Greetings from VKMfanHuey!!!

Welcome to the Gingerology blog for the 1950 Warner Brothers film, Perfect Strangers!!!

Ginger plays Terry Scott, your typical LA housewife (in the late 1940's anyway...) who is summoned for jury duty. As luck would have it, she meets fellow juror David Campbell (Dennis Morgan), and of course they fall for each other quite rapidly while sequestered... but their current 'statuses' as married (David) and separated (Terry) are quite the obstacle to this budding romance... the fact that they are serving over a case where a man allegedly kills his wife to be with another woman is not helping their situation... and that may factor in their plans post-trial...

Please note the 'menu' above, which has various information regarding the film; to the right (just below the Gingerology link) there are additional links regarding the film.

Please feel free to leave a comment with any general info, links, pics, or just to say hi!

...And be sure to check out our 'main' site, Gingerology - just click on the Ginger pic to the right. There you'll find a list of ALL of Ginger Rogers' films; click on any one, and you will be directed to a 'dedicated' blog about that film (not unlike this blog).

Keep It Gingery, y'all!

VKMfanHuey

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Thursday, July 28, 2016

GingerBinge Summer 2016...

...continues with Perfect Strangers!
...well, this one really surprised me as to how much I enjoyed it... I have watched it a few times previously, and it's pretty obvious I was just focusing on... well, duh... but this is a pretty well thought-out film with some awesome character actors / actresses scattered throughout.
Ginger plays 'Everywoman' Terry Scott, who is far too honest and caring to weasel her way out of jury duty... and thus, is assigned to a murder case, along with a bunch of other folks (twelve, to be exact)... with one of those being 'Everyman' David Campbell (Dennis Morgan), who seems like a pretty decent sort of guy...
Well, of course, we HAVE to get these two kids together, right?
... but, there's those pesky 'pre-existing conditions' each is encumbered with... Terry, although separated, is still... fettered... and David is married, but... pondering... and Terry is a WHOLE lot to ponder over...

Of course, the jury is required to be sequestered, and Terry and David try to hide together in plain sight from the rest of the jury... without too much success. The trial itself deals with the death of a woman who is allegedly killed by her hub who wanted a divorce to get with another woman... the 'extra-marital' nature of the case obviously eats at both Terry and David, who are falling further and further into each other by the day, yet knowing they will have to make up their mind... they MUST make up their mind... wait, we've already seen that film... 
There's enough 'nested loop sequester' occurring between the two to allow things to get ...well, as we all KNEW they would get... and the end... well... anyone remember that song "If Loving You is Wrong, I Don't Want to be Right?" Well, that wasn't on this film's soundtrack... so hence the "Oh-fer-2" moniker hung on Mr. Morgan... this one is a bit different from Gooberhead Wyn, as you WANTED to see them together in this case...


With that, it is overall a drama, but... some 'comoc relief' is provided by other characters scattered throughout... Tery and David have a few cute / funny moments as well... one was when Terry sits down at the lunch table across from David, and is cleaning everything... and mesmerizes David in the process... love her expression when she realizes she has... mesmerized...

...here's another one which is not funny, necessarily... but interesting, when Terry does a 'faux faint' in front of one of the jurors to prove a point about the case... to me the coolest part of this is that Ginger REALLY looks like she is zonking...(our girl is SO talented...)  so with that, the GIF is an interesting loop...


But the final GIF loop (which I am just digging a HEAP, y'all...) was captured at the first of the film, when Terry is unsuccessfully trying to talk her way out of jury duty, even as she was given the waiver... this GIF captures some of the essential GingerExpressions which just grab hold of me and NEVER lets go...the raised eyebrow floors me every time...
...yupyupYUP!!!

Well, that's about it... Ginger is touching 40 in this film, and is so radiant and perky... and shows so much range... she's just a great actress, y'all... and don't let ANYONE try to say otherwise. Her role is as a 'ordinary' woman, but it is so engaging... I truly LOVE these types of roles for her, as one gets a feeling this is really how Ginger IS... or at least the general 'essence' of her personality... which is priceless!

Well, thanks for being patent the last week or so... multiple things cropping up here and there got in the way of the GingerBinge Summer... but should be able to get back on track!

KIG, Y'all!!!

Hu
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2 comments:

  1. Good points, Huey! And neat GIFs, too! Yes, this is a fine film, with a fine Ginger "showing her range," a Dennis Morgan we'd expect, and several fine supporting roles. A couple things bother me about it, though, and keep me from watching it as much as I might. First, there was that neat cafe scene referred to above. There, Ginger is finicky about the cleanliness of all the restaurant equipment and prep procedures. Was a funny and different Ginger. BUT, those finicky characteristics never reappeared in the movie!! Guess it was just intended for a comic relief moment, but I would at least have expected her to grimace at the place settings during another meal scene. Ginger is a marvelous actress who greatly endeared herself to her audiences. Without a doubt!!! As a result of that and the affection I have for her and her work, it just really pains me to see her in even a fictional situation where she's deeply unhappy or grieving. (These were other demonstrations of her acting excellence!) I don't like feeling sad when Our Ginger is "feeling sad." Now funny sad, as in the romantic problems in the romantic comedies, is a different situation. That's OK. But serious sad makes me sad. OK, so I'm overly sensitive. I also wonder how much influence this jury movie had on those who created "Twelve Angry Men" a few years later. I'm betting it did!! All in all, "Perfect Strangers" was a good dramatic outing for Ginger, a film relatively typical of its day. Recommended!!

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  2. I concur about the 'neat freak' trait... could have been a bit of a running deal throughout the film... but I guess it got kinda serious not long after that...
    I am NOT happy when Ginger is not happy... so the ending is not a good one for me... even though it was the 'right thing to do'...
    I always get a kick on how they show the 'selection process' at the very first of the film...pre-Ginger... sad thing is, they may well still DO it that way.... ahh, they HAVE to be computerized by now, right?
    overall, the way Ginger 'takes over' the jury in deliberation is kinda cool... overall a pretty determined lady, as of course Ginger really was... again, perhaps my favorite 'type' of Ginger persona...

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