#AlanMarshal

[geekynerfherder]

#TheHunchbackOfNotreDame, first released in cinemas #OnThisDay in 1939⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #TitleScreen #OTD #WilliamDieterle #CharlesLaughton #SirCedricHardwicke #ThomasMitchell #MaureenOHara #EdmondOBrien #AlanMarshal #WalterHampden https://www.instagram.com/p/CYE__YlBepL/?utm_medium=tumblr

[adamwatchesmovies]

Tom, Dick & Harry (1941)

I saw Tom, Dick and Harry as part of a marathon of Turner Classic Movies. I don’t know if I’d categorize it as a “classic”. More of an old-timey inconsequential farce. You can’t argue with the laughs though and if giving it a slightly misleading label prompts you to watch it and have a good time, who am I to argue?

Janie (Ginger Rogers) is a telephone operator who finds herself courted by three men – safe, hard-working Tom (George Murphy), fabulously rich Dick (Alan Marshal), and poor, but delightfully zany Harry (Burgess Meredith). None of them seem to be quite right at first, prompting Janie to string them along.

The film offers plenty of entertaining little bits thanks to its characters. There’s something innately watchable about a young woman who forces a bunch of guys to conspire and try to one-up each other, particularly when they're all going into battle with different arsenals. The scene-stealer is easily Harry, who makes up for his lack of funds by being conniving. The film also features numerous silly fantasy/dream sequences in which Janie ponders what her life would be like should she choose one candidate over the other. Part of the fun is also that the suitors are introduced gradually. You know there’s going to be three of them, but when are they going to appear, and how willl they be introduced? I also got a real kick out of Janie’s little sister, Butch (Lenore Lonergan), who always has some kind of smart comment.

The film is funny and has a certain charm just from the fact that it’s from 1941. Not all films, regardless of which era they came from, have to be ground-breaking or influential. We see movies like this one all the time. It may not have a huge impact on you, but good performances, smart writing, and plenty of laughs make Tom, Dick and Harry a good choice for a rental. (March 1, 2017