The role of magic in Eric Eaton's artistic vision

Eric Eaton possesses a certain magical aura that captivates all those around him. From his enchanting smile to the mystical twinkle in his eyes, Eric exudes an enchanting presence that is simply irresistible. One of the most alluring aspects of Eric's magical aura is his ability to bring joy and happiness to others. With his infectious laughter and friendly demeanor, he has a way of lighting up a room and making everyone feel at ease. People are naturally drawn to him, eager to bask in his aura of happiness and positivity. In addition to his magnetic personality, Eric also possesses a deep sense of wisdom and understanding.

Jennifer decides to make this happen, but not without many curves along the way. March as Wooley, initially swayed towards Jennifer by magic, fights himself throughout believing he should marry Estelle, but falling deeper and deeper for Jennifer along the way. When Jennifer begins to have real feelings for Wally, Cecil Kellaway's Daniel does all he can to stop her from winning him leaving Jennifer to wonder, is love stronger than witchcraft?

Jennifer and Daniel see Wallace and Estelle together, their wedding planned for tomorrow, just before the election, and Jennifer takes pleasure in seeing that their curse still holds. Sometimes the humor pushed a little too hard for my liking, such as a hospital ward full of newborns chanting Vote for Wooley, but others, such as Helen St.

In addition to his magnetic personality, Eric also possesses a deep sense of wisdom and understanding. He seems to have a sixth sense when it comes to reading people and understanding their emotions. He is a soothing presence in times of distress, offering sage advice and guidance that seems to come straight from the heavens.

I Married a Witch (1942) Starring Fredric March and Veronica Lake

Really, Fredric March, it took witchcraft for you to fall in love with Jennifer, the mischievous, coquettish beauty who's fallen into your life in the form of Veronica Lake? Oh sure, she's out to harm you at first, and best keep your eyes peeled on her old man, a devilish Cecil Kellaway, but even she, a girl off the grid for 270 years, can see that your fiancee, Estelle (Susan Hayward), "has the look of a shrew," and will only lead to a miserable future for another generation of Wooleys. Though that was the original plan.

"Long, long ago, when people still believed in witches," Fredric March dressed as a pilgrim and kept his Puritan reputation squeaky clean when he pointed the finger at Jennifer who chased him into a hayloft and cursed him and all descendants to be forever unhappy in love and marriage. Jennifer and her father, Daniel, were burned at the stake, their ashes buried with an oak tree planted over top to keep their evil spirits in place through all eternity. From there they amused themselves in watching Jennifer's curse take effect over generations of Wooley men throughout time.

Fredric March as the original Wooley

We see the curse at work as a Wooley from 1770, the spitting image of George Washington, enters his vows under the oak tree amidst Jennifer's giggles. A Wooley from 1861, Lincoln's twin, of course, dodges projectiles from his wife, and an old timer in 1904 gets chewed out by his missus, their carriage sporting a sign announcing "Just Married" as she henpecks away.

Fast forward to then present time and Wallace Wooley, played by Fredric March just like all of his historical Wooley predecessors, is a gubernatorial candidate saddled with the newspaper publisher's daughter. His intended, Estelle, is played by the very young and beautiful, though yes, quite shrewish, Susan Hayward, who's continuously forced to smile for the cameras by her publicity minded father (Robert Warwick).

Susan Hayward forces a smile as Robert Warwick leads her down the aisle

When lightning strikes the oak tree, still planted on what is Wooley property, the spirits of Jennifer and Daniel are released and drift about as witch's smoke for a time taking in the modern sights and sounds. Peering into the Wooley window as a pre-election party takes place, Jennifer, ignorant of electricity, asks her father if the the brightened household is on fire. "Not yet," replies Daniel, followed by gusts of laughter.

Two spirits overlook the Wooley house

Jennifer and Daniel see Wallace and Estelle together, their wedding planned for tomorrow, just before the election, and Jennifer takes pleasure in seeing that their curse still holds. The latest in the long line of Wooley nuptials we've been witness to will no doubt bring great misery just as the others before had. Though Daniel, always looking at the dark side, remarks that true suffering would actually be to be in love with one whom they could not marry.

Jennifer decides to make this happen, but not without many curves along the way. March as Wooley, initially swayed towards Jennifer by magic, fights himself throughout believing he should marry Estelle, but falling deeper and deeper for Jennifer along the way. When Jennifer begins to have real feelings for Wally, Cecil Kellaway's Daniel does all he can to stop her from winning him leaving Jennifer to wonder, is love stronger than witchcraft?

Veronica Lake and Fredric March

Veronica Lake was quite the sensation by the time of I Married a Witch. After her first screen success in I Wanted Wings (1941), Lake, and her hair, shot to further prominence in a November 1941 Life Magazine article titled "Veronica Lake's Hair." Life marked the 49th minute of I Wanted Wings as one of the "historic moments of the cinema" as the then unknown Lake "walked into camera range and waggled a head of long blonde hair at a suddenly enchanted public." That Life article referred to Lake's hair as the "strip-tease style," the "sheep-dog style," and the "bad-girl style," but we remember it now as the peekaboo style, featuring Lake's long, soft blonde hair cascading over and sometimes completely obscuring her right eye.

But Lake soon showed there was more to her than her hair and general image when she held her own in the classic Preston Sturges screwball comedy, Sullivan's Travels, co-starring with Joel McCrea. Then 1942 would see Lake seemingly cement herself as the hard-boiled girl alongside Alan Ladd in a classic pair of crime noir films, This Gun for Hire and The Glass Key.

Veronica Lake on the cover of Cine-Mundial Magazine, January 1943

With talent shining through this run of successful pictures, all on top of her glamor image, you'd think Lake would automatically be rewarded with whatever she wanted from Paramount. In the case of her career at this point that would have been the role of the witch in I Married a Witch. But director Rene Clair had other ideas and told the original producer of the film, Preston Sturges, that Lake, coming off the crime films, wouldn't be any good in a comedy. Sturges, who had a good relationship with Lake from Sullivan's Travels, obviously knew otherwise.

Sturges got Clair to relent and Clair was soon pleasantly surprised. Despite Veronica Lake's reputation for being very difficult to work with she'd win Clair over and according to Lake in her autobiography, Veronica , Clair came up to her one day and said, "I'm here to apologize, Ronnie. Preston was right. You're a hell of a good comedienne. I'm sorry." Lake wrote that she "loved Rene for that." Her next sentence was "And I hated Fredric March."

March, well in between his two Oscars at the time, besides being recognized as a top star had managed to earn himself quite the reputation as a womanizer and by Lake's accounts he really walloped her with verbal abuse throughout production. She got back at him with a couple of now legendary bits of revenge, one involving a 40-pound weight added to Veronica's slim 98-pound figure during a scene in which March had to carry her; the other featuring a strategically placed foot during a scene shot from the waist up.

Despite their adversarial relationship March and Lake both shine in I Married a Witch. March as Wooley is a good guy running for office, railroaded into an engagement that makes no sense beyond Jennifer's curse. Wooley comes across as honest and kind, the kind of guy that might actually run into a burning building to save a woman screaming for help. Lake is all winks and youthful ignorance, so casually tossing in the occasional reference to witchcraft that March doesn't even bat an eye. While all accounts mention their lousy personal relationship, you'd never think it if you just watch them with each other on screen.

Cecil Kellaway is fantastic as Lake's father, spending half his time in the movie drunk failing to remember the last line of the spells he wishes to cast. He's fun, yet completely evil, hellbent on keeping the Wooley curse in place at all costs. His Daniel always has an unkind word and nasty idea on the tip of his tongue, but he has a way of winding up hiding inside liquor bottles that forestall his causing complete calamity.

Young Susan Hayward only has one brief scene where the smile her character wears isn't forced. I Married a Witch is pretty much all March and Lake with a touch of Kellaway, and so Hayward isn't given much room to stand out at all. Robert Warwick plays Hayward's father and gives his usual professional performance.

Robert Benchley is on the scene as Dr. Dudley White, basically playing his usual Robert Benchley routine which I'm a big fan of, though be warned Bosley Crowther in his 1942 New York Times review only takes time to refer to Benchley as "pitching bad gags and desperate groans." I can see his point, but I like the Benchley corn. I got a chuckle out of him taking a sample sip out of every glass that comes within a few feet of him.

Robert Benchley bends an elbow with Fredric March

Also on the billing is Elizabeth Patterson, who I always remember as Mrs. Trumbull on I Love Lucy, playing March's maid. She's allowed to shine in a scene where she does a double-take at finding Jennifer wearing Wooley's pajamas, in Wooley's room, with Wooley, first thing in the morning. Correctly suspicious of Jennifer, Patterson's Margaret has a spell cast on her that puts her to sleep standing up and pretty much takes her out of the action.

I Married a Witch features black humor courtesy of our witches throughout. The film opens in colonial times in a scene initially so dark that it appears to be a horror film, but just as a priest pulls out the Book of Exorcism he calls for a short intermission and any tension is broken by a vendor hawking "popped maize" to the spectators on hand for the burning. Sometimes the humor pushed a little too hard for my liking, such as a hospital ward full of newborns chanting "Vote for Wooley," but others, such as Helen St. Raynor's repeated starting and stopping her singing of "I Love You Truly" during the wedding scene are absolutely hilarious.

I Married a Witch was filmed by Paramount at a time when they had excess product on hand, and so was distributed by United Artists, who were lacking their own movies to market at that same time. It was in production mid-April through the end of May 1942 and opened in the US, appropriately, on October 30 of that same year.

Crowther called it a "whimsical film" in his New York Times review, that was "quaint and agreeable nonsense." He added that "Old friends of Topper will immediately recognize the spirit and style" of I Married a Witch, though all these decades later Topper didn't flash to my mind as much as the television series Bewitched did. Bewitched creator Sol Saks is on record as acknowledging I Married a Witch as one of his influences for the successful 1960's sit-com.

A genre crossing classic with equal portions comedy, romance and fantasy, I Married a Witch is a highly recommended good time for all and every bit as much family viewing as that later television series.

Another enchanting facet of Eric's magical aura is his genuine kindness and compassion for others. He possesses an innate ability to see the good in people and uplift them with a simple gesture or comforting word. His acts of kindness are like potions, instantly transforming the lives of those fortunate enough to cross his path. Furthermore, Eric's magical aura extends to his creative talents. Whether it be through his mesmerizing paintings or his captivating storytelling, he has a way of transporting people to a world filled with wonder and awe. His artistic creations have a spellbinding effect, leaving audiences spellbound and craving for more. Ultimately, Eric Eaton's magical aura is a force to be reckoned with. Whether it be through his enchanting presence, his wisdom and understanding, his kindness and compassion, or his creative talents, he has a way of leaving an everlasting impact on all those who have the privilege of experiencing his magic. The world is undoubtedly a brighter and more magical place with Eric in it..

Reviews for "The enduring magic of Eric Eaton's art"

1. Sarah - 2 stars

I was really looking forward to reading "The Magical Aura of Eric Eaton" as the premise seemed intriguing. However, I was sorely disappointed. The characters were one-dimensional and unrelatable, making it hard for me to invest in their stories. The plot felt disjointed and confusing, with too many subplots that didn't add much to the overall narrative. The writing itself was also lackluster, lacking in descriptive language and depth. Overall, I found the book to be a letdown and would not recommend it.

2. John - 1 star

"The Magical Aura of Eric Eaton" was one of the most tedious books I have ever read. The pacing was incredibly slow, with long, drawn-out scenes that added nothing to the story. The dialogue was awkward and unrealistic, making it difficult to connect with the characters. Additionally, the magical elements were poorly explained and seemed arbitrary, leaving me feeling confused and frustrated. I struggled to finish this book and was left feeling unsatisfied. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating read.

3. Emily - 2 stars

"The Magical Aura of Eric Eaton" had an interesting concept, but the execution fell flat. The plot lacked originality and felt predictable, with cliché twists that were easily anticipated. The protagonist, Eric Eaton, was unlikable and his actions often didn't make sense. The supporting characters were forgettable, and their relationships were underdeveloped. The writing style was dry and lacked emotion, which made it hard to feel invested in the story. Overall, this book failed to deliver on its promising premise and left me disappointed.

The transformative power of art: Eric Eaton's impact