Cinevent Retrospective: Hollywood and Vine (1945)

We will be blogging about films that were shown at past Cinevent conventions until the Picture Show in May. This week we review a movie shown in 2006.

RODNEY BOWCOCK: Martha Manning (Wanda McKay) is on her way to Hollywood where she plans to become immediately famous, but first, she needs to eat so she stops by a hamburger stand where she encounters Larry Winters and a stray dog with a penchant for dancing to "The Emperor’s Waltz" on a jukebox. Upon her arrival in Hollywood, Martha’s hopes are dashed when she is only able to get work in a drugstore. As it turns out, Larry is a screenwriter who decides to get background for a script that he’s been assigned to write by getting a job in the same drugstore, bringing the stray dog along with him. Martha gets a small role in a film and brings Emperor (that’s the dog, folks), where the pup wins a role in a film and skyrockets to stardom.

SAMANTHA GLASSER: Cinevent founder Steve Haynes wrote, “There is enough strangeness in this mini-epic not to ruin it by revealing that the only one of the hopefuls who becomes a star is the dog—and even that is not without a downside…”

The film has a sweet, light tone throughout. The romance is not deep and the depiction of Hollywood is not accurate, but that doesn't matter because the dog is cute, the girls are pretty, and the comedy is well-done.

RB: This is a PRC film, so yeah, you always want to keep your expectations in check. This one is less nonsensical than that usually means. I agree with you that the stars are mostly charming, Daisy is lots of fun and the script and direction are mostly competent.

SG: The story is told in flashback by an eccentric millionaire who discovered the romantic leads at a hamburger stand years ago.

RB: Yeah, anyone watching this for the first time is likely to spend a lot of time wondering what this framing sequence has to do with anything, but more or less, it does. You just have to wait awhile for the payoff.

SG: I love depictions of old-fashioned boarding houses in old movies. The idea of taking a room in a house with strangers who you have to eat your meals and share a bathroom with is completely foreign today, and yet it sounds kind of nice, like a crafted family. I don't know how the landlords managed to vet people with success.

RB: I would guess that the closest thing we have today would be Bed and Breakfasts, but of course, those are rarely used on the long-term. Boarding houses are illegal in most parts of the United States at this point due to changing zoning laws.

SG: I didn't know that, but it makes sense why we don't see them anymore. Air BNB is probably the closest thing.

The "banana surprise" scene in the drugstore is very well played. At first, I thought maybe the boss was selling alcohol under the table or some other nefarious thing. The mistaken ingredients heard on a radio broadcast was straight out of A Tough Winter, one of my favorite Our Gang shorts for this very gag. In those days pairing vinegar, salt, pepper and mayonnaise probably wasn't as revolting as it sounds today. Ever hear of a candle salad?

RB: Indeed, I have, although at least sometimes (thankfully) that salad would use whipped cream instead of the big glob of mayonnaise that seems to be such a hallmark of a mid-20th century salad.

SG: You'll remember Daisy the dog from the Blondie movies. She gets a starring role in this movie, and she lives up to the amount of screen time she receives playing Emperor, the dog who becomes so famous she endorses Gold Strike cigarettes, and later gets charged with tax evasion. She generated a lot of "aww"s from me and impressed me with her abilities. I really loved the scene where she faced away from Larry and turned around to give him a pointed look.

RB: Reportedly, Daisy and their trainer were paid $1,000 a week for their services, which would almost certainly make them the most expensive quotient in this or many other PRC films.

SG: Motion Picture Daily wrote, "It is to be wondered why Ellison has not achieved more eminence as leading man, for he has all the prerequisites." The actor began his show business career in a film lab where he was spotted and offered a screen test. He made many westerns and played minor roles in A-pictures.

I found Wanda McKay to be the weakest part of the movie. Her delivery is flat, so moments that should have outraged her seem to be accepted instead. When she discovers Larry's deception, her anger feels false; she's just reading lines.

RB: I never go into a PRC movie expecting great acting, and I’m not going to start here, which seems like as good a way as possible to say that I think the Daily was giving Ellison too much credit. He’s fine, and to disagree with you a bit, I found McKay fine as well. But certainly nothing more than that.

SG: Franklin Pangborn, always reliable for quality comedy, is credited as "Franklyn." Billy Benedict is the newspaper boy.

RB: Leon Belasco, who if known at all today, is known for co-starring on The Man Called X, a radio series with Herbert Marshall more than his film work also pops up, as does Prince Michael Romanoff, a man who was not a prince, nor was he even named Michael Romanoff. A professional imposter, so to speak, his only appearance in this PRC film is likely because he simply enjoyed fame for the sake of fame.

SG: Marvin Hatley, who is best known for his musical contributions to the Hal Roach studios, provides the music.

RB: I had hoped that we would hear some jaunty tunes similar to those as what Hatley had done for Roach, but it was not to be. The music here is pleasant but entirely forgettable.

SG: Agreed. The atmosphere is nice. We get exterior shots of the Trocadero, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Sardi's and the Brown Derby.

RB: Hollywood is so different now, most of these landmarks are all gone or at least transformed so that they bear little resemblance to what we see here. I loved these shorts. But I don’t recall seeing Romanoff’s own restaurant...

SG: Box Office Digest recommended it for a bottom of a double bill: "The story cannot rise much above the formula possibilities of such a title, but it does meander pleasantly for its 60 minutes without too great a strain on the critical faculties."

The Springfield News-Sun said, "The film is laugh-packed and ends on a merry note."

RB: The State Theatre in Rivesville, West Virginia pinned their hopes on a double-bill of this with the Chick Chandler comedy Seven Doors To Death and walked away with a lackluster midweek. “This is a fair comedy. It had some laughs and some stars but it was not long enough. Doubled with Seven Doors to Death. Business way below average, but this is a good show if you can back it up. I couldn't.”

SG: I give it three and a half stars.

RB: If you go in expecting typical PRC product, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this breezy fun comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Three and a half stars.