The Two Sides Of Carole Lombard: NOTHING SACRED & MADE FOR EACH OTHER

Two David O. Selznick-produced, Big Apple-based films starring Carole Lombard have just been released on the Kino Lorber Studio Classics label with new 2K restorations — both of which long existed mostly in poor duplicates due to public domain status. Though not packaged together, the two films, Nothing Sacred and Made for Each Other, make a nice double feature as they showcase the two sides of Carole Lombard — the Technicolored fidgety humor and the black & white, downtrodden sadness.

Nothing Sacred (1937)

William A. Wellman’s Nothing Sacred, which came out a mere eight months following the success of his film A Star is Born, also produced by Selznick, is Lombard’s only Technicolor feature (and the first film to use rear-projection). It’s a screwball comedy about a journalist who recruits a radium-poisoned woman from the fictional town of Warsaw, Vermont to be his next story, before realizing that she’s faking it to make headlines.

The story follows the expected route, while offering a few still-relevant comments on the public’s hunger to immediately treat the suffering of rural folks as quaint hagiography. But ultimately, this is the type of movie I used to watch on Turner Classic Movies with my folks — a studio comedy with a couple stars and recognizable side players that you wouldn’t cancel plans for but would happily watch on a sleepy Sunday afternoon. It offers plenty of chuckles to merit its 73-minute runtime.

Multiple Oscar winner Fredric March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Best Years of Our Lives) is fine as the scoop slut, but Lombard’s wackiness is, unsurprisingly, the film’s highlight — although Charles Winninger steals about every scene he’s in as the complicit doctor.

The disc is a significant upgrade from Kino’s previous 2011 release, and even though it’s a very minor note, they’ve given the disc a very stylish menu that matches the new cover. It also includes a commentary by the director’s son, William A. Wellman Jr., stiffly reading from a script, which makes for funny line-readings like, “Margaret Hamilton … wow, what an actress.” He occasionally breaks from script into spontaneity, but this commentary is mostly for the studio era nut or Hollywood historian — it’s a treasure trove of trivia, although I don’t recall him touching on this gem from IMDb:

“After one fight scene with Fredric March, Carole Lombard had to take the following day off to recuperate from her scratches and bruises. To discourage March’s attentions, she invited him to her dressing room one night; after preliminary fumbling, March discovered to his disgust that she was wearing a rubber dildo. He never bothered her again.”

Rumored to be a personal favorite of Lombard’s own films, Nothing Sacred had quite an unfortunate post-theatrical life. The film wasn’t considered important enough to be reprinted in Technicolor following its 1945 re-release, and thus was only able to be seen in Cinecolor for decades. So, while it may not be an essential classic, this 2K restoration from Kino is a more than welcome addition to the shelf of the Hollywood home video collector.

Made for Each Other (1939)

Based solely on my previous viewing of Nothing Sacred and the plot synopsis of Made for Each Other (a couple hastily marry but struggle to figure out post-matrimony life) I figured John Cromwell’s film was another of Lombard’s screwball comedies. But, as film historian Lee Gambin notes in his commentary, the film turns from comedy to quite serious and grim material as was common with many Selznick films.

James Stewart, as the husband, pumps much more life into his role beside Lombard than March is able to in Nothing Sacred. As he did many times in his career, Stewart believably embodies the everyman who’s afraid to stick up for himself. Lombard is wonderful as his primary champion, and provides a real backbone to the film.

Made for Each Other, which premiered a few years prior to Lombard’s tragic death, was initially a critical darling. However, despite positive audience reactions, the film wasn’t very financially successful, which Gambin attributes mostly to the monumental competition from fellow 1939 releases, such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Women, The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind.

Though it’s ultimately a messy film — mostly due to a baggy middle section — Made for Each Other remains remarkable for its depiction of a failing marriage that isn’t caused by a lack of chemistry or fidelity, but by external factors of everyday life, such as financial and child-rearing stress, as well as trying to navigate the pressure of generational expectations. The film’s emotional climax takes place during New Year’s Eve when the couple contemplate ending their relationship in the midst of a large party. They love each other, but can’t deny that life might be easier if they went their separate ways. It’s a beautifully shot and absolutely heartbreaking scene I’m likely to dwell on for the indefinite future.

As mentioned, the commentary is done by a critic and historian on this disc, from which it greatly benefits, and not just because his track is more off the cuff than Wellman Jr.’s. Outside of an unavailable director, having someone who’s able to approachably comment on many of the film’s aspects within historical, director and performer contexts is always my personal preference, and Gambin doesn’t disappoint.

Highlights include the scene in the park between Lombard and African American actress Louise Beavers (around the hour mark). Watching the scene, wherein Beavers (playing a personal cook) gives the star a massage and sage life advice, came off as obviously dated, but Gambin instead uses the opportunity to lovingly take inventory of Beavers’ career and screen presence in a way that offers viewers a more nuanced understanding of the moment.

Nothing Sacred and Made for Each Other can currently be purchased from Kino Lorber.