Category Archives: Matthew Boulton

They Met in Bombay (1941)

rosalind russell clark gable they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell and Clark Gable in They Met in Bombay (1941)

 

 

 

 

 

When I think of the action/adventure/romantic film They Met in Bombay, besides the beautiful Adrian costumes that Rosalind Russell wears, I think of a story that occurred during the shooting. One morning while driving to work, Roz, who thought she was a most competent driver but really wasn’t, once again got herself into trouble for reckless driving.

rosalind russell clark gable they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell and Clark Gable in They Met in Bombay (1941)

This time, she was taking her usual route, but drove smack into a tree. While most of the damage was sustained by her car, Roz left the scene with big, fat lip. She still had to film that day, so they filmed wide shots of the scene where her character Anya runs from her car up to the gate to talk to Clark Gable’s Gerald Meldrick. Every time I see that scene, I think… I wonder if any of these shots include her fat lip… from a distance? And I have come across more than one newspaper snippet involving Roz in an accident for her crazy driving. It’s just who Roz was and we love her for it anyway.

clark gable rosalind russell they met in bombay
Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

They Met in Bombay, although chock full of cute romantic kisses that make me go all jelly inside and full of absolutely stunning Adrian gowns, is certainly not one of my favorites. This is partly due to my distaste for action/adventure films. I have never been a fan of them and for me to really love them, they have to be damn good.

clark gable rosalind russell they met in bombay
Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

We all have different tastes and my tastes tend to favor comedies, sometimes tearjerkers, sometimes musicals, but action films and westerns are not my thing. So for these reasons, I prefer the first half of the film to the second half.

Clark Gable plays a jewel thief named Gerald Meldrick. For his next great caper, he plans to steal the coveted Star of Asia, which is owned by the Duchess of Beltravers. She plans on attending the ball being held in Bombay in order to make his plan happen.

clark gable rosalind russell they met in bombay
Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

When he arrives at the hotel, he poses as a detective in charge of taking care of the Duchess’s jewels, even handing management a letter confirming it. They decide to trust him and he eyes the safe where the jewels are kept. In the lobby, he gazes upon a beautiful woman strolling to the front desk, her head held high as if she knows exactly what she wants. He wants to meet her and get to know her.

rosalind russell they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

Her name is Anya von Duren (Rosalind Russell). She is said to be a baroness, but it is revealed to the audience she is a fake because she is reading up on the Duchess and the other royal family members so it looks like she knows her stuff. When two men of the hotel staff help her pick out a table for the ball, it is very funny.

clark gable rosalind russell they met in bombay
Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

When they choose a table near the music, she says, “It’s much too close to the music.” They pick one farther away and she says, “It’s much too far away from the music.” They pick one in the middle and she says, “This is at once too close and too far away from the music.”

eduardo ciannelli rosalind russell they met in bombay
Eduardo Ciannelli and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

But when she points out the table next to the duchess, she thinks this is an ideal choice! As the men leave, they utter, “Women!” Inside her room, Anya says, “Men!”

The next day, Gerald wants to quickly get a shave in the hotel barbershop, which is right next to the “ladies’ salon,” only separated by a paper partition that can be taken down.

rosalind russell jessie ralph clark gable they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell, Jessie Ralph, and Clark Gable in They Met in Bombay (1941)

At first, he wants to be out of there as quickly as possible, but then he spots Anya right across from him in the “salon.” He smiles wide and decides to get the works—shampoo, manicure, pedicure—just so he can stare at her. Anya is not pleased to be stared at and is frustrated when the partition falls down and can’t be put back up.

clark gable rosalind russell they met in bombay
Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

Later, when she strolls over to the elevator, he notices her, having waited for her. She looks a bit confused and he gets on the elevator with her, offering his services so she can get where she’s going. He slyly bumps into the emergency stop button so they are delayed. She is visibly annoyed and he goes on talking to her, pouring on all the charm he can. Most of his pick-up lines are corny to the extreme and Anya is aware of this. Her eye rolls and general disdain for him are comical.

jessie ralph rosalind russell they met in bombay
Jessie Ralph and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

When he mentions that he’s a detective, this peaks her interest. Just as the elevator starts up again, he remarks, “Whenever I look at you, I get the strangest feeling that I’m suddenly shooting up toward heaven.” When she invites him into her room for a drink, she asks him questions about being a detective, feigning innocence and naïveté about crooks and the art of stealing. However, he knows she’s up to something because when she left the room, he notices that she had been reading up on the duchess and her family.

rosalind russell clark gable they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell and Clark Gable in They Met in Bombay (1941)

That night at the ball, Gerald comes over to Anya’s table, which horrifies her. She doesn’t want him around as she starts up her plan to steal the Duchess’s jewels. She asks him to leave, and then pretends that her “guests” didn’t arrive and acts like she’s embarrassed about it. She passes the duchess’s table, getting a careful look at her. The Duchess of Beltravers (Jessie Ralph) takes a good look at Anya and immediately wants her to sit at the table with her.

rosalind russell clark gable they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell and Clark Gable in They Met in Bombay (1941)

As they converse, Gerald listens intently to Anya speaking in a very rehearsed manner about the Duchess’s family. Anya, knowing about the Duchess’s history with alcohol, liquors her up and helps her to her hotel room. When the duchess passes out, Anya slowly and carefully slips the Star of Asia off her neck, drops it into top of her own dress, and steals out of the room, turning off the lights. Gerald emerges from one of the Duchess’s rooms, carefully places the fake necklace on the Duchess, and goes after Anya.

rosalind russell clark gable they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell and Clark Gable in They Met in Bombay (1941)

He demands the necklace when he arrives in her room. She feels she’s been licked and lets him take it. She is surprised, however, when he doesn’t arrest her. He responds, “How can a man put handcuffs on moonlight?” When he walks down the hall, she looks after him, saying pathetically, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” But just when it looks like Gerald has succeeded, Anya sees two of the hotel staff walk over with the “Star of Asia.” As she looks at the fake necklace, she realizes what Gerald just did to her. That involuntary eyebrow raise occurs!

clark gable rosalind russell they met in bombay
Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

The next morning, Gerald inquires about Anya at the front desk, but is told she already checked out. When he exits the hotel and is about to get into a cab, he sees Anya already sitting inside it, smiling at him. It isn’t long before she lets him know that she knows he’s a thief, too.

rosalind russell they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

She demands to have her “property” back (the jewel), but he informs her that he should keep it for being more clever than her. When he calls her an amateur, she snaps, “I’m just as good a thief as you are!” But before they know it, in spite of what Gerald calls his cleverness, the cops are on to them. What follows is a chaotic, rather thrilling car chase, each car swerving back and forth like lunatics. They do escape the authorities and end up in a boat until they see a big ship about to leave.

clark gable rosalind russell they met in bombay
Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

They ask the captain where he is going and he says Hong Kong. Anya is not pleased with having to go to a faraway place like Hong Kong, but she has no choice. They promise to pay him for giving them passage on his ship. Gerald makes up a story about running away with Anya to get married. She is already married, according to him, and they are escaping her husband. At first, she cries out “How dare you!” but she decides to go along with this cover. Anya also squawks about having to share a room with Gerald.

clark gable rosalind russell they met in bombay
Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

After all, she hardly knows him. Gerald tells the captain (played by Peter Lorre in one of those gross caricatures of the typical Asian character of films at the time) that it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to be in the same room, so Gerald gets a small bunk somewhere else.

rosalind russell they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

He gives their names as Gibbons and Hobbs and when he gets a chance to talk to Anya, he can see that icy veneer she had about her starting to break. Also, for the first time, she lets her hair down (literally). Rosalind Russell’s gorgeous, dark locks had been up for the majority of the picture up to this point.

clark gable rosalind russell they met in bombay
Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

From here on out, she keeps it down. She has shiny, thick hair that I for one would just die for!

After Anya starts to warm up to Gerald, she tells him a bit about her life—how her father was a criminal and she basically followed in his footsteps. Gerald, on the other hand, started doing underhanded things (being a card shark and the like) after a broken heart.

rosalind russell they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

Now he’s a champion burglar and he is in good  company. The next day, Gerald starts to get suspicious of the captain’s intentions. And for good reason. The captain is in cahoots with Inspector Cressney (played by , he almost caught Anya and Gerald back in Bombay) and plans on handing the two thieves over to him when they dock. Gerald suggests they escape before anything happens and right at this moment, they kiss for the first time.

clark gable rosalind russell they met in bombay
Clark Gable and Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

Although Rosalind Russell did not enjoy doing romantic scenes, she did single out Clark Gable. She said something along the lines of “He knew exactly what to do. He knew where to put his feet” and he made his leading lady feel comfortable. Although I can’t imagine Roz and Clark being friends off the set… they just seem so different… I think they have fairly good chemistry in this film, at least in those kisses. They use one of the little emergency boats on ship and climb down into it on the water. Then they row away to freedom.

rosalind russell they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

The couple live for a few months together in Hong Kong in a little underground room. Anyone watching this can tell Anya has really started to fall for Gerald and loves the idea of settling down with him and living a normal life. She doesn’t want to hop from town to town anymore and when she hints at this, Gerald doesn’t like it. She gets embarrassed and tells him she just got a little “goofy,” but she is visibly disappointed. They keep the Star of Asia, which they nickname “Baby,” inside a wax candle.

rosalind russell clark gable they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell and Clark Gable in They Met in Bombay (1941)

Gerald, who has become restless staying in one spot, gets an idea. He takes the identity of Captain Houston, a soldier, and gets a uniform fitted. He plans on using this to get out of Hong Kong. However, when he is spotted in the uniform, he is ordered to support Her Majesty’s Land Forces.

rosalind russell they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

All men in uniform are  being rounded up. Anya poses as Mrs. Houston and they try to devise a plan to get him out of there.

Just as they almost have him out, he is needed to evacuate some Chinese people, but the Japanese who have invaded won’t allow it.

Rosalind Russell and Clark Gable in They Met in Bombay (1941)
Rosalind Russell and Clark Gable in They Met in Bombay (1941)

What follows is the warfare sequence—with gunfire galore and the derogatory term “Japs” being thrown around, it is not my favorite part. I lose interest at this point also because Roz seems to mysteriously disappear. After the gunfire ends, Gerald is shot in the shoulder and must recuperate in the hospital.

rosalind russell they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

Anya visits him every day and fell even more in love with him after seeing him in uniform. She is not as interested in being a criminal anymore. Gerald then receives the Victoria Cross, the highest honor, which Anya arranges. Unfortunately, Gerald does not want to be seen by all those people and to top it all off—to be filmed! Begrudgingly, he attends the ceremony and receives the Cross. He is met by Inspector Cressney and learns that Anya told the inspector that Gerald was posing as Captain Houston. He is angry at this, but as they walk outside, he orders some soldiers passing by to arrest Inspector Cressney on the spot. Later, an angry Cressney is outraged at what happened to him and at the fact that Anya and Gerald slipped through his fingers again.

rosalind russell they met in bombay
Rosalind Russell in They Met in Bombay (1941)

But suddenly, Anya and Gerald show up at his office, handing over the Star of Asia. Anya tells him to book them as “Mr. and Mrs. Meldrick” because they will soon be married. I have never been a fan of this ending because although it is justice for them to be caught in the end, why does Anya act so happy about it? It’s not as if they will spend their life together in jail. But well, reality isn’t always an essential part of 1940s films.

IMDB page for They Met in Bombay

TCM overview of the film

Night Must Fall (1937)

rosalind russell night must fall
Rosalind Russell in Night Must Fall (1937)

After a two-week hiatus from the series, here I am again with the 1937 drama Night Must Fall, starring Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell. Montgomery garnered an Oscar nomination for his performance as Danny. Although Miss Russell never received any award recognition for her performance as Olivia Grayne, she gave a fantastic performance as a character that is more complex than she looks. Night Must Fall is one of the highest rated Rosalind Russell films on IMDB, which is a rarity because it is not a comedy. But this goes to show everyone that Roz is capable of more than just comedy. She can do a wide range of different genres and do it well, too. This is a film that is based on a British play, so of course, every character is from the United Kingdom. Obviously, Montgomery and Russell were American, not British, but they both did well with their accents.

alan marshal rosalind russell night must fall
Alan Marshal and Rosalind Russell in Night Must Fall (1937)

I’ve always thought Montgomery’s accent was a bit unique and strange. I am not sure what kind of accent it is, but as one of the characters, Dora, says, “He’s sort of Irish, I think.”

Robert Montgomery playing the sinister psychopath Danny who has a talent for decapitation certainly steals the show, but Olivia is a repressed, sheltered young woman with many complexities beneath her icy surface. Heading the supporting cast is the great actress Dame May Whitty.

rosalind russell dame may whitty robert montgomery night must fall
Rosalind Russell, Dame May Whitty, and Robert Montgomery in Night Must Fall (1937)

This was the first film I saw her in and I have to admit that I found it hard to like her even as an actress after seeing it. However, my feelings softened toward her as I saw her in kinder, more sympathetic roles like in The Lady Vanishes, Mrs. Miniver, and The White Cliffs of Dover.

As the film starts, we see a dark figure in the woods doing something suspiciously in the dirt by a tree. It is very eerie as he has a large hatbox by his side and whistling the tune “Mighty Lak’ a Rose.”

robert montgomery rosalind russell night must fall
Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell in Night Must Fall (1937)

The next morning, a young woman named Dora (Merle Tottenham) is bicycling to the house where she works as a maid. Her day starts off badly as the woman she works for, Mrs. Bramson, is yelling for her because she found two broken cups and saucers buried in the rose bed. Dora is a spindly, timid little thing and breaks down in tears when Mrs. Bramson fires her. She tells her that she hasn’t been feeling like herself lately because of some problems with a young man. Dora gets to keep her job, but Mrs. Bramson insists on seeing the young man and speaking to him about it.

robert montgomery rosalind russell night must fall
Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell in Night Must Fall (1937)

It is during this exchange that we first see Olivia, her niece. Olivia is an unassuming young woman who wears glasses and sits on the couch, knitting. She wears sweater and skirt sets and this is all she seems to own at first. The way she carries herself, one can tell she is very repressed, frigid, and subdued. At the same time, the first impression of her aunt is that she is a very mean old lady who appears to be a hypochondriac. She complains often about her “ailments,” but complains even more often about how no one cares about them.

An inspector named Belsize (Matthew Boulton) comes by the house and informs them that a flashy, blonde woman named Mrs. Chalbrook is missing.

robert montgomery rosalind russell on the set night must fall
Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell on the set of Night Must Fall (1937)

Olivia starts thinking about how she might be dead and in a creepy sort of way, she makes up a story about what may have happened to her and where she might be, saying, “I wonder on a very fine morning what it would be like for night to come, and I never can… it’s silly.” Olivia has a very wild imagination and it is obvious she needs it to pass her days in a gloomy house with a very mean old woman.

Danny makes his appearance at the house and he makes quite an impression, eyeing all the women in the room, a cigarette permanently dangling from his mouth.

rosalind russell on the set night must fall
Rosalind Russell getting her hair done for Night Must Fall (1937)

When he first spies Olivia, she gives him a funny sideways glance, looking suspicious of him already. When Mrs. Chalbrook is mentioned because she frequented the Tallboys where he works as a pageboy, he oddly seems to remember every single little detail about her—from the size of her ankles to how her eyebrows looked. Olivia doesn’t approve of him in the slightest and walks off in a huff. Danny says to Mrs. Bramson, “She’s a fine bit of ice for hot weather, isn’t she?” What was intended to be a scolding conversation with Danny turns into something quite the opposite when he works his charm on Mrs. Bramson. She is pleased when he actually acts interested in her made-up ailments and it isn’t long before he has her under his spell and she stupidly hires him to work for her, thinking Olivia is not a suitable woman to work for her because she always forgets to give her medicine.

merle tottenham rosalind russell kathleen harrison
Merle Tottenham, Rosalind Russell, and Kathleen Harrison in Night Must Fall (1937)

Olivia is treated very badly by her aunt and has no private fortune, so she cannot leave the house. As he leaves the house to take her for a walk, Olivia sees him leaving. She gives him a very knowing glare.

The next morning, Danny buys a shawl for Mrs. Bramson, telling her it had once belonged to his mother, further charming her into his trap. Olivia notices the price tag on the shawl and for some inexplicable reason, slyly takes the tag off without her knowing.

rosalind russell robert montgomery night must fall
Rosalind Russell and Robert Montgomery in Night Must Fall (1937)

There is a young man named Justin (Alan Marshal) who is Mrs. Bramson’s lawyer and takes care of her finances. He also loves Olivia and wants desperately to take her away from this miserable life she is leading. However, she refuses to go with him because she doesn’t love him. It is obvious she does not approve of Danny when she says, “I think he is common and insolent and conceited and completely double faced.” At the same time, she is strangely attracted to him. When she notices his cap hanging in the hall, she takes the opportunity to go to his room and talk to him. She seems to be under the impression (although she would never admit it) that now that Danny has entered her life, more excitement will come her way. However, when he starts to make her feel uncomfortable, she quickly walks over the window, wanting to open it.

rosalind russell night must fall
Rosalind Russell in Night Must Fall (1937)

He beats her to it and with his arm above her and his face and body just an inch away from her, she gulps and becomes frightened, walking away as fast as she can. She tells him she doesn’t care what she looks like after he advises her that she might be better looking without her glasses.

As the days pass, it is clear that between Olivia and Danny, Mrs. Bramson prefers his company, even though she hardly knows him. The difference in her tone when she speaks to Olivia or to Danny is remarkable. She is sweet and kind to Danny and mean and harsh to Olivia. Meanwhile, Olivia has actually taken Danny’s words to heart and takes off her glasses, squints at her reflection in the mirror, and there is a flicker of a smile as she shakes her hair out and continues to look at herself in the mirror.

rosalind russell robert montgomery night must fall
Rosalind Russell and Robert Montgomery in Night Must Fall (1937)

From then on, she doesn’t wear her glasses, so it is apparent that she cares what she looks like. More cruelty is directed at Olivia in a scene where Mrs. Bramson is trying to play a card game. Olivia is smoking a cigarette and helps her by showing her what to do. She harshly yells at her, “I saw that!” and coughs at her cigarette smoke. But when Danny smokes right near her face and tells her the same thing, Mrs. Bramson smiles and thanks him for helping, telling him his cigarette doesn’t bother her at all.

One day, Danny is fixing Mrs. Bramson’s wheelchair while whistling “Mighty Lak’ a Rose.” Olivia suddenly remembers that the mysterious figure in the wood on the night that Mrs. Chalbrook went missing was whistling this tune.

robert montgomery rosalind russell night must fall
Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell in Night Must Fall (1937)

She comes to a sudden, frightening realization just who she may be dealing with here. She suggests to Dora and Mrs. Terence (the funny, wisecracking cook played by Kathleen Harrison) that they look through Danny’s things because he is not one to be trusted. They discover a photograph of Mrs. Chalbrook and their suspicion rises. They also spy a mysterious, heavy hatbox (sound familiar?) in his room and Olivia quips, “Suppose there’s something inside of it?” Mrs. Terence suddenly drops it like it just bit her. Not long after, the body of Mrs. Chalbrook is found in the woods and when a man runs inside the house to make a phone call about the discovery, he says, “The head’s missing!”

rosalind russell night must fall
Rosalind Russell in Night Must Fall (1937)

Being this close to a murder and perhaps a murderer is the final straw for Olivia and she runs off to Justin. However, as she talks with him, she realizes she still wants to stay at the house with Mrs. Bramson and Danny, even though doing such a thing is possibly a great danger. Her odd attraction to Danny keeps her from staying away. There is more evidence of this attraction when she makes tea in the middle of the night and Danny sees her in the kitchen. She is at the same time frightened of him and fascinated by him. He inches closer to her, noticing how excited she is by his presence, and although she runs away from fear, he smiles when she says his name for the first time, “Danny.”

Things get to a dangerous point when Danny decides to take a few drops of whiskey and Olivia immediately senses it.

rosalind russell night must fall
Rosalind Russell in Night Must Fall (1937)

She takes the opportunity to question him about the murder of Mrs. Chalbrook. She is very close to getting a confession from him, but he catches himself before he goes too far. He is a young man who thinks very highly of himself and likes to “act” all the time. When Inspector Belsize comes back to inspect Danny’s things because he saw Mrs. Chalbrook the night she went missing, Danny starts to freak out. He thinks he’s very close to being found out and doesn’t know what to do. Olivia has suspected something of Danny’s hatbox ever since she first saw it, and when Inspector Belsize says he wants the key to open it, she covers for Danny and tells him it is her hatbox. Even Olivia doesn’t know why she covers for an obviously dangerous man, but she can’t seem to help herself. It is now the final final straw for Olivia and she intends to go running back to Justin again, but before she leaves, she warns her aunt of the company she is keeping in the house.

robert montgomery rosalind russell night must fall
Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell in Night Must Fall (1937)

Mrs. Bramson thinks she is insane and lets her go. Unfortunately, it is obvious who the insane one is when Mrs. Bramson almost scares herself to death after being left alone in the house. The way she hysterically screams and laughs simultaneously after Danny comes back is a bit frightening. But everything ends for her there when as she tells Danny what a nice, sweet man he is, he smothers her with a pillow.

Once again, Olivia comes back. She discovers that Danny has killed her aunt and will probably cause her harm as well. He walks toward her and she stares back at him, never so scared in her life. Fortunately, the police burst into the house with Justin, who protects Olivia. This is the part that always awes me as we watch Danny go through a gamut of emotions as he realizes that his perfect murder has gone awry.

rosalind russell night must fall
Rosalind Russell in Night Must Fall (1937)

 

He doesn’t understand why they are there. He thought he was so smart, so clever, so precise. He has a few moments of hysterical insanity as he is finally put into handcuffs and taken away. And although there were unhappy endings for most, there is a happy ending at least for Olivia, the poor young woman constantly belittled by her aunt. There is an escape for her.

 IMDB page for Night Must Fall

TCM overview of Night Must Fall

Buy the DVD