Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven

Texas, Brooklyn & Heaven (1948)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Eddie Tayloe (Guy Madison) is working at a Texas newspaper when he inherits some money and decides to head off to New York City to try and become a playwright. On the ride there he meets Perry Dunklin (Diane Lynn) and agrees to give her a lift to the city. Once there they split up but soon they are going to be reunited.

William Castle, yes, that William Castle, directed this romantic comedy that borrows a few moments from IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, which is pretty remarkable when you think about it. That Capra film was released more than a decade earlier yet it was still being ripped off in 1948. With that being said, TEXAS, BROOKLYN & HEAVEN isn't a masterpiece or even a good movie but it is a pleasant entertainment that is worth watching.

The film is basically a romantic comedy that works in large part because of its two stars. I wouldn't say that Madison or Lynn gave great performances but both of them are just so cute and charming in the film that you can't help but enjoy watching them and their adventures as their characters slowly get back together. I thought the film did a good job with at least keeping you entertained by the story and Castle managed to keep the film moving at a nice pace and delivering some charm along the way.

The film is pretty basic in regards to its story as there's certainly nothing here that we haven't seen countless times before. As I said, the two leads are just so charming together that you don't mind going along for the ride. The supporting players include James Dunn, Florence Bates, Margaret Hamilton in a small role and Roscoe Karns in a brief bit. James Dean is said to be in the picture but I wasn't able to spot him.

Diana Lynn is great as usual a year or so before her role as Irma's best friend in My Friend Irma. She carries the story quite well and it is worth seeing. I agree with another poster that the music is terrible but there isn't much of it and really it's only the music at the beginning that is that bad. It's a cute story and could have been better but still an enjoyable way to spend 76 minutes. It does have some good moments and lots of familiar faces, some you may not be able to put a name to but will recognize from other old movies. I won't go into the whole plot since that has already been covered very nicely but it is well worth your time to watch this. Since it has fallen into Public Domain you can see it at internetarchives.

Awards should be handed out for sitting through this film. The movie attempts to be, and has the look of, a zany romantic comedy, but everything in the production is just a little off. The cast is loaded with incredible actors--with the exception of Guy Madison, the rather wooden leading man--which just goes to show that even the best actors can't save a really lame script. Or maybe a little Guy Madison wore off on them all. You do get the sense that everyone is trying his best, but the directing by William Castle is stagnant and uninspired, the editing (at least on the print I saw) is choppy to the point of being incoherent at times, and the script...well, enough can't be said about that script. The dialogue, supposedly full of witty repartee, thuds. Entire scenes and plot twists seem pointless. At time it feels like something a fifth grade drama class might dream up. Cross Preston Sturges with Ed Wood, and I imagine the result would be something like Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven.

Fits and starts is no way to engage a film spectator. Undivided attention is volunteered and not guaranteed. Clearly with Texas-Brooklyn Castle and the producers forgot these tenets of spectatorship. The long talks in the car had me paying attention to the rear projection in hopes of a bit of action. Although, dry at first these talks later became more interesting through developing the characters aptly. That being said, characterization was ambiguous. I feel that many reviewers of this film will be more forgiving than myself because of how "gosh-darn" cute the couple was. Diana Lynn did play her character very well. If the film story has relevance it is mostly anachronistic in nature. There are plot digressions and long drawn out scenes that do little for forwarding the story. Some mobile framing creeps in, but for the most part Castle is doing nothing special to foster spectator interest. Coney Island makes an appearance again, but unlike in When Strangers Marry there is no creatively edited montage sequence to accompany the fun fair. Margaret Hamilton also makes an appearance but is effectively side-lined rendering her casting value nil. Castle would not make the same mistake when directing her in 13 Ghosts many years later. If you have other things to do, you can either not watch this film, or simply keep it running in the background.

Eddie Tayloe's grandfather leaves him six thousand dollars and the money belt it came in, freeing Tayloe to leave his dull newspaper job in Texas and move to New York to become a playwright. Along the way, his car breaks down and a girl walking along the highway asks for a lift. It turns out she's a nice girl, named Perry, running away from a job at a gasoline station. Soon they're off to New York together, but part ways once they arrive. Time passes and Eddie is failing to sell his play; Perry is failing to find a job. Odd circumstances, involving an old pickpocket named Mandy (Florence Bates), bring them together again. Three starchy sisters (including Irene Ryan and Margaret Hamilton) renting a room, a bartender named Mike, and a sleepy old immigrant (Michael Chekhov) running a mechanical menagerie all play parts in this romantic comedy.

William Castle, before his days of making gimmick-laden shockers, directed this unfunny script, straining to be zany and eccentric, and ending up dull. Guy Madison as Eddie is very handsome but stolid. Diana Lynn as Perry fares a little better, but her affectedly odd character thwarts her efforts. Florence Bates comes off the best. The movie is bad but not unbearable, if you want to see it for the supporting cast, which includes William Frawley, Jesse White and Lionel Stander.