‘SOMETHING IN THE WIND’ CLASSIC MOVIE REVIEW: A BREEZY COMEDY
Classic films aren’t my usual form of cinematic entertainment. Sure, I like them and even have favorites among them, but due to the leaps made in the production of films, I lean towards the films of this generation. That doesn’t mean now and again I cannot appreciate a black-and-white picture. Something in the Wind is one of these.
Something in the Wind (1947) Film Review
In this 1947 romantic comedy, Deanna plays Mary Collins, a struggling disc jockey in need of a sponsor. When Donald Read approaches her with an offer to pay her off due to the supposed “relationship” she had with his grandfather, Mary’s outrage at the upper class knows no bounds. Unbeknownst to the Read’s, Mary isn’t the woman they think she is. She had no relationship with the Read patriarch, though Donald doesn’t seem to care what her story is. Instead of listening, he recruits his cousin Charlie to kidnap Mary.
All it takes is one conversation with Mary for Charlie (Donald O’Connor) to realize that the young Mary isn’t his grandfather’s lover. With his help, Mary sets about turning the tables on the troublesome family.
‘SOMETHING IN THE WIND’ CLASSIC MOVIE REVIEW: A BREEZY COMEDY. #BlackandWhiteMovie #ClassicMovie #ClassicCinema #DeannaDurbin #DonaldOConnor Share on X
Some cursory reading reveals this isn’t one of Deanna’s best loved films. I actually think it is one of her most entertaining for a variety of reasons, but its best asset is the humor. I love watching these “proper” comedies and discovering just how spirited and sassy they really were. As one of her last films, this one has the appeal of putting Deanna in the unique role of an independent woman. Something in the Wind is one of her best roles in which she plays an adult; the character’s personality is saucier, and she plays quite the tease. There is a lot of room to “play” with the character and it makes for a crazy 90 minutes just to watch her try and make Donald’s life miserable while trying to extract something from him.
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Some random and fun facts about this film: This was Donald O’Connor’s first film role in two years following his military service. His one big number, “I Love a Mystery” is one of the most famous tunes from the film. Understandable given all the crazy, high-energy effort the number involves. For the Love of Mary is the original title which is instead one that Durbin’s film use at a later date and then is ultimately her final film when she disappeared from Hollywood for good.
Durbin certainly left her mark on the film industry and I know her films are some of my favorites from the golden age of cinema. It’s been enlightening to re-watch them all as an adult. The humor is one of the best things about this era. Something in the Wind is a catchy story with a set-up that works brilliantly. Though the ending isn’t all it could be (it falls flat), the getting there is no less memorable. There’s mistaken identity, a stint in jail, a non-existent baby and a young Donald O’Connor. That and more combine to make this breezy comedy easily one of my favorites and one any classic film buff should look into seeing.
Search the film for a DVD copy on places like Amazon
Photos: Alamy
Content: nothing that is really worth a mention. The entire plot revolves around innuendo, but it’s very PG.
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