TV and Movies

[Oznell]

5:00 a.m. Eastern Sunday-- "Kind Lady".   Ethel Barrymore, Maurice Evans, Angela Lansbury, Keenan Wynn, Betsy Blair, John Williams, Moyna MacGill

Very deft little thriller, with an especially felicitous cast.  Ethel Barrymore is a wealthy art collector, who becomes a mark for sophisticated con man Maurice Evans and his confederates.  He manages by misrepresenting himself, to worm his way into the household, along with wife and accomplices. Before long he is holding the frail Barrymore against her will.  His plans are, needless to say, nefarious.

Spoiler

Luckily, there are a few chinks in his armor, and his accomplices may not be as single-mindedly evil as is he.

This suspenseful film has an increasingly eerie feeling as the canny Barrymore discovers more about her plight, and attempt to take action before it is too late.  Needless to say, the acting company is uniformly excellent-- I adore Barrymore, and have always liked the chameleon-like Keenan Wynn.

Angela Lansbury had the fun of acting with her mother in this film.  Most of you probably know that her mother was Belfast-born actress Moyna MacGill, but I had never seen a picture of them together.  Family resemblance, for sure!

This would be great to record, and couple with the previously alerted "Witness for the Prosecution", for a bang-up double feature!

[Ruby Laine]

@Oznell, I've seen this movie several times, but I had no idea Moyna and Angela were mother and daughter. The photo says it all, though, doesn't it?  Thanks!

[drizzellla]

Oznell, YES! You picked a good one. I remember watching this movie years ago. And I forgot who starred in the movie - until you wrote Angela Lansbury. I remember watching the movie "Kind Lady" and thinking about the role she played in Gaslight.

I didn't remember that the movie was titled "Kind Lady", without your help. I glad you mentioned it, I wouldn't want to have missed it.

PS - Betsy Blair was Gene Kelly's first wife. 

[spiderw]

I haven't seen this movie but will tape it .  It sounds like a movie I would enjoy and I like Ethel Barrymore.  She was in one of my favorite thrillers, The Spiral Staircase!  I'm sure the settings in this movie will be appealing also, Thanks for the recommendation!

[Oznell]

Reflecting on the Lansbury-MacGill family acting connection, it made me realize that several of the cast of "Kind Lady" were part of dazzling acting or theatrical dynasties:

Angela Lansbury-- mother, actress Moyna MacGill

husband, actor Peter Shaw

brothers-- Bruce and Edgar-- producers

cousin-- Oliver Postgate-- puppeteer and animator

Keenan Wynn--  father-- beloved comic actor, Ed Wynn, whose multi-decade career began in vaudeville, and culminated in his memorable turn in "Mary Poppins":

Keenan Wynn-- mother-- actress, Hilda Keenan

grandfather-- actor Frank Keenan, one of the first Broadway actors to star in Hollywood.

son-- actor Ned Wynn

son-- screenwriter Tracy Keenan Wynn

there are even more examples of the Wynn/Keenan clans in the theater-- too many to mention

Ethel Barrymore--  brother, actor Lionel Barrymore

brother, actor John Barrymore

parents,  actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew

neice of actor Sidney Drew

neice of actor John Drew Jr.

and on and on, to the present day with Drew Barrymore, etc!

And as @drizzellla mentions, at least by marriage, Betsy Blair was for 16 years part of a powerhouse film couple,  as the wife of Gene Kelly.

[Oznell]

"It's corrupt, as you are..... vicious, and insane".

So says Ethel Barrymore, her weighted words, with devastating pauses that give maximum impact.  What a pro!

I realize 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning is not doable for most people, ha.  But if can record, it's worth it.  Here's the rather overwrought original trailer, which is not as subtle as the overall movie.  It gives at least a feeling of the haunting sense of dread, and the fascinating journey into vile intentions, that the film effectively conveys:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAhWR2IcD8Y