Coming up next is 1954's "The Last Time I Saw Paris", a film about the ups and downs of a young couple living in post-World War II Paris, France. The two start their married life out with virtually no money, but a sudden windfall of cash sees them living the high life. The only trouble is the high life isn't all it's cracked up to be.
The film's cast includes Elizabeth Taylor, Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon, Donna Reed, Eva Gabor, George Dolenz, and Roger Moore.
After a time of being away, Charles Wills returns to Paris after making his home in America. He goes to an old haunt, the Cafe Dhingo, where he sees looks at a mural on the wall. Memories swell within him as he thinks back upon the past.
At the end of World War II, celebrations in the French capital are in full swing. Charles is kissed on the street by a beautiful stranger who disappears into the crowd.
Afterwards, he goes into the Cafe Dhingo, where he meets his old friend Claude, who introduces him to a lady, Marion Ellswirth. Marion invites Charles back to her father's home to a party he's giving.
There, Charles finds the woman who kissed him. It turns out to be Marion's younger sister, Helen. The two hit it off instantly.
They begin dating and eventually marry. Soon, a daughter, named Vickie, joins the happy family. As the years pass, Charles works for the Europa News Service as a journalist. He's also working on a novel, which he is attempting to have published.
The two start eventually start to drift apart. Charles is a workaholic who thinks of nothing but his unpublished novels, and Helen does things to get Charles' attention, such as jumping into fountains fully-clothed.
On an assignment for the newspaper, Charles meets Mrs. Lorraine Quarl, an exotic soon-to-be divorced lady. "According to our files, you were married four times," Charles begins. Lorraine interrupts, "Three. Annulments don't count."
One day, Charles and Helen are stunned to learn that they are suddenly wealthy. Some oil leases that were gifted to them on their wedding by Helen's father have begun to flourish and now cash is flowing readily.
Charles begins to blow through it steadily. He buys a flashy sports car to run around town in. Charles and Helen seemingly switch roles. She was frivolous and fun loving before they had money. Now, Helen is the serious, responsible one, and Charles is the carefree man about town.
Along with his love of the finer things, Charles begins to drink heavily. Matters come to a head when he receives yet another rejection letter from a publisher. He angrily throws his manuscripts into the fireplace despite pleas from Helen to keep trying.
As time goes by, they begin to flirt with other people. Helen meets a handsome tennis star named Paul. Charles begins to carry on with Lorraine Quarl. "This is Mrs. Quarl," says Charles when he introduces her to Helen. "Oh, it's Mrs. Johnson, but not for long," she says with a mischievous smile.
It becomes harder and harder for Helen to hide her unhappiness.
Charles takes up competitive racing. He takes Lorraine as his passenger on a Monte-Carlo to Paris jaunt.
And Helen continues to flirt with Paul. When Charles returns from the race and finds them together at the Cafe Dhingo, he is insanely jealous. He tries to start a fight and ultimately goes home, getting drunk and bolting the door.
Returning home after her evening out, Helen finds the door bolted. She pleads with Charles to let her in, but he is passed out on the stairs. Cold and wet with rain and snow, Helen wanders the streets to her sister Marion's house.
Helen gets pneumonia and is dying. Charles comes to her bedside, and the two reconcile. Shortly thereafter, Helen dies.
We fast forward to the present. Helen's sister Marion got full custody of Charles and Helen's daughter Vickie after Helen's death. Charles has now come to ask Marion to let Vickie come and live with him. His books have been published and he has stopped drinking.
Marion can't forgive Charles for the way he treated Helen at the end. She's also still smarting from being passed over by Charles in favor of Helen, and she's still been carrying a torch for him. Marion's husband Claude tells her that she's angry at Charles for passing her by all those years before, and now she's punishing him by taking away the only thing he holds dear.
Marion has a change of heart and goes to find Charles at the Cafe Dhingo. "I don't think Helen would've wanted you to be alone," she says as Charles scoops up little Vickie in his arms.
Cast rundown:
Elizabeth Taylor.......................................Helen Ellswirth
Van Johnson...........................................Charles Wills
Walter Pidgeon........................................James Ellswirth
Donna Reed............................................Marion Ellswirth
Eva Gabor...............................................Lorraine Quarl
George Dolenz........................................Claude Matine
Roger Moore...........................................Paul Lane
And that's it for The Last Time I Saw Paris. Originally, this film was supposed to be titled "Babylon Revisited". On an appearance on the show "What's My Line?", Elizabeth Taylor was asked why the title of the film had been changed. She said that the studio made the change because they were afraid movie goers would think this film was about Biblical matters.
This film is in the public domain. As a result, it can be viewed in its entirety here.
Coming up next is 1941's "Shadow Of The Thin Man", in which we see Nick and Nora Charles solving another murder, this time at a racetrack. Along for the ride is our favorite canine sidekick, Asta. The film's cast includes William Powell, Myrna Loy, Barry Nelson, Donna Reed, Sam Levene, Henry O'Neill, Richard Hall, Stella Adler, Louise Beavers, and Asta.
Nick and Nora Charles are living a comfortable life in the city with their son, Nick Jr. Among the things that Nick likes to do is to take Nick Jr. for walks in the park with Asta.
When they're late coming home one day, Nora looks for them with her binoculars. She sees them a park bench. Nick is reading a fairy tale story to his son.
But, instead of a fairy tale story, Nick is reading his son the day's racing form, which utterly delights the toddler. All of the sudden, Nick stops and says, "Something important is happening, and I think we should be there."
We cut to Nora, who is mixing cocktails. She knows that her husband's favorite beverage will never fail to get him home in a hurry. He's got a sixth sense about when it's being served.
Nick and Nora end up going to the racetrack that day and meet up with their old friend Lt. Abrams, who is investigating a murder. When Nora asks him what happened, the lieutenant says, "You know that jockey Goldez, the one that was
caught throwin’ the fourth race yesterday?He was shot." Nora smirks and says, "My, they're strict at this track."
Nick is given a look at the scene of the crime. He's reluctant to give any input. He makes his excuses and takes Nora home, not wanting to get involved.
At dinner that evening, the Charles family discusses the day's events. (Notice how Asta is served his dinner on a tray! Nora even asks him if his hands are clean.)
We also are given a funny scene where Nick Jr. gets his father to drink a glass of milk for the first time in years. "It's so white!" Nick exclaims to Nora as he's handed a glass of the liquid he despises. Eventually, Nick is brought around to helping with the murder investigation.
As part of the investigation, Nick and Nora head to a wrestling match. It seems a gangster and some racketeering have something to do with the murder. Nora, who has never been to a match before, gets swept up in the excitement. She gets a little carried away with her enthusiasm.
When they have to leave early to follow a lead, Nora makes her way to the ring and calls out to her chosen fighter, "I hope you come out of it alright,".
Among are suspects is Paul Clarke, a newspaperman who wants to blow the lid off the story of gangster "Link" Stephens and his illegal operation.
When a second murder occurs, Paul's girlfriend, Molly Ford, is also questioned. Molly just happens to be Link's secretary and is privy to all sorts of information.
Link's girlfriend Claire Porter also comes under suspicion. It seems she's being pressured by someone. She's also got some secrets she doesn't want to come to light.
Parenting is something that doesn't stop, even for murder investigations. With the investigation still underway, Nick takes Nick Jr. for a ride on a merry-go-round. It's hilarious to watch him get dizzy and try to get notes from Nora, who has important information about the case that can't wait.
And Asta even helps out. He finds a diamond bracelet hidden inside a radiator. The bracelet is an important part of the investigations, and helps Nick zero in on the murderer.
When the time is right, Nick gets all the suspects together in one room in hopes of stirring up enough trouble that the murderer will step forward and want to cover his tracks.
The murderer does indeed come forward and pulls a gun on everyone. Nora jumps in front of it to protect Nick, and chaos breaks loose in the room. Asta dives under Nora's fur wrap for protection.
After it's all over, Nick tells Nora that she's the bravest woman in the whole world.
He presents her with a diamond bracelet of her own and a kiss "for valor".
Watching them from across the room, Asta hides his head in shame as Nick and Nora kiss. Cast rundown:
William Powell.............................Nick Charles
Myrna Loy...................................Nora Charles
Barry Nelson...............................Paul Clarke
Donna Reed................................Molly Ford
Sam Levene................................Police Lt. Abrams
Henry O'Neill...............................Major Jason I. Sculley
Richard Hall................................Nick Charles Jr.
Asta...........................................Asta And that's it for Shadow Of The Thin Man. Myrna Loy took a three year hiatus from movie-making at the end of this film. She left Hollywood and went to New York, where she spent her time volunteering for the Red Cross on behalf of the war effort. As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.
