This movie was an inspiration from a real life fairy tale romance between two widowers, Fran Beardsley and Helen North who combine their families of ten and eight children respectively to live happily ever after. Frank Beardsley (played by Henry Fonda) is a Roman Catholic Naval officer who is assigned shore duty as a project officer to develop a standard equipment in all aircraft carriers nicknamed the “meatball”. Helen North played by Lucille ball is a Roman Catholic nurse whose husband tragically dies in a naval accident. Frank Beardsley brings his distraught daughter to her hospital for treatment and Helen comforts her. She remarks that the lack of maternal guidance is responsible for her depression and this gets the both parents talking. Both Frank and Helen hit it off and go on dates with out disclosing the fact that they are bringing up big families all on their own.
They try to call off their relationship on learning about their respective children. But with the intervention of their friend chief warrant officer Darell Harrison, they start dating again and began contemplating marriage. Frank runs his house as a tight ship and has all rules in place. But when Helen visits them his elder sons, Mike, Greg and Rusty mix vodka in her drink to make her behave in an wild and embarrassing manner. Soon their game is up when Frank chances upon their trick and an angry Frank announces his decision to marry Helen.

The children from both sides are against this union and regard each household suspiciously. There are many misunderstandings and tiffs which threatens to break up Helen and Frank. But they all come together when they come to know about Helen’s pregnancy and support each other. The elder Beardsley children guide and form a role model for the North children. Another storm brews in the mean time with a mean minded teacher taunting Phillip North to change his surname to Beardsley. The North children are aghast and refuse Franks decision for cross adoption. But the arrival of their small baby brother Joseph John Beardsley unites them again with all of them agreeing for adoption under a common name.
The film ends with Mike Beardsley moving out of the house fully grown up to attend the camp for joining the marines. This movie was a true life adaption of Helen Beardsley’s book “who gets the Drum stick?”. In fact the movie was so entertaining that Frank Beardsley is said to have remarked that the movie was a better story than truth.
On release the movie was not received well by the critics but was a hit at the box office. It collected so much profits that Lucille ball who never anticipated such a large collection never made a tax shelter for herself. This resulted in the dwindling of her share of profits.
A feel good movie, it is a fore runner and inspiration for many shows like The Brady Bunch and was remade in 2005 with Dennis Quaid and Renee Russo. It still remains a hit in the DVD circuit.

The Ox Bow incident tells the tale of mob fury and violence. It is a western which is adapted from the book by Walter Van Tilburg Clark by the same name. The Ox-Bow Incident was selected for preservation in the United states National Film Registry by the Library of congress and was nominated for the the Oscar for the Best motion picture. When it was released, it tanked at the box office but over the years it has achieved artistic success and is marked for the superb acting of its cast namely Henry Fonda as Gil carter and Dana Andrews as Donald Martin.
The movie opens with Gil Carter and Art Croft (Harry Morgan), two drifters riding in to the town of Bridgers Well. They find that the tension is simmering in the town because of certain incidents of Cattle rustling or the stealing of livestock. The two new strangers are initially suspected of being thieves, but later an uneasy calm prevails. Gil Carter mourning the loss of his girl friend tries to drown his sorrows in the bottle.

Amidst all this a rider comes in with news that a local rancher, Larry Kinkaid is murdered and his cattle has been raided. This enrages the men around and they gang together to form a posse to hunt the cattle rustlers. A local Judge tries to pacify them and tells them not to take law in to their own hands. But the furious mob egged on by Major Tetley, Farnley, Jenny Grier pay little heed to the judges words and go in search of the thieves. Gil and Art are forced to join to avoid further suspicion.
They meet 3 men sleeping near the Ox Bow Canyon with some cattle nearby. It is revealed during interrogation that they are Donald Martin, Juan Martinez an illiterate Mexican and a senile Alva Hardwicke. The furious mob decides that these men are cattle thieves and decided to hang them. Only Gil, Gerard Tetley and Davies support the men and ask for clemency. But the furious mob overpowers them. Davies even reads out an eloquent letter written by Martin to his wife, to support his claims. To make matters worse, Juan Martinez is found to be a gambler knowledgeable in many local languages and in possession of a gun with Kinkaid’s name engraved on it. This enrages the posse which orders the killing with Gerald Tetley being forced by his father to be one of the executioners.
The victorious posse on their return gets the news from the sheriff about the real culprits being caught for the attack on Larry Kinkaid. The judge and the Sheriff condemn their actions and promises to bring them to justice. The posse returns to the saloon and drinks, with Davies reading out the sad letter of Donald Martin. Major Tetley filled with remorse is driven to suicide when his son screams at him for his devilish behavior. At the end of the film Art and Gil is deputed by Davies to deliver the letter to Donald Martin’s widow and ride out of Bridges Well.

Arthur Hailey is a British/ Canadian novelist who is said to have guaranteed his publishers a best seller. His novels were a product of considerable research and therefore very realistic and gripping. Critics say that his style was of a typical potboiler in which he took many different types of crisis and connected them to encompass all the characters.
Hotel is one of Arthur Hailey’s most successful works and to research he had read over 20 books on the hotel industry to convey a realistic feeling for this gripping tale. When you check yourself into a hotel you hardly notice the effort that goes in to making your stay the most pleasant experience ever. The door keeper to the housekeeper and the innumerable invisible background staff work like the spokes in a wheel to keep the whole edifice of a hotel standing and profitable. Arthur Hailey brilliantly portrays the behind the scene actions and intrigues which goes into the working of this business. At the centre of this gripping tale is Peter McDermott, the efficient assistant general manager who has had a checkered past, striving to keep the hotel afloat. The Hotel “St Gregory’s” has fallen on bad times and its aging proprietor Warren Trent has no means to keep it going. He has exhausted all avenues to get credit, and cannot keep the staff and corruption under check. Trying to stave off a take over bid from Charles O’ Keete he resists the changes proposed by Peter McDermott. His old timers are either inefficient or amoral which is bringing the profits down.

So Peter McDermott has to valiantly fight racial segregation, a rape attempt, robbery and a hit and run case which threatens to be bad publicity in the press. Helping him are Christine Francis and a hand full of other staff who many times have their back to the wall. One can see the master stroke of Hailey when an insignificant character like the hotel incinerator operator Booker T, happens to unearth significant evidence to nail the obnoxious Duchess and Duke of Croydon. Booker T, rummages through the garbage and retrieves lost valuables of guests, cutlery and other items. Hailey also draws attention to the fact that such background characters are so significant to the hotel to make its operations profitable.
At the heart of the story is the love affair between the beautiful Christine Francis and Peter McDermott. Both of them have suffered losses and have unenviable pasts. But due to their indomitable spirit and kindness they change the destiny of the hotel. A chance kindness shown to a seemingly destitute Albert Wells who actually owns a gold mine, enables them to stave off the take over battle and preserve the grandeur of St Gregory’s. Peter McDermott has ushered in the change with De-segregation and a freak elevator accident helps him to reconstitute the entire staff.
Hailey’s attempt at humor with Keycase Milne and the playacting Marsha Preyscott also tugs our heart. Al-together “Hotel” is a gripping tale of love, human spirit and business battles.

Grapes of Wrath is a cult film in the era of motion pictures. This Oscar nominated movie has been adapted from John Steinbeck’s novel of the same name which in turn has been a literary milestone in its own right. Grapes of Wrath has won Steinbeck the Pulitzer prize and the ultimate Nobel prize for literature. Even though nominated for eight categories, Grapes of Wrath had only won 2 Oscars, for the best director and the best supporting actress. But nobody can deny the social relevance of this amazing saga which depicts raw human emotions and travails.
Grapes of Wrath opens with Tom Joad on his way home, paroled from prison for homicide. He meets preacher Jim Casy who has seen so much of hardships that his faith is shaken. They reach Tom’s homestead, which is deserted and repossessed by the lending authorities. Muley Graves, one of the neighbors takes Tom to his now destitute family living with their uncle John Joad. Joad’s have lost everything in the dust bowl of Oklahoma and being impoverished are seduced by the advertisement about a promising life in California. Even though Tom Joad cannot leave Oklahoman due to parole restrictions, he risks the journey to California to find a better life.

So the Joad family of 12, along with Casy loads everybody into the old 1926 Hudson super six sedan and set out west on route 66 to California. But soon they realize that they are not the only ones making this journey, the route is filled with families in a similar predicament. Portents of bad news comes along with experienced travelers who warn them not to expect anything but hardships in California. The arduous journey takes a toll on the Joad’s with grandpa Joad dying and has to be buried on the wayside and Connie Rivers, husband of Tom’s pregnant sister Rose, deserting her.
The Joads on reaching California, enter their first transient migrant camp filled with jobless vagrants and laborers. They have a tough time finding a place to sleep and have a showdown with a group called the agitators. They move to another camp called Keene Ranch where situation is still more precarious. After a hard day of work they find that they still cannot afford food from the camp store. Soon they are attracted to unions and Tom and Casy try to attend meetings organized by a striking group of migrants. Here tragedy strikes as the group is discovered by the guards who attack the strikers. Casy is killed by one of the guards and Tom is wounded and inadvertently kills one of the guards in self defense. The Joad family hides Tom and they are able to slip away from Keene Ranch to reach the federally operated clean camp called Farm workers wheat patch camp.
Tom realizes that he must change the world and find a better deal for every worker. He leaves to join in a mission committed to social justice and the Joad family supports him. Ma Joad concludes that the hardships have made them tougher and nobody can wipe them out from this world. Grapes of Wrath has been in the list of the best films made in the 21st century. It has been well received by the critics and has been a discerning film for a student of the the craft of film making.