Belle Le Grand (1951)

Absolutely Fantastic

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

While the book "The Heroine or the Horse" describes her as "The star that wouldn't rise", Vera (Hruba) Ralston spent 16 years as the leading lady at the not quite poverty row Republic Studios, making apparently bomb after bomb with every style of story that studio head Herbert J. Yates could muster. Musicals, comedies, war films, westerns and film noir came her way, but other than a few films with John Wayne, she is practically forgotten. This is described as one of her sillier pictures, but other than a rather unbelievable plot, I found nothing silly about it. She's a woman who spent five years in prison for murder, of which no background is really detailed, and upon her release, becomes a gambling house owner, anxious to reconnect with her sister who was only a baby at the time. Now she's a rising opera star (played by Marjorie Lawrence) and in the home of feisty society queen (Hope Emerson no less!), Ralston has the opportunity to become involved in her life. With John Carroll as Ralston's love interest, William Ching as his rival in local mines, Marietta Canty as her maid and diminutive John Qualen as huge Emerson's husband, this does have the potential for silly melodrama, but ends up for the most part as deadly dull, only livening up when Emerson's on-screen in her pretentious mansion, filled with a European throne which is used as a cat bed. Smaller roles filled with such character actors Harry Morgan, Thurston Hall and Dick Elliott help move along a plot that isn't interesting enough to sustain the viewer's attention. A brief mine fire adds a bit of suspense. But distracted enough by rowdy Hope and the thought that Vera Ralston makes Hedy Lamar seem like Bernhardt might aide you in staying awake, if a couple of Lawrence's loud arias don't automatically do that.

Well done picture with Vera Ralston playing title role. She goes to jail for murder allowing slimy husband to escape. On her release she finds little sister in orphanage and vows to get her out. She becomes famous gambling queen and finances sister's singing career,unknown to the sister. Nice period sets and costumes with good direction by Alan Dwan with fine supporting cast. Muriel Lawrence shines as young soprano out to conquer world. Pity she only made three films. A bigger career wasn't in her future. Vera is very good.