Just 'cause you're a movie star doesn't necessarily mean you're funny

Among the ways I’ve been idling away the hours during this half-year-so-far lockdown is by watching old movies on TCM. I’ve caught a lot of films I had never seen. Some turn out to be forgotten gems, but a lot of them are the AfterMASH’s of their day. No wonder I’ve never seen them.

Case in point: THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS. Humphrey Bogart is so unbelievably terrible in this idiotic noir faux-Hitchcock movie you wonder how it didn’t kill his career. And I love Bogie.

The other thing I noticed is that since actors were under contract to studios they all made a ton of movies in all genres.

Including comedies.

From Gary Cooper to Norma Shearer, every Hollywood star tried their hand at making people laugh.

And most of them, I’m sorry to say, were not funny.

I watched PRIVATE LIVES, based on the sparkling play by Noel Coward. Film adaptations are rarely as good as the stage plays – especially when they have to “open them up” and make them more cinematic – but this one really suffered from the acting. Robert Montgomery – not funny. Norma Shearer – painfully not funny.

And I’m sure (were he still with us) Robert Montgomery would be the first to say comedy wasn’t his gift. Humphrey Bogart attempts comedy in WE’RE NO ANGELS. Not great but he’s Chaplin compared to his performance in THE TWO MRS. CARROLLS.

That’s why it’s such a pleasure to see a few of these Hollywood stars who really have a flair for comedy. Barbara Stanwyck for one. TCM had a Barbara Stanwyck film festival and in addition to her classics like DOUBLE INDEMNITY they featured some comedies. THE LADY EVE is one of my all-time favorite comedies. But BALL OF FIRE (written by Billy Wilder) is also a treat.

The movie stars that can do comedy make it seem effortless. The ones who can’t are working so hard to be funny, but it’s like being in a dark closet with your hand out groping for the light switch.

Barbara Stanwyck, Rosalind Russell, Carole Lombard, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Kathryn Hepburn, Spencer Tracy – they all have the gift. And it is a gift.

Ever see the comedy, THE BEDTIME STORY, starring Marlon Brando? Not every actor has been given the gift.

from By Ken Levine