Dive Bomber(1941).

Dive Bomber(1941). Directed by Michael Curtiz. It is known for both its beautiful photography of pre-World War II United States Navy aircraft and as a historical document of the US in 1941, including the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, one of the best known World War II US warships.

The film was the last of a collaboration between director Curtiz and actor Errol Flynn, which began in 1935 and spanned 12 films. The cast also includes: Fred Mac Murray, Alexis Smith, in her first credited screen performance. Flynn, plays a doctor who works on medical research on pilots, with Mac Murray plays the skeptical veteran aviator. The plot is not historically accurate but, contains elements of true events that were part of the aeromedical research.

Dive Bomber was nominated for an Oscar for Best Color Cinematography at the 14th Academy Awards in 1942. The movie is dedicated to the flight surgeons of the US armed forces, in recognition of their efforts to solve the problems of aviation medicine.

During pre-war operations from an aircraft carrier off Hawaii, the VB-4 "High Hats" bomber Squadron arrive in San Diego, one of the pilots blacks out during a high speed dive and crashes. At the base hospital, Navy Lt. Doctor Doug Lee convinces the Senior Surgeon to operate but the pilot dies on the operating table. After Blake blames Lee for making the wrong decision, the doctor decides to become a flight surgeon.

On completion of his flight training, Dr. Lee becomes a assistant for Dr. Lance Rogers, who is working on altitude sickness project that affects pilots in dive bombers. Lee flies with Blake as his pilot and observes Blake blacking out. He experiments with the successfully flight tests it himself. Even though he has qualified as a pilot, Lee is considered a "grandstander". His judgment over pilots' ability to fly comes into question when he grounds a pilot, Lt. Tim Griffin, who is suffering from chronic fatigue. In anger, Griffin quits the Navy, and joins the RAF in Canada but visits his old squadron when he is flies a new fighter from the Los Angeles. On his return flight, Griffin, finds himself in trouble and is killed attempting to land at an emergency field.

Lt. Commander Blake, volunteers as a "guinea pig" pilot for aerial experiments. The first flight test of a pressurized cabin nearly ends in disaster when Blake passes out, forcing Dr. Lee to take over. During ground testing of a new invention of a pressure suit, Blake realizes that he will not pass his physical and will be grounded. Will Blake go ahead and make the test flight successfully?

I thought this was an exciting and beautifully filmed aviation drama about two naval officers who put aside their personal differences to work together. Mac Murray and Flynn, have very different acting styles, but also work very well together.

Ralph Bellamy.

Ralph Bellamy, toured with road shows before landing in New York. He began acting on stage and by 1927 owned his own theatre company. Bellamy, was cast in the lead role in the films: Straight from the Shoulder(1936) and It Can't Last Forever (1937).

He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in, The Awful Truth (1937). Jerry and Lucy Warriner, both do their best to ruin each other's plans for remarriage, Jerry to socialite Molly Lamont, she to oil-rich Daniel Leeson. Jerry, manages a court-ordered visitation rights with their pet fox terrier. Lucy, sends flamboyant Dixie Belle Lee, to impersonate Jerry's "sister", before his bride's family.

Ralph Bellamy, plays the fiancee a successful businessman brilliantly.

He played a similar part in, His Girl Friday (1940). A story about, Hildy Johnson, who divorced Walter Burns and goes to visit his office to tell him that she is going to marry another man. Walter Burns, refuses to let that happen and frames the other man, Bruce Baldwin. While he tries to talk Hildy to come back to her old job as editor of his newspaper. Ralph Bellamy, played the nice but dull Bruce Baldwin.

He played detective Ellery Queen in a few films during the 1940's, but as his film career began to fade, he returned to the stage, where he continued to perform throughout the fifties.

He was founder of the Screen Actors Guild and served as President of Actors' Equity from 1952-1964.

Later he starred in the Western, The Professionals (1966) as an oil tycoon, and Roman Polanski's Rosemary's Baby (1968) as an evil physician, before turning to television during the 1970's.

Personal Quote:

"One day in Hollywood I read a script in which the character was described as "charming but dull -- a typical Ralph Bellamy type". I promptly headed for New York to find a part with guts".

Please click here to learn more about Ralph Bellamy.

His Girl Friday(1940).

His Girl Friday (1940). Comedy film directed by Howard Hawks. Cast: Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Bellamy.

Newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson, recently divorced from newspaper editor Walter Burns, stops by his office at the Morning Post, to tell him that she is planning to marry insurance salesman, Bruce Baldwin.

When she gets there, Walter is working on a story about Earl Williams, who has just been sentenced to die for killing a policeman.

To keep Hildy from leaving, he tells her the paper needs her to cover the story. Hildy at first refuses, saying that she is tired of being a newspaperman and now wants to be a wife.

While having lunch, Walter learns that the couple are leaving with Bruce's mother, on the four o'clock train to Albany. Wanting to quickly come up with a plan to win Hildy back, Walter convinces Bruce, that only a story written by Hildy, can save Williams.

Hildy agrees to write the story if Walter will purchase a life insurance policy from Bruce. Walter agrees and when he returns to the newspaper office with Bruce for a medical examination, Hildy goes to the press room at the criminal court's building, where she is welcomed by the other reporters, who warn her that she will never be able to give up the newspaper business.

Walter does everything he can to keep Hildy from leaving. Will Walter prevent Hildy's up coming marriage and will Hildy get the big story?

This is a very charming/funny film. Cary Grant is, better than ever and I've never seen Rosalind Russel in a role that suited her more perfectly. The supporting actors, are all perfect for this film.

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 Fun Fact:

Ginger Rogers wrote that she was offered the role of Hildy Johnson. She read the script, but this was before Cary Grant was cast, and she turned it down. After learning that Grant was cast, she regretted it.

Helen Mack (November 12, 1913 – August 13, 1986). Vera Gordon was a friend who helped her along as a child actress.

She performed on Broadway, in vaudeville (1926–28) and in silent films.

Mack debuted on stage in, The Idle Inn with Jacob Benami. She performed with Roland Young in The Idle Inn and toured America (1928–29) with William Hodge in Straight Through The Door.

Her Fox Film screen test was March 1931 and within three weeks she was on the studio lot. Mack began her film career, first billed as Helen Macks, in Success. The motion picture featured Brandon Tynan, Naomi Childers, and Mary Astor.

In Zaza, Mack worked with Gloria Swanson.

She also had a small role in D. W. Griffith's last film The Struggle (1931).

She made her debut as a leading lady opposite Victor McLaglen in, While Paris Sleeps (1932) and was cast with John Boles in his initial Fox Film venture, Scotch Valley.

Mack played in several westerns in the early 1930's:  Fargo Express (1933) with Ken Maynard and The California Trail with Buck Jones.

RKO Radio Pictures Inc. offered her a second chance as Mamie Donahue in Sweepings. She may be best remembered for the 1933 movie sequel The Son of Kong, as Harold Lloyd's sister in The Milky Way (1936) and as the suicidal Molly Malloy in His Girl Friday (1940).

She also played an important role as Tanya in Merian C. Cooper's production of H. Rider Haggard's She (1935) opposite Randolph Scott, Nigel Bruce, and Helen Gahagan (who did the title role as She, who must be obeyed).

Other roles for Mack included the bank-robbing ingenue opposite Richard Cromwell and Lionel Atwill in 1937's The Wrong Road.

In the 1940's and 1950's, Mack worked as a producer and director of radio programs: Richard Diamond, Private Detective and The Saint.

As TV succeeded radio as the prevalent entertainment medium, she continued to write plays and TV episodes until her death.

In 1949, she collaborated with Roger Price in writing the children's record Gossamer Wump, narrated by Frank Morgan and released by Capitol Records.

Mack married lawyer Charles Irwin in San Francisco, California, in February 1935 at age 21. Irwin was a bankruptcy trustee for Fox Film West Coast Theaters. By this time Mack was under contract to Paramount Pictures. They had a son in 1936 and divorced in 1938.

In 1940 she married Thomas McAvity in Santa Barbara, California. McAvity later became Vice President in Charge of Television Network for NBC. They had one son.

Guest in the House (1944).

Guest in the House (1944). Director: John Brahm. Cast: Anne Baxter, Ralph Bellamy, Aline MacMahon.

One summer day, the Proctor family is looking forward to seeing Dr. Dan Proctor and meeting his invalid fiancee, Evelyn Heath.

Dan's brother Douglas and his wife Ann are very sympathetic toward Evelyn, who had a troubled childhood which left her physically and emotionally scarred.

Evelyn soon goes up to her room to rest and plays melancholy music on the record player.

Later, Evelyn faints when Lee shows her a pet bird. Douglas sketches her picture on the lampshade to calm her down. After he leaves her room, Evelyn writes in her diary about her desire for Douglas.

That Sunday, when the rest of the family goes to church, Miriam and Douglas decide to work in the studio. Wanting time alone with Douglas, Evelyn is about to join them when Dan returns unexpectedly home, she accuses him of being jealous of her. Then, Evelyn insists that he goes back to work, instead he packs his suitcase and leaves.

Evelyn next comes up with a plan to destroy Miriam's relationship with Douglas. Will she manage to destroy this family?

Click to view: Guest in the House, movie in full

The cinematography in the film, Guest in the House was wonderful and so is the performance of Ruth Warrick as the trusting wife. Absorbing and fun!

When All My Children debuted on January 5, 1970, Ruth Warrick, was among the contracted cast, playing Phoebe Tyler (the character's full name via her marriages would eventually be Phoebe English Tyler Wallingford Matthews Wallingford).

The show was an instant hit and Phoebe became a popular daytime character.

Warrick received Daytime Emmy Award nominations in 1975 and 1977.

In 1985, she played Hannah Cord in the TV movie Return to Peyton Place.