Post by Coopsgirl on Dec 30, 2010 21:04:08 GMT -6
Gary’s second film of 1930 (following Seven Days Leave) was Only the Brave released on March 8. It has elements of romance, comedy, and drama set amidst the Civil War. Gary played Captain James Braydon who is a Union soldier. Mary Brian who had also costarred with him in The Virginian (1929) played Barbara Calhoun, a lovely Southern Belle, and Phillip Holmes played her beau Captain Robert Darrington, an officer for the Confederacy.
For our international members who may not know a lot about American history here’s a very brief summary of the Civil War period. It unofficially began in December 1860 when South Carolina seceded from the United States (also known as the Union) followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas (my state), Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. These 11 states formed a new country known as the Confederates States of America or the Confederacy for short. Union forces won back Tennessee and Louisiana not long after the war officially began in 1861. The remaining 23 states (25 including Tennessee and Louisiana) as well as many territories that had yet to become states remained as part of the Union.
Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860 as the first president of the newly formed Republican party, had campaigned against any further spread of slavery throughout the United States. His election is what caused the Southern states to secede beginning almost immediately after his victory. Their agricultural economies depended on cheap slave labor. The war was not just about slavery however; it was also about the rights of the states. In our Constitution it is clearly stated which powers the federal government has and any power not given to the Federal government is reserved for the states. Southern states believed they had the right to hold slaves and were willing to fight for that right as well as the principle of state’s rights in general.
Personally I agree with states fighting for their rights as they are more numerous than the rights given to the Federal government but no one has the right to own another person. This is implicit in our Constitution as well when it states that all men are created equal.
The war ended in 1865 when Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate forces surrendered to Ulysses. S. Grant, Union commander at the courthouse in Appomatox, Virginia. In total around 620,000 soldiers were killed during the war making it the deadliest conflict in American history. Slavery was abolished throughout the U.S. and the Confederate states were one by one readmitted to the Union.
Now on to the movie!
Gary as Capt. James Braydon is antsy to get leave so he can go visit his girlfriend. He gets his tentmate to cover for him as he sneaks away. He arrives at his girl’s home and talks with her kid sister for a bit. They decide to pick some flowers for her and then James goes to find his sweetheart. She is in the garden with another man. The contrast between this man and James is striking. Gary looks gorgeous in the dark blue Union uniform and leather boots with his tall, lanky frame. The other man is quite a bit older, shorter, and basically kind of pudgy. He is afraid that James is going to fight him and he actually admits he is much weaker and that James could easily take advantage of him. James however is too stunned and heartbroken to fight so he simply walks away. He meets the little sister again at the gate and she asks him if her sister liked the flowers that he is still holding. James gives the best line of the film here when he says, “No, she prefers pansies.” ;D
Back in camp James learns that his tentmate, a much younger officer, has been chosen to act as a spy and pose as a Confederate soldier. As they are discussing this James is called to speak with his commanding officer as it has been found out that he went AWOL (absent without leave). He offers to act as the spy instead of the other young man since he no longer feels he has anything to live for and this is agreed to. He is from Tennessee so he can easily pose as a southern solider. James makes his way to the home of the Calhoun’s where many Confederate soldiers are gathered. Barbara Calhoun, one of the beautiful young daughters of the family, has spent the night dancing with all the soldiers at a party in her home. Captain Robert Darrington wants to be her only sweetheart but she likes playing the field. She is about to go to bed when James arrives and upon seeing him she decides the polite thing to do would be to dance with him as well. He is not interested however until he sees that Robert is unhappy with Barbara’s flirtations so he finally takes her up on the offer.
His mission is to be caught and found out as a Union spy because he is carrying documents with him that are meant to confuse the Confederate army and think the Union soldiers are in one place when really they are waiting for them in another. He hoped to get into a fight with Robert that would reveal this but it doesn’t quite work out that way. After the party is over and the soldiers are bedded down, James who as an officer was given a room inside the house, goes snooping around hoping to get caught. When he opens the first door he finds one of Barbara’s sisters undressing (her back is to him so she doesn’t see him) and he immediately closes the door and looks quite distressed – ha! Finally he is discovered by a man who is presumably a slave working inside the home. James pretends to back into the man who is walking down the hall and then he whips around and throws his arms up saying he’s been caught. The poor old man is terrified by the soldier and he runs screaming “spy, spy!”
Confederate soldiers come running up the stairs to capture him and he has to pretend to fight against them so he runs into another room that turns out to be Barbara’s father’s study that has all his important papers.
Barbara’s bedroom adjoins the study and she hears a commotion and then peeps in to find James there. She likes him so just before the men break in she grabs him and drags him into her room. She sees that he stole some of her father’s papers and she accuses him of being a spy which his immediately confesses to. She had a gun in her room and she holds it on him as she asks him if he’ll be killed for spying.
He says that he will and she feels badly for him so she offers to send him off with a kiss. He bends down and gives her a quick kiss which causes Barbara to drop her gun. James picks it up and gives it back to her as he is desperate to be captured. She tells him that she just can’t send him off to his death and he explains to her that if he is caught in her room her reputation will be ruined so she has to turn him in. She just can’t do it so he decides to take matters in his own hand and he jumps out her window. He is then finally captured by the soldiers and held in her home as a prisoner.
James and his guard, a very mellow guy who likes cigars and alcohol, have a light hearted conversation while he awaits his punishment – death. When the guard leaves to get some liquor they have in the basement Barbara sneaks in and confesses to James that she loves him and she can’t let him be killed. Robert breaks in on them as they are kissing and Barbara slaps James trying to convince Robert that James was just taking advantage of her. It’s no use though as he heard them talking and knows she loves him and that he loves her.
Robert tries to convince Barbara that James is the enemy and that he has killed her fellow countrymen. He tells her “Look at him! Look at him!” and I can’t help but get a little tickled because having her look at him is not going to make her love him any less – ha! She begs Robert to spare James’ life and Robert tells her that he doesn’t want to hurt her and if James wasn’t a spy he would be happy to step out of the way and let them be together but he can’t because they are in a war and that changes everything. She grabs his gun and then takes James by the arm is about to leave with him when a bunch of soldiers bust in and take James away.
They are about to shoot him firing squad style when a bunch of Union soldiers arrive and begin fighting with the Confederates. James and the soldiers make their way inside and he is shot in the shoulder by Robert. Instead of shooting back, James takes Robert prisoner and then collapses.
Barbara rushes to him and then we fade to a scene of Gen. Lee surrendering to Gen. Grant. Next we see a military style wedding between James and Barbara and they ride off together to live happily ever after.
This one is a lot of fun and I especially like that Barbara’s character is pretty tough and stands up for her man instead of being a shrinking violet. Also Gary looks great in any military uniform and in this one he wears knee high leather boots – fantastic!!
Conversation with Gary:
“Was it fun getting to play a spy in this one?” I ask as we have just finished watching the film. “It was fun. It was nice getting to work with Ms. Brian again too. This was only the third full talking picture I made and having a familiar face around made it a little less nerve wracking.” “So you were still nervous making talkies?” “Not really nervous just a little unsure I guess. I had gotten good reviews for The Virginian and Seven Days Leave but my confidence level was still fairly low sometimes” he says with a little chuckle. “I was starting to get over that feeling a bit and then talkies came along and those doubts came back again for a while. I did enjoy making this one though because I was feeling more comfortable with the new style with each picture.” “I don’t usually like Civil War movies if they focus too much on the actual battles and stuff like that but I like this one because the war is really secondary and it’s a cute romance story” I say. “This was definitely not a serious Civil War film. I would have liked that better but with the mood of the time I can see the studios wanting to produce lighthearted pictures and romance stories were very popular; I guess they always are though.” “I know you were nervous at first when doing romantic scenes but the nerves certainly didn’t show and you’re scenes with Mary Brian are funny and sweet.” “I was nervous early on but I realized that I was going to severely limit my film choices if I didn’t want to do romantic pictures and at this point in my career I didn’t get to choose the films I did so if I wanted to get paid I had to just buck up and put the nerves aside.” “I’m glad you did because you made a wonderful romantic leading man” I say with a big smile.
For our international members who may not know a lot about American history here’s a very brief summary of the Civil War period. It unofficially began in December 1860 when South Carolina seceded from the United States (also known as the Union) followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas (my state), Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee. These 11 states formed a new country known as the Confederates States of America or the Confederacy for short. Union forces won back Tennessee and Louisiana not long after the war officially began in 1861. The remaining 23 states (25 including Tennessee and Louisiana) as well as many territories that had yet to become states remained as part of the Union.
Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860 as the first president of the newly formed Republican party, had campaigned against any further spread of slavery throughout the United States. His election is what caused the Southern states to secede beginning almost immediately after his victory. Their agricultural economies depended on cheap slave labor. The war was not just about slavery however; it was also about the rights of the states. In our Constitution it is clearly stated which powers the federal government has and any power not given to the Federal government is reserved for the states. Southern states believed they had the right to hold slaves and were willing to fight for that right as well as the principle of state’s rights in general.
Personally I agree with states fighting for their rights as they are more numerous than the rights given to the Federal government but no one has the right to own another person. This is implicit in our Constitution as well when it states that all men are created equal.
The war ended in 1865 when Robert E. Lee, commander of the Confederate forces surrendered to Ulysses. S. Grant, Union commander at the courthouse in Appomatox, Virginia. In total around 620,000 soldiers were killed during the war making it the deadliest conflict in American history. Slavery was abolished throughout the U.S. and the Confederate states were one by one readmitted to the Union.
Now on to the movie!
Gary as Capt. James Braydon is antsy to get leave so he can go visit his girlfriend. He gets his tentmate to cover for him as he sneaks away. He arrives at his girl’s home and talks with her kid sister for a bit. They decide to pick some flowers for her and then James goes to find his sweetheart. She is in the garden with another man. The contrast between this man and James is striking. Gary looks gorgeous in the dark blue Union uniform and leather boots with his tall, lanky frame. The other man is quite a bit older, shorter, and basically kind of pudgy. He is afraid that James is going to fight him and he actually admits he is much weaker and that James could easily take advantage of him. James however is too stunned and heartbroken to fight so he simply walks away. He meets the little sister again at the gate and she asks him if her sister liked the flowers that he is still holding. James gives the best line of the film here when he says, “No, she prefers pansies.” ;D
Back in camp James learns that his tentmate, a much younger officer, has been chosen to act as a spy and pose as a Confederate soldier. As they are discussing this James is called to speak with his commanding officer as it has been found out that he went AWOL (absent without leave). He offers to act as the spy instead of the other young man since he no longer feels he has anything to live for and this is agreed to. He is from Tennessee so he can easily pose as a southern solider. James makes his way to the home of the Calhoun’s where many Confederate soldiers are gathered. Barbara Calhoun, one of the beautiful young daughters of the family, has spent the night dancing with all the soldiers at a party in her home. Captain Robert Darrington wants to be her only sweetheart but she likes playing the field. She is about to go to bed when James arrives and upon seeing him she decides the polite thing to do would be to dance with him as well. He is not interested however until he sees that Robert is unhappy with Barbara’s flirtations so he finally takes her up on the offer.
His mission is to be caught and found out as a Union spy because he is carrying documents with him that are meant to confuse the Confederate army and think the Union soldiers are in one place when really they are waiting for them in another. He hoped to get into a fight with Robert that would reveal this but it doesn’t quite work out that way. After the party is over and the soldiers are bedded down, James who as an officer was given a room inside the house, goes snooping around hoping to get caught. When he opens the first door he finds one of Barbara’s sisters undressing (her back is to him so she doesn’t see him) and he immediately closes the door and looks quite distressed – ha! Finally he is discovered by a man who is presumably a slave working inside the home. James pretends to back into the man who is walking down the hall and then he whips around and throws his arms up saying he’s been caught. The poor old man is terrified by the soldier and he runs screaming “spy, spy!”
Confederate soldiers come running up the stairs to capture him and he has to pretend to fight against them so he runs into another room that turns out to be Barbara’s father’s study that has all his important papers.
Barbara’s bedroom adjoins the study and she hears a commotion and then peeps in to find James there. She likes him so just before the men break in she grabs him and drags him into her room. She sees that he stole some of her father’s papers and she accuses him of being a spy which his immediately confesses to. She had a gun in her room and she holds it on him as she asks him if he’ll be killed for spying.
He says that he will and she feels badly for him so she offers to send him off with a kiss. He bends down and gives her a quick kiss which causes Barbara to drop her gun. James picks it up and gives it back to her as he is desperate to be captured. She tells him that she just can’t send him off to his death and he explains to her that if he is caught in her room her reputation will be ruined so she has to turn him in. She just can’t do it so he decides to take matters in his own hand and he jumps out her window. He is then finally captured by the soldiers and held in her home as a prisoner.
James and his guard, a very mellow guy who likes cigars and alcohol, have a light hearted conversation while he awaits his punishment – death. When the guard leaves to get some liquor they have in the basement Barbara sneaks in and confesses to James that she loves him and she can’t let him be killed. Robert breaks in on them as they are kissing and Barbara slaps James trying to convince Robert that James was just taking advantage of her. It’s no use though as he heard them talking and knows she loves him and that he loves her.
Robert tries to convince Barbara that James is the enemy and that he has killed her fellow countrymen. He tells her “Look at him! Look at him!” and I can’t help but get a little tickled because having her look at him is not going to make her love him any less – ha! She begs Robert to spare James’ life and Robert tells her that he doesn’t want to hurt her and if James wasn’t a spy he would be happy to step out of the way and let them be together but he can’t because they are in a war and that changes everything. She grabs his gun and then takes James by the arm is about to leave with him when a bunch of soldiers bust in and take James away.
They are about to shoot him firing squad style when a bunch of Union soldiers arrive and begin fighting with the Confederates. James and the soldiers make their way inside and he is shot in the shoulder by Robert. Instead of shooting back, James takes Robert prisoner and then collapses.
Barbara rushes to him and then we fade to a scene of Gen. Lee surrendering to Gen. Grant. Next we see a military style wedding between James and Barbara and they ride off together to live happily ever after.
This one is a lot of fun and I especially like that Barbara’s character is pretty tough and stands up for her man instead of being a shrinking violet. Also Gary looks great in any military uniform and in this one he wears knee high leather boots – fantastic!!
Conversation with Gary:
“Was it fun getting to play a spy in this one?” I ask as we have just finished watching the film. “It was fun. It was nice getting to work with Ms. Brian again too. This was only the third full talking picture I made and having a familiar face around made it a little less nerve wracking.” “So you were still nervous making talkies?” “Not really nervous just a little unsure I guess. I had gotten good reviews for The Virginian and Seven Days Leave but my confidence level was still fairly low sometimes” he says with a little chuckle. “I was starting to get over that feeling a bit and then talkies came along and those doubts came back again for a while. I did enjoy making this one though because I was feeling more comfortable with the new style with each picture.” “I don’t usually like Civil War movies if they focus too much on the actual battles and stuff like that but I like this one because the war is really secondary and it’s a cute romance story” I say. “This was definitely not a serious Civil War film. I would have liked that better but with the mood of the time I can see the studios wanting to produce lighthearted pictures and romance stories were very popular; I guess they always are though.” “I know you were nervous at first when doing romantic scenes but the nerves certainly didn’t show and you’re scenes with Mary Brian are funny and sweet.” “I was nervous early on but I realized that I was going to severely limit my film choices if I didn’t want to do romantic pictures and at this point in my career I didn’t get to choose the films I did so if I wanted to get paid I had to just buck up and put the nerves aside.” “I’m glad you did because you made a wonderful romantic leading man” I say with a big smile.