Actor Fred MacMurray was mostly in two types of films—fast-talking comedies before World War II and twisted film noirs after. Other than Double Indemnity in 1944, his noirs were largely lackluster, not because of his acting, which was flawless. MacMurray always brought a strapping, modern handsomeness to the screen and was convincing as a cop or con. Most of the noirs fell short because they were unevenly written or overwritten.
As for the fast-talking comedies, MacMurray was peerless. Dialogue moved briskly, much like Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn or Cary Grant and take your pick. One of my favorite MacMurray comedies is The Gilded Lilly (1935), but sadly it hasn't surfaced at YouTube yet. My second favorite is Remember the Night, with Barbara Stanwyck, who was MacMurray's acting equal. The film has a Christmas overlay but doesn't quite know how to end—as if they over-thought the morality issues and filmed five different resolutions. And the film's comic snap softens during the holiday sequences. Otherwise, a warm pre-war love story.
Don't worry. JazzWax hasn't become a movie blog overnight. We'll be back to the music soon enough. It's just that during this quiet week, I wanted to share some movies with you as a change-up. As you'll soon see, MacMurray and Stanwyck were just as terrific together in comedy as they would be in drama four years later in Double Indemnity.
Here's Remember the Night (1940), directed by Mitchell Leisen from a screenplay by Preston Sturges...
