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Post by coopfan on May 10, 2007 17:20:53 GMT -5
One Sunday afternoon in the first decade of the twentieth century, small-town dentist Lucius "Biff" Grimes is seized with the thought of revenge when his former rival, Hugo Barnstead, arrives in town and comes to his office with an aching tooth. While his friend, Snappy Downer, stands by and Hugo lies unconscious from nitrous oxide, Biff reminisces about the night years ago when he and Virginia Brush met in Avery's Park: Although Virginia's shy friend, Amy Lind, has been infatuated with Biff since high school, he has always wanted to meet Virginia and gets his chance when she drops her handkerchief. Full of himself, Biff is unaware that Virginia is really interested in his friend Hugo, as the four cavort at the park. Sometime later, Biff slugs a fellow in a poolhall who teases him about Virginia, and his new straw hat, which he bought to impress Virginia, is stomped on in the subsequent brawl. At a picnic in Schneider's Park, Biff learns which basket that is about to be auctioned was prepared by Virginia, and he wins it in the bidding, which allows him the opportunity to eat with her. Although Virginia is upset to be with Biff, having arranged for Hugo to choose her basket, Biff is oblivious to her true feelings about him. Another fight breaks out in the park, and when it is over, Biff sees Virginia with Hugo. When Virginia elopes with Hugo, as Biff waits for her to keep a date in the park, a crowd of guys decide to go give Biff "the horse laugh." Amy gets to Biff first, and when the others arrive and taunt him, she says, to shut them up, that Biff is engaged to her. Biff and Amy walk off to a lake, where, although he is disheartened that Virginia married Hugo, he asks Amy to marry him. Two years later, Biff learns that Hugo has returned to town with Virginia, sent by his uncle to take charge of the carriage factory, where Biff works. Biff excitedly practices saying hello to Virginia and forgets that it is his and Amy's anniversary. Amy cries when she realizes that he has forgotten, and as Biff embraces her, Hugo and Virginia come in and invite them to an anniversary dinner in their hotel suite. Amy is upset because she has worked preparing her own dinner all day and is wearing a new dress, which no one has noticed. Hugo puts on airs and denigrates Biff's ambition to continue to study dentistry at night and instead offers him a "better" position at the factory as a company spy, reporting on the men who should be fired. Biff is insulted, and afterward tells Amy that she looks as nice as Virginia. Hugo soon fires Biff for incompetency, and when Biff returns home, he finds that Amy has invited her mother to live with them. Without relating that he has been fired, Biff returns to Hugo's office and vows to work harder in his old job. Hugo gives him the job back, but then says he wants the names of the men he should get rid of. Biff calls Hugo a "weasel" and as a guard struggles to put him out, the guard's gun goes off and he falls, having been shot in the leg. Hugo blames Biff and he is sentenced to two years in the state penitentiary. Biff vows to Snappy that he will revenge himself on Hugo when he gets out. Upon his release, Biff vows to make it up to Amy, who has remained devoted to him and worked hard during his term in prison. He suggests that they go someplace else to start over, and she says she will go anywhere with him. Back in the office, Biff turns down the oxygen on Hugo and increases the flow of nitrous oxide. Virginia then arrives with a painted face and an outlandish hat. Biff immediately knows from her crass manner that he married the right woman, and he quickly turns off the nitrous oxide and puts the oxygen on. Relieved that Hugo is alive, Biff pulls his tooth. Virginia's crude attempt to flirt is ridiculed by Biff and Snappy after she and Hugo leave, and the sound of their uproarious laughter brings Amy to the office, where she accuses the two of drinking. Biff then tells his wife that she's very sweet and beautiful, and that he loves her, and after she returns the sentiment, he carries her out, and they go for a long walk in the summertime air.
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Post by coopfan on May 10, 2007 19:40:54 GMT -5
A very well done story line and I have a feeling it was suppose to take place very near to where I live. It takes place in a small town and they do mention a dentist in Pittsburgh which is about an hour and half drive from where I live.
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Post by *~Mrs. Cooper ~* on Jun 6, 2007 11:54:26 GMT -5
I forgot how great this movie was! I'm in the middle of watching it and it's just so great! I mean, Gary is not quite himself, but the humor, drama and romance in it is just so fantastic--I love this film.  |
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Post by coopfan on Jul 10, 2007 3:58:28 GMT -5
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Post by *~Mrs. Cooper ~* on Jul 10, 2007 12:47:59 GMT -5
YESSSSS!!! I love this movie! Now Theresa can watch it!
Theresa, go. WATCH. IT. NOW!!
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coopsgirl
The Bees Knees
More than just the 'It girl'
Posts: 584
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Post by coopsgirl on Jul 11, 2007 8:45:45 GMT -5
I love this one and it's probably one of the one's of his I have watched the most often. Did that make sense?  Anyway it is a good story and it's so sad how much Amy loves him and he just never realizes it until the end. But better late than never I guess. This was the last pairing of Gary and Fay Wray in a movie and as we've talked about before they did 4 movies together. When they were first paired up in the silent movie days they were billed as the screen's "greatest young lovers" but for some reason they just didn't seem to have real great chemistry and audiences just didn't take to them as a pair. When they were filming 'The First Kiss' in '28 there's a scene where they are at a dock and Gary's standing on the dock and Fay is down in the water in a dinghy. Before they began shooting the scene a big wave came and tipped the boat over and Fay fell out. Gary jumped in the water and saved her. The publicity people jumped on that and put out the story as part of the movie's publicity campaign but still people just didn't take to them together. Apparently she's also one of his leading ladies that he didn't have an affair with. She said later that during all the movies they made he never said much to her until the last one when he just came up to her and said 'I can imagine it would be wonderful to go to bed with you' and that was it. Weird!!! |
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Post by butterscotchgreer on Jul 14, 2007 15:46:41 GMT -5
i just watched it !!! it was so wonderful. he looks so cute in his little pin stripe pants, carrying his best girl out the door at the end. *sighs* i want to be happy with my future husband like that when we get old!!!
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Post by *~Mrs. Cooper ~* on Jul 14, 2007 16:56:18 GMT -5
Awww, I know!! I love this one and those STRIPED PANTS!! EEE HEHEHEHEHE! I had to cap those images 'cause he was so adorable. And wrastling a pig was a little exciting, too. His singing was the cutest! *Bum, bum, bum bumbumbum, bum, bum, bum* LOL Did you see him swinging upside down, Theresa? |
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Post by butterscotchgreer on Jul 14, 2007 17:02:50 GMT -5
i did see it sis!! i was sitting in my roller chair and when i saw him upside down, i decided to go upsidedown myself to see what he would look like. i fell out of my chair doing that, but hey he was still CUTE!!
he just got me hypnotizewd in those pin satripes.woohoo!
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Post by *~Mrs. Cooper ~* on Jul 14, 2007 17:14:09 GMT -5
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Post by butterscotchgreer on Jul 14, 2007 18:47:55 GMT -5
sis you should know by now that if you have done smething, i have probably done the same thing one time or another. heehee!
"im ahamed to call you family"-ever after heehee! i just had to work that line in somewhere, bc i love how its said in the movie.
anyway,did you fall off your chair as well?
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Post by *~Mrs. Cooper ~* on Jul 14, 2007 18:51:44 GMT -5
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Post by coopfan on Jul 15, 2007 17:39:27 GMT -5
I just found out that this movie was remade two more times with the imdb reviewer liking the remakes better. It was also a play before Paramount turned it into a movie in 1933. I doubt if the remakes come anywhere near this one as Cagney is no Cooper.
Imdb review by none cooper lover:
"The film begins in a dental office, as the dentist, Biff (Gary Cooper), talks to a friend (Roscoe Karns) about this relationship with Hugo (Neil Hamilton) back in the Gay 90s when they had been friends. This is instigated when Hugo comes to the office and sees Biff for the first time in decades. Hugo needs a tooth pulled and while he is sedated with gas, Biff recalls their past when they were both ardently pursuing a pretty young lady (Fay Wray)--while pretty much ignoring her more plain but much sweeter friend (Frances Fuller). Through the course of the film, Hugo stabs his supposed friend in the back again and again.
This movie is the original--with remakes in 1941 (THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE) and 1948 (ONE Sunday AFTERNOON). While I rarely prefer remakes, I must say that the 1941 version is much more watchable and fun. Part of this is because the 1933 version is so very, very quiet--with very little music to help set the mood. Also, the whole mood of the 1933 film is more somber and the story a bit more direct and "bare bones" in style. Also, while I like Gary Cooper films, for a comedy like this one, Cagney was better and the supporting actors he had were also superior and gave THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE so much more energy. This film is still well worth seeing, but the 1941 film has a more polished plot, better characters and the full Warner Brothers package (wonderful and first-rate production values) that this Paramount film lacks. "
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Post by coopfan on Jul 15, 2007 17:45:13 GMT -5
To be fair about things here an imdb reviewer that thinks this is the best version.
A review from a Cooper lover:
"*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
There are three versions of this movie and hands-down this is the best. I of course adore James Cagney, Rita Hayworth and Olivia De Haviland in The Strawberry Blonde but this version is the best. Gary Cooper, aka Biff Grimes, is smitten with Virginia, aka Fay Wray. Ms Virginia was not interested in the simple Biff. Amy, aka Florence Fuller, has had a crush on Biff since grade school. Virginia is no more attracted to Biff than I can fly. Near the beginning when Biff is trying to impress Virginia there's a scene where he's winding around a tree ala true county bumpkin style, it's wonderful. The beginning of the movie gives away what happens but the whole 85 minutes is a treasure showing the road of the trials and tribulations. The real eye-opener of what's real and right is exposed in this lovely film. "
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Post by coopfan on Jul 15, 2007 17:50:24 GMT -5
And the final review that thinks that warner brothers remakes were better:
"The Grass Ain't Always Greener, 15 December 2006
Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York
I was pleasantly surprised that this film was aired on Turner Classic Movies. In The Films of Gary Cooper when Warner Brothers purchased the rights from Paramount for James Cagney's remake of One Sunday Afternoon entitled The Strawberry Blonde, the Paramount film itself was purchased and buried. The author said that the original might not see the light of day again. It was interesting to see this version and compare it with Cagney's.
This is a much darker version and probably a lot closer to what you saw on Broadway. One Sunday Afternoon closed that year of 1933 after running for 332 performances, very nice indeed for the Depression era audience and pocketbook. Lloyd Nolan originated the role on stage and I'm sure it must have been closer to Cagney's interpretation.
I can see Lloyd Nolan playing this part a lot easier than Gary Cooper. For one thing, Cooper just was not an urban type. In fact two of his most successful roles in Frank Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Meet John Doe he was the country boy out of his environment in the big city. But Lloyd Nolan was not a movie name, in fact he'd make his screen debut shortly.
The story structure is still the same, Gary Cooper while about to pull a tooth of his rival Neil Hamilton thinks back to the old days with Hamilton when they were both courting Fay Wray. Fay had a girl friend played by Frances Fuller who was all aglow over Cooper, but he couldn't see her at all. When Hamilton and Wray elope Cooper literally settles for second best and marries Fuller.
The Strawberry Blonde was done with so much lighter a touch. Here the Hamilton character is far more directly responsible for Cooper landing in prison. He's a much nastier guy, much nastier than lovable blowhard Jack Carson was. In fact Hamilton commits outright perjury to land Cooper in jail where he finishes his correspondence course to become a dentist.
In fact Jack Carson played the same part again in yet another version that reverted back to the same title and starred Dennis Morgan in the Cooper/Cagney lead. That one was done as a musical and didn't get nearly the acclaim that the other two did.
There's not much to choose from with Frances Fuller and Olivia deHavilland. Both are the good girls of the plot and those were the kind of parts deHavilland was looking to ditch. But whereas Rita Hayworth turns out to be a shrew, Fay Wray is a tramp. Remember this was before the Code.
In this case the remake was better. The story required a much lighter touch than Paramount gave it. Still a miscast Gary Cooper gives it his best shot and One Sunday Afternoon is still entertaining.
But if you view this side by side with The Strawberry Blonde, I'm betting you'll what Warner Brothers did so much better."
NOT TO Me IT AIN"T SINCE THE REMAKES DO NOT HAVE GARY COOPER IN IT SO THERE IS NO WAY THAT EITHER ONE CAN COME EVEN CLOSE.
Oh well I thought I would just give my unbias view on all this to balance out the Cooper bashers on IMDB. ;D
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coopsgirl
The Bees Knees
More than just the 'It girl'
Posts: 584
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Post by coopsgirl on Jul 16, 2007 12:28:31 GMT -5
LOLOL, You sat upside down, too?! I thought I was the only one who did that!  This is getting a little scary how alike we all are!!! While I didn't sit upside down in my chair during that part I do always tilt my head to see him anytime he's not quite upright. ;D |
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coopsgirl
The Bees Knees
More than just the 'It girl'
Posts: 584
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Post by coopsgirl on Jul 16, 2007 12:38:45 GMT -5
I was surprised too when I realized a while back that not one but two remakes of this had been made. There's no reason to remake anything Gary was in b/c it won't have the same charm and appeal. I've seen both of the remakes air on TCM and have only watched a few minutes of each. Neither one could hold my attention. I don't like James Cagney either so that doesn't help. He's too hyper and loud for my tastes.
I don't think Gary was miscast either like one person said. That person said he was not an urban person or whatever but the movie wasn't exactly set in New York city. It's in a small town for goodness sakes!!!! I thought he did a great job and Frances Fuller was also great. I think they gave the two best performances in the film.
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Post by butterscotchgreer on Jul 16, 2007 13:35:10 GMT -5
heehee! well i keep trying to tell you that we were three sisters separated at birth!!!! although i think our mothers will say something to the contrary. heehee
i dont know why anyone would remake any gary movie bc youre right angie, it totally loses the gary spark he put into it. i mean come on!!!
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