant's emotions for his daughter, Jennifer.

"Christmas Lullaby"

"Here's To You"

The record peaked at No.33 in the Billboard Christmas Chart of 1967.

I have a copy of the record that was for "Radio Station Use Only".

On This Day...Virginia Cherrill - Cary Grant's First Wife.

Virginia Cherrill was Cary Grant's first wife and they married on 9th February 1934.

Born on a farm, Cherrill was discovered by Charles Chaplin while sitting beside him at a boxing match in Los Angeles; he introduced himself at intermission and hired her for her debut in City Lights (1931). 

She met Cary Grant at the premiere of Blonde Venus (1932) and stopped working after their marriage in 1933. 

They were divorced 26th March 1935. 

Cary's explanation was, "We were married February 9th, 1934 at Caxton Hall, a London registry office, amid a flurry of photographers, newsmen and serio-comic adventures.  We separated seven months later.  I doubt if either of us was capable of relaxing sufficiently to trust the happiness we might have had.  My possessiveness and fear of losing Virginia brought about the very condition I feared: the loss of her."

Did You Know?

Best remembered as the blind girl selling flowers in Charles Chaplin's City Lights (1931).

In her 1935 divorce from actor Cary Grant, she received $50,000, which was equivalent to 50% of his community property at the time.

Quotes:

[When asked why her film career ended] I was no great shakes as an actress.

[on rumors that Cary Grant and his roommate Randolph Scott were gay] Cary was crazy about women. Randolph Scott was no more gay than Cary was. And he was so handsome, he had women falling all over him. It's not like you read in the books. They lived in the same house and they got on well, but they didn't necessarily lead the same lives. They had different friends.

On This Day...Wings In The Dark (1935)

 Today, in 1935, saw the release of Cary Grant's 19th full length film, Wings in the Dark. His first of three films with co-star Myrna Loy.

Summary:

Aeronautical engineer Ken Gordon (Cary Grant) and his faithful mechanic Mac (Hobart Cavanaugh) are devoted to developing technology that will enable pilots to safely fly blind during adverse weather conditions. An irresponsible newsman, Nick Williams (Roscoe Karns), publishes a premature story about a planned long distance flight Gordon hopes will prove his theories. Because of Williams, he loses funding but is introduced to skilled aviatrix Sheila Mason (Myrna Loy).

 After Gordon is literally blinded in a workshop accident, Sheila undertakes dangerous stunt flying jobs in order to secretly support Gordon's continuing research. When she undertakes a dangerous Moscow to New York non-stop flight and is in jeopardy of crashing over a fog-bound Roosevelt Field, there is only one person capable of saving her.

"Cary Grant gives a splendid performance as the tragic young flyer, and Myrna Loy does well with a role not entirely her sort." - The Hollywood Reporter.

Cast:

 Myrna Loy ... Sheila Mason
 Cary Grant ... Ken Gordon
 Roscoe Karns ... Nick Williams
 Hobart Cavanaugh ... Mac
 Dean Jagger ... Top Harmon
 Russell Hopton ... Jake Brashear
 Matt McHugh ... 1st Mechanic
 Graham McNamee ... Radio Announcer

Did You Know?

First of three movies starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy, followed by The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948).


The plane that Cary Grant (I)'s character flew was a Lockheed Sirius, and the plane Myrna Loy's character flew in the flight from Moscow to New York was a Lockheed Vega.


Myrna Loy's role was inspired by aviator Amelia Earhart.

With Amelia Earhart and Myrna Loy.

Quotes:

Sheila Mason: What are you thinking about?
Ken Gordon: I was just thinking how crazy I was not to take a good look at you when I had the chance.
Sheila Mason: Don't you remember at all?
Ken Gordon: Pretty well, but I'm not sure. Tell me.
Sheila Mason: Oh, I'm a sort of low wing, single-motored monoplane type. You've seen hundreds of them.
Ken Gordon: I don't believe it. Tell me more.
Sheila Mason: Let's see. I have reddish hair, snub nose, freckles, plenty of freckles.
Ken Gordon: What else?
Sheila Mason: Well, a little under medium length, fair wing spread, stream-lined, so they tell me.
Ken Gordon: Sounds fascinating.

Lobby Cards:

Directed by James Flood.
Produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures.
Running time: 75 minutes.

 Cary Grant in Wings in the Dark (1935) Created by Rebekah Hawley.

Marvelous ARTchie and the "On This Day" releases!

 In an attempt to do something different for 2021, the "On This Day" film release posts will now highlight bespoke artwork from the talented Rebekah Hawley at Studio36.

You may have seen, already, the artwork produced for North By Northwest (Mount Rushmore) and the MyLifeInAYearWithArchie logo.

Mount Rushmore.

Logo.

So until April 2021, the film release content will stay the same but include the new artwork. My Instagram posts will just be the artwork and a guess the film title; of course the answer will be here!

On This Day...She Done Him Wrong (1933)

 Cary Grant's 8th film was She Done Him Wrong, his first film with Mae West.

Summary:

New York singer and nightclub owner Lady Lou (Mae West) has more men friends than you can imagine, unfortunately one of them is a vicious criminal who's escaped and is on the way to see "his" girl, not realizing she hasn't exactly been faithful in his absence. Help is at hand in the form of young Captain Cummings (Cary Grant), a local temperance league leader, though.

"Playing it, the exhibitor must necessarily indicate what it is (the nature of the film for audiences), and he has the selling angles of Miss West in a well-known role, and the personal attractiveness of Cary Grant."

- C. Aaronson, Motion Picture Herald.

"Numerous ex-vaudevillians besides Miss West in the cast, including Cary Grant, Fuzzy Knight, and Grace LaRue." 

- Joe Bigelow, Variety.

Cast:

 Mae West ... Lady Lou
 Cary Grant ... Captain Cummings
 Owen Moore ... Chick Clark
 Gilbert Roland ... Serge Stanieff
 Noah Beery ... Gus Jordan 
 David Landau ... Dan Flynn
 Rafaela Ottiano ... Russian Rita
 Dewey Robinson ... Spider Kane
 Rochelle Hudson ... Sally
 Tammany Young ... Chuck Connors
 Fuzzy Knight ... Rag Time Kelly
 Grace La Rue ... Frances
 Robert Homans ... Doheney 
 Louise Beavers ... Pearl

Did You Know?

Mae West was signed by Paramount in 1931 to make a film adaptation of her stage success 'Diamond Lil'. They then spent the next two years trying to figure out a way of getting the material past the censors. The battle over 'Diamond Lil' led to the head of the Production Board, James Wingate, quitting and being replaced by the much more hardline Joseph Breen who was prompted to set up a fairly stringent and moral Production Code. In the meantime, 'Diamond Lil' transformed into the slightly watered down "She Done Him Wrong" and was one of the last films to be made before the introduction of the Production Code.

At 66 minutes, this is the shortest movie to ever receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

Although they knew this film would fall foul of the censors of the day, Paramount rushed this into production. They were experiencing financial difficulties and needed a surefire hit. Something as controversial as this was their nearest guarantee. Needless to say, it was a runaway hit because of its notoriety.

Mae West was sewn into most of her costumes.

Quotes:

Lady Lou: Why don't you come up some time and see me?


Captain Cummings: Haven't you ever met a man that could make you happy?
Lady Lou: Sure, lots of times.


Captain Cummings: I'm sorry you think more of your diamonds than you do of your soul.
Lady Lou: I'm sorry you think more of my soul than you do of my diamonds.


[Captain Cummings approaches Lou with a pair of handcuffs]
Lady Lou: Those absolutely necessary? You know I wasn't born with them.
Captain Cummings: No. A lot of men would've been safer if you had.
Lady Lou: Oh, I don't know - hands ain't everything.

Press kit.

Lobby Cards:

Directed by Lowell Sherman.

Produced and Distributed by Paramount Publix.

Running time: 66 minutes.