Tag: Delbert Mann

August 24, 2018 / / Main Slate Archive

Mommie Not-So-Dearest: Gladys Cooper in “Separate Tables” and “Now, Voyager”

Often, in films, we see a character stand up for an underdog or the losing side in battle. Other times we get to see a character advocate for herself against a powerful foe. That can be tough when the enemy turns out to be Mom.

There’s no shortage of villainous mothers in films. The ones who send shivers down your spine, like Angela Lansbury’s Mrs. Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate, and Faye Dunaway’s Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest, rule by intimidation and cruelty. In the world of classic films, Gladys Cooper has the mean mom thing down pat. Two films showcase Cooper’s ability to play horrible mothers, Now Voyager (1942) and Separate Tables (1958).

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May 12, 2008 / / Film Notes

MARTY

By Kendra Stanton Lee

Marty – dir. Delbert Mann – (1955) – Original Theatrical Trailer

There are countless ways to reject a “dog” of a date. Today we can ditch, “dis,” or even text message it in – proper punctuation not required. In 1955, giving “the brush” was no less cruel, and may have even been enough to send Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine) into early retirement from the hunt. But once upon a Saturday night, his mother suggests that he go put on a suit and head to the Stardust Ballroom. Set in The Bronx, our pug-faced hero is a 34 year-old butcher, sandwiched between siblings who have all gotten married. Though he works with fine meats and successfully surrounds himself with a pack of meat-headed cronies, Marty is loathe to shop the proverbial meat market. But once upon a Saturday night…

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